Nostalgia.
A yearning for childhood, a blissful remembrance of what once was, a sentimental desire to turn back the clock and live in the past, if only for a moment.
While nostalgia can be an escape from current trials and tribulations, it can also serve as an enchanted reminder of the experiences and moments throughout our lives that we are grateful for, moments that make our lives what they are. In that way, nostalgia – and specifically what we do to channel this feeling – can impact our present world more than we think.
What better way to showcase this notion than by looking at another defining factor of our present world: popular culture.
Especially recently, I have noticed a nostalgic streak coursing through much of the culture that our society is enthralled with, specifically in two of my favorite genres: film and fashion.
Film
There are two movies that come to mind when thinking about this relationship between nostalgia and popular culture, and – funny enough – they both feature actress Rachel Zegler. The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Song Birds and Snakes (recently released in theatres) and Snow White (the upcoming 2025 version) are both prime examples of how earnestly we long for aspects of the past.
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is the prequel book to Suzanne Collins’ renowned dystopian series, The Hunger Games, which remains a cultural phenomenon to this day. Despite the heavy topics explored in both the book and movie format, the release of the original Hunger Games was a distinct period in popular culture history, marking a time when many teenagers were consumed by an obsession with Katniss’ strength and intelligence, the beloved Peeta’s compassion and wit, and the overarching power of revolution.
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, then, serves as an example of how eager people are to return to this complex world of The Hunger Games, or – more generally – a time of media they have fond memories of.
In a similar vein, the next Disney Princess movie to be remade in a more modern climate is Snow White. Featuring Rachel Zegler as the eponymous title character, there has been much discussion about how this film strays from the themes of the original movie.
As the discussion of gender roles and female agency becomes increasingly prevalent in our culture, this film serves as a quintessential example of merging a fondness for the past – as represented by the continuation of classic Disney Princess movies – with a hope for a better, more inclusive future.
fashion
Along with film, fashion is another area of popular culture that often revolves around nostalgia. As many of us know, fashion trends and popular styles are cyclical – that is, they come into and out of style in recurring cycles. In this sense, we as a society are always grappling with fashion as it relates to the past and the present.
A perfect example of this is the 2024 Met Gala theme, which was recently announced to be “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion.” According to this Vogue article, “The exhibit will feature approximately 250 rare items drawn from the Costume Institute’s permanent collection. Spanning over 400 years of fashion history, the pieces will include designs by Schiaparelli, Dior, Givenchy, and more.”
Though the exact details of this theme have not been disclosed, I can imagine that the chosen looks – both on display and on the red carpet – will work to fuse together fashion’s past and fashion’s present. By “reawakening” different styles and designs, I believe that this year’s gala will look to the past with a sense of creativity and modernity, both honoring what once was and showcasing what can be in the world of fashion.
Overall, as shown in both of these realms of popular culture – film and fashion – people appear to have an intrinsic fascination with the past, a fascination that then affects our current lives and popular media.
Nostalgia, then, seems to be significantly interwoven with our understanding of society and culture, just as our past is interwoven with our present, and – perhaps – interwoven with our future.