Looking back at the past 10 years, it’s hard to even fathom that we live on the same planet as the events or people that were there during that time.
Trends came and went and came back again.
A burst of new celebrities was destined to be a part of household conversations, and hundreds of new jargon has been added to the dictionary.
As we head into 2020, there’s been lots of talk about reflection and looking ahead at the possibilities.
For the sake of nostalgia and overwhelming amount of change that America has gone through, I decided to take a trip down memory lane and compare five things that happened 10 years ago to five things that are currently in the works at this very moment.
Circa November 2009
1. Taylor Swift wins the 43rd Country Music Association Award, alongside Brad Paisley
Just shy of two months after her insanely awkward encounter with Kanye West, Taylor Swift makes a comeback at the Country Music Association Awards, taking home four awards including Entertainer of the Year, Album of the Year (Fearless), Music Video of the Year (“Love Story”) and Female Vocalist of the Year.
Obviously, nothing has changed because she is still killing the music game going into the 2020s.
2. Swine flu caused a nationwide freak-out
First identified as “swine flu” due to gene segments of the virus being similar to those found in pigs, fear of the newly discovered sickness spread almost as fast as the sickness did, infecting nearly 61 million people.
Many health PSAs and product commercials from that year included a statement about protection from the H1N1 virus, such as hand sanitizer and vaccinations.
3. Barack Obama completed his first year as president
The world became abuzz when the first black president was nominated and congratulated.
No matter one’s political beliefs, this was a moment that marked history and increased awareness about diversity and progressive movements within political representation.
4. 20th Century Fox releases the first trailer for “Avatar,” the second-highest grossing film ever
“Avatar” quickly became a movie that was claimed to be ahead of its time, with CGI and special effects that astounded audiences and allowed them to be entranced by the world of Pandora.
Although “Avengers: Endgame” knocked it to second place, it will forever be known as one of my favorite films, as well as the first of its kind.
5. Silly Bandz became a widespread wonder
Whether or not your elementary school banned them, we were all completely obsessed with these useless rubber bracelets, collecting every shape and color known to mankind.
Although they were first sold online the year prior, it took another 12 months for them to be sold in stores and the fad to kick off.
You didn’t have a childhood if you weren’t trading them on the playground during recess.
Circa November 2019
1. Taylor Swift is now fighting for her old music
This artist’s struggles still aren’t in short supply, now topped off with a power struggle between her old record company’s representatives Scooter Braun and Scott Borchetta.
Swift claims she is barred from playing her old hit songs at the AMAs and in an upcoming Netflix documentary.
She recently put out an Tumblr post highlighting the situation.
2. New presidential candidates lining up
As the 2020 election looms closer, there has been a lot of talk about candidates entering the race, including Trump keeping his position for four more years, and democratic candidates such as Mike Bloomberg building their platform to run.
3. Speaking of presidents (at the university level)
University of Florida Student Body President Michael Murphy has stirred up quite the controversy when emails linked to the speakers at a recent event were posted on the school newspaper.
Several student body senators composed a bill for his impeachment, describing that he illegally used student funds to bring Trump Jr. and Kimberly Guilfoyle to speak at UF.
There is more to come from these events, but so far there has been pushback on both sides.
4. Popeyes came back on National Sandwich Day
After a long hiatus due to this fast food chain running completely out of chicken sandwiches, they just re-released this promotion with word of making it a part of the permanent menu.
With the news breaking on Sunday, Nov. 3, the same frenzy has continued while people make up for lost time without this meal.
5. Frozen II comes out (among other Disney remakes)
On Nov. 22, “Frozen” will add a sequel to the mix of Disney remakes that have recently been released.
A more contemporary take on the storyline, it shows the progress that the movie company has made in terms of animation, storylines and character development.
This is definitely not the last rehashing of past storylines, as “The Lion King,” “Dumbo” and “Toy Story” hint.
Looking back on this decade, it’s interesting and borderline funny to peek into what was taking us by storm.
It makes me even more interested in wondering what I’ll be recapping on 10 years from now.