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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Rutgers chapter.

We all have something we’ve seen that is burned into the back of our brains. From our 2 a.m. TikTok scrolls, to the constant craziness we consume on Instagram almost every day, pop culture runs in our veins — and we are just dying to talk about it! So, here are some iconic pop culture moments that certainly classify as our “Roman Empire” aka, things we just can’t stop thinking about.

Kim Kardashian’s Met gala look

Kim Kardashian, or the unidentifiable shadow walking the carpet, shocked the world at the 2021 Met Gala. The Met Gala has been notorious for revealing the most unique and outrageous looks from some of our favorite celebrities. This time, Kim Kardashian may have taken the crown for a never-before-done look by Balenciaga. The shocking all-black bodysuit with a long train, covered her head-to-toe and her face was completely invisible. Memes began to swirl about the shocking piece, but our favorite would definitely have to be the ones comparing her to the dementor creatures from “Harry Potter”.

The “bye sister” scandal

The whole of 2019 could solely be defined by the “Bye Sister Scandal,” which changed the trajectory beauty community, and possibly meme culture, forever. Beauty YouTuber Tati Westbrook’s loaded and unintentionally hilarious expose video of the infamous James Charles, fittingly named “Bye Sister,” single-handedly pushed cancel culture into the mainstream. This led to even more internet drama for years to come. I mean, who doesn’t remember watching the YouTube live streams of Charles’ subscriber count going down, the subsequent apology/explanation videos, and the later involvement of the controversial Jeffree Star and Shane Dawson? With iconic quotes from the “Bye Sister” video such as “And you did it at my birthday dinner!”, it’s hard to forget its impact and entertainment factor.

Wendy Williams passing out

Clap if you’ve ever cried laughing at Wendy Williams passing out in her Statue of Liberty costume. Okay that was sort of unhinged. Luckily, unhinged is exactly the type of humor and shocking comments that Williams is known for. We could probably write a whole article about her funny antics, but for this list we had to go with this moment from the 2017 Halloween episode of her talk show. We can’t stop thinking about how shocked her eyes were, and the unintentional dramatic movements before the fall which made everything somewhat cinematic. This of course inspired memes and social media conversations that were too good not to giggle at. Even though it was spooky season, there thankfully was no need to be scared! The fainting was simply due to dehydration and heat, and Williams was able to brush it off and continue the show.

DUA LIPA’S “ONE KISS” CHOREOGRAPHY

When life brings you down, you can always Dua Lipa it out with her infamous One Kiss Choreography. Before her “Future Nostalgia” revamp, Lipa was getting some eyebrow raises for her dancing. All the possible slander she may have previously received for her dancing skills was set in stone by her infamous One Kiss choreography. What was meant to be a simple dance to her catchy chorus, was mimicked and memed by the internet. I know all of us had our share of fun with the memes, specifically where her dance was edited to look like she was a pencil being sharpened. 

FERGIE’S NATIONAL ANTHEM PERFORMANCE

“Ohh say can you see” that the last moment on our list would be singer Fergie’s National Anthem? This viral internet sensation was definitely a never-been-done before rendition of The Star-Spangled Banner. Fergie delivered this anthem in an unusually stylized and jazzy way that surely had spectators, and even the NBA All-Star players, truly moved. 

Alyssa Chierchia is a senior attending Rutgers University-New Brunswick. She is a Journalism and Media Studies major with a double minor in Gender and Media and Creative Writing. She will never stop talking about pop culture, feminism, or fan edits, and is usually watching a show or a movie in her free time.
Halle Park

Rutgers '26

Hello everyone! My name is Halle, I go by she/her/hers pronouns, and I am a current sophomore, anticipating to graduate in 2026. I am majoring in Human Resources Management and hope to minor in Business Administration. I enjoy meeting new friends and forming new connections, and I think HER campus at Rutgers is the perfect place.