This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Emory chapter.
January 20, 2019 marked thirteen years since the premiere of the greatest Disney Channel original movie of all time—High School Musical. If that wasn’t enough to make you feel old and nostalgic, the rest of the world has been participating in the #tenyearchallenge. Social media has been cascading with celebrity photo collages embracing their horrifying pasts, emphasizing their glow ups, and proving that not everyone ages (cough, Reese Witherspoon and Anne Hathaway). So, to join the rest of the internet, let’s take a look back on the trends that dominated 2009.
- Television: Ten years ago, the world graced us with the premiere of iconic tv shows some of which are still airing while others are just as popular on our Netflix binge marathon days. Most notably, Modern Family, The Vampire Diaries, Parks and Recreation, and Glee all premiered in 2009, calling attention to the comedy, teenage vampires, and musical renditions we didn’t know we needed in our lives.
- Movies: To keep with the theme, 2009 was a big year in the movie world with hits in all genres, including comedy with The Hangover, rom-coms with 17 Again and The Proposal, and sci-fi with Avatar, and of course Twilight: New Moon. Yes, it has already been ten years since we first learned about Jacob Black and his immensely brooding werewolf story.
- Music: “I Gotta Feeling” by The Black Eyed Peas, “Bad Romance” by Lady Gaga, and “Party in the USA” by Miley Cyrus all debuted in 2009. Looking back, it’s crazy to imagine that these songs are already ten years old since it feels like just yesterday when these were our ringtones. So, go ahead and add these to your playlist because you know you need to listen to these again and it’s not like you don’t know the lyrics (“nodding my head like yeah…”)
- Fashion: As much as we don’t want to admit it, there are some standout fashion trends that took over our closets in 2009. Whether it was dangly earrings, neon colored tank tops, peace signs (RIP Justice), crocs, or our silly bandz bracelets, the fashion of 2009 is something we will remember forever, no matter how hard we try to forget it.
- Celebrity Scandals: A throwback in pop culture would be incomplete without remembering the celebrity news and scandals that went down in 2009. Sadly, ten years ago, the world lost some major Hollywood royalties including the king of pop Michael Jackson, Patrick Swayze, Brittany Murphy, Natasha Richardson, and John Hughes who we will always remember. Ten years ago also marks the anniversary of Kanye West’s infamous interruption of Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech at the VMA’s (it’s been that long? Yes, yes it has!) And lastly, 2009 was the year Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan were married so this would have been their tenth wedding anniversary but instead it will just include us rewatching Step Up, crying over their breakup, and giving up on love.
So goodbye to the trends of 2009 and let’s get ready for the future trends of 2019, hopefully, none of which will be embarrassing to remember in another ten years.