Fashion is truly cyclical.
Nostalgia, reinterpretation, capitalism… Whichever you want to blame, trend cycles have a way of coming back, years after their initial heyday. We saw it with scrunchies in the late 2010s, which were created and popularized in the 1980s, and we’re seeing it now with the revival of Y2K.
This comeback cycle is persistent, and also mostly influenced by the economy.
“The Lipstick Index” is a theoretical financial indicator that hypothesizes that in recessions or economic downturns, consumers tend to gravitate towards “affordable luxuries” — you know, they go back to basics. After all, it’s easier to treat yourself to some two-dollar lip gloss than to an expensive designer bag you’ll probably end up regretting. Although it hasn’t been conclusively proven, this theory remains widely recognized and frequently referenced in financial discussions. Well, even though we’re not officially in a recession, recent model predictions have become even more pessimistic over time. Moody’s Analytics, a forecasting framework model, for example, raised its recession outlook to nearly 50% earlier this year. Although the previous number has already gone down — recession probabilities fluctuate constantly based on shifting economic conditions — dramatic increases like the former are still enough to make plenty of economists and consumers nervous.
So, why do these theories and recession models matter?
Because when spending habits shift, so do the ways people consume media.
Streaming services are only getting more expensive, as they’ve recently announced they’re increasing their monthly subscriptions. Netflix, Spotify, HBO Max… if they’re a streaming platform giant, their prices have probably gotten higher. I’d be surprised, but it seems that every few months a new increase gets announced, so what else is new? On that same note, people are also realizing that we don’t own… anything. Movies can get taken off of streaming platforms and disappear into oblivion, TV shows get edited and altered years after their release, and songs get removed from streaming platforms without warning. And that’s not even counting the constant ads that are shoved in our faces unless we empty our wallets. Ebooks and video games aren’t safe either. Rather than owning them, people are only granted licenses to use this software legally, but they have no ownership over their digital libraries. Gamers and readers alike can still permanently lose access to their purchases. This conversation isn’t new.
However, as the economy takes a turn for the worse and it becomes more and more expensive to own digital copies of your favorite media, something interesting has begun to happen.
The decline of physical media sales has started to stabilize. In other words, instead of continuing to fade into irrelevance, physical media is holding its ground. Compared to drops of over 20% in 2023 and 2024, physical media sales declined just 9% in 2025.
I’ll be more specific.
Although music streaming continues to dominate the market, The Recording Industry Association of America reported that vinyl record sales were 10% higher last year with $1.04 billion in revenue! So yes, that mountain of limited-edition vinyl variants that your faves keep dropping? Maybe they’re not so bad after all. The print industry isn’t far behind either: hardback sales were up 13.5% and paperback revenue increased by 27% in 2025. BookTok and bookish influencers might have their flaws, but love or hate them, their influence is undeniable. Even digital cameras have managed to garner sales and have had two consecutive years of revenue growth, according to the Camera & Imaging Products Association (CIPA).
The stats prove it. Gen Z is diving headfirst into the world of physical media.
So, although sales have been in the negatives for the physical media market overall, it’s also clawing its way back, stubbornly swimming against the tide that’s trying to drag it into oblivion. And with good cause. Analog mediums are no longer gateways to prevent digital burnout; they’re so much more than that now. They’re a necessity, a market that should be considered a need rather than a niche. And listen, I’m not trying to criticize digital mediums either. Ebooks have a lower carbon footprint than physical books, for example. They’re great for travel, have a global reach, and are a lot cheaper. Music streaming gives you millions of titles you probably wouldn’t even have the space for in your phone as well. In a perfect world, these digital libraries would be enough. In a perfect world, where capitalistic greed wasn’t at the forefront, I’d be all for this. However, when every platform keeps raising subscription fees, removing content, or changing the rules overnight, suddenly having “everything at your fingertips” isn’t so perfect anymore. That’s where physical media steps in. This comeback isn’t about replacing the new with the old; I think it’s about the physical market finally finding its footing after years of being left in the dust.
Four years ago, Merlin, the BBC series loosely based on the Arthurian legend, was removed from the Netflix catalog. My favorite show, one of the first series I ever truly got into, was about to vanish into the void, available only on yet another streaming platform other than the hundred I already subscribed to. To me, this show was perfect; the characters, the twists, even the cheap-looking CGI, Merlin’s campy vibe was, and always will be, peak to me. So when the removal was announced in 2022, I was devastated. I told all my friends the news (despite them not even knowing the show), binge watched every season one last time, and whined about it to my mom. Then, my mom, in all her mom-ish wisdom, swooped in one Christmas with the physical copies. In my little streaming bubble, buying the DVDs had never even occurred to me. But now they’re mine, no expiring license or subscription drama required.
That’s when it hit me: owning physical media isn’t just about nostalgia, it’s about control. Permanence. A safety net in a world where digital stuff can vanish overnight. Digital media isn’t evil, on the contrary. However, physical media is still just as valuable, and I hope future generations keep remembering the genius of the past.
Fashion is truly cyclical.
Trends always manage to bring things from the past that we once took for granted, breathing new life into them, and reshaping them within more modern contexts. Well, this relentless cycle doesn’t stop with clothing; it’s quietly making its way into our media habits as well. Because lately, everything we thought was outdated and unnecessary amidst newer technologies — DVDs, vinyl records, physical books, and more — has proven to stand the test of time in the best way possible: by reminding us that new doesn’t always mean better.