With the end of the decade comes the end of a glorious era full of surprises and heartaches in the pop culture community. It makes you wonder what it is the new decade will hold for us when we clearly weren’t ready for what already happened. So just in case any of you got lost in the shuffle, I compiled a list of what I think were the most important events of the decade to give you an idea of what 2020 will hold.
- 2010: Toy Story 3
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I know this may have been nine years ago, but to this day, ones still tear up at the idea of Andy finally giving up his toys. We went through so much with Woody and the gang, so watching them say their final goodbyes to their owner made everyone’s heart wrench. The only reason we managed to hold it together barely was that we knew the toys were in a better place. A new generation of kids is now playing them (Bonnie).
- 2011: Beyoncé Announced Her First Pregnancy At The VMAs
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That’s right, 2011 was the year our queen announced the existence of our Princess Blue Ivy, which had fans screaming at the MTV Video Music Awards with joy. Not only did she slay her performance of “Love on Top,” but teased the audience by rubbing her belly. Also, who could forget the look on JAY-Z’s face as the camera turned toward him as he watched his beautiful wife on stage?
- 2012: Alex Became the Family Wizard
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Now I know what you all are thinking, “Hannah Montanna and Suite Life on Deck ended in 2011, but why weren’t they mentioned?” Well, that’s because Wizards of Waverly Place, in my opinion, was the last good show from my childhood (2000s baby) to finally end. I mean, let’s be honest here people, we all wanted to be a wizard and get in trouble with the Russos after watching the show. Also, not to mention that this was the only show left that used to participate in the Disney Channel Games.
- 2013: Frozen
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When it comes to Disney movies, Frozen was just on another level to the point where almost every movie that Disney now produces struggle to keep up. This movie had it all from an adorably hilarious snowman to sisters that makes your family relationship pale in comparison. This movie showed little girls everywhere that they didn’t need a man to save them, and that doesn’t believe everything that comes out of men’s mouths. Therefore it wasn’t a surprise that this year they made a part 2 that took over the box office with its success as well.
- 2014: Netflix Killed Blockbuster
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What can I say? Between “Netflix and Chill” and “Netflix Originals,” are you really surprised that the local movie store shut down? When Netflix blew up, it left no one else standing, including shops such as the classic Blockbuster that officially closed down in 2014 because of the amount of streaming people did. Now, if you want to walk into a family video store, the only one left is in Alaska and let me know how that goes. When this store closed down, it ended the era of VHS, along with it never allowing kids to experience the struggle of rewinding a tape to rewatch a movie.
- 2015: Bruce became Caitlyn Jenner
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It’s always been a struggle keeping up with the Kardashians, so when “he” became a “she,” we were all left mouths opened. I mean congrats to Caitlyn for establishing who she is and transitioning on her own, but let’s be honest here. We all enjoyed watching the drama unravel when the family found out, and Caitlyn wrote her book, trashing them, making Caitlyn no doubt a highlight.
- 2016: Kneeling Protests
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2016 was the year people in the united states. Specifically, athletes decided that enough was enough for police brutality and protested. A protest that transformed sports events into a political platform by respectfully kneeling for the fallen victims during the national anthem. It didn’t matter what sport you played; everyone united against the injustices some police officers inflicted over the years, and instead of taking a stand, they took a knee.
- 2017: #METOO Movement
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When the New York Times published an article exposing Harvey Weinstein for the sexual predator he was, the world was in an uproar with women wanting to come forward. This included actress Rose McGowen and former teen model Kaja Sokola. This also was the start of a beautiful movement who had ignored for years fame to be recognized by the public finally. Women from around the world no longer felt alone and began coming forward about their sexual assaults. Making 2017 the year women stole their voices back and got justice.
- 2018: The Royal Wedding Of Prince Harry & Meghan Markle
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Yes, I am aware that Kate and Prince William also got married during this decade. Still, their wedding wasn’t as significant in history as Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s for a reason. Not only has the whole Cinderella story been overdone a thousand times, but not only did Harry marry a commoner, but a BLACK Commoner. This was especially important because it was the first win the African-American community in a long time, and you best believe we revealed in every second of it.
- 2019: Game of Thrones Ended
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As much as it pains me to say this, all good things must eventually come to an end. Even if it means having to suffer through an excruciatingly epic season that left audiences shook. Not only did we witness the death of our most beloved queen, but the result of the Iron Throne made viewers end the series with more questions than answers. Are all Targaryens mad because if so, what does that mean about Jon? And what happened to Daenerys’s body? Could she possibly still be alive, or did her son eat her? We’ll probably never know.