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The Power of Lip Gloss, Low Rise, and The Powerpuff Girls
Or why, in 2020, everyone’s suddenly obsessed with Y2K fashion, music, and aesthetics.
A collab piece by Kristin Merrilees and Molly Van Gorp.
It is a unanimous decision — 2020 has truly been a tumultuous year.
And yet through it all, or perhaps because of it, teens across the internet are seeking sanction and escape from the ever-present struggles we’re dealing with through a world of Juicy Couture tracksuits, Lisa Frank stickers, butterfly hair clips, and Britney Spears . . . a world of Y2K. This ever-growing obsession with the 2000s has transcended all corners of the internet, from Instagram to Twitter and TikTok. Yet even more fascinating is this obsession’s roots. Rather than being pioneered by a single celeb or group of elite few, the Y2K resurgence has seemingly sprung up from an omnipresent nostalgia for simpler times, felt by Midwest high school students and the Kardashians alike.
It is a subconscious rejection of the internet-centered, fast-paced rhythm of today — a plea for a simpler time, void of overwhelming social media influence and nonstop digital connectivity. Because, after all, the 2000s were not very long ago, but within the past few years, so much has changed in terms of the way we communicate and are influenced, making Y2K feel much more foreign, vintage, and distanced than it really is. This “morphed perspective” closely associated with Y2K may be the allusive, intangible element that makes this era so attractive to Gen Z. It is neither far away nor close by, giving it a distinctively whimsical, fanciful aura that is simply irresistible to the self-proclaimed “big dreamer Gen Zers.”
Additionally, accessibility and affordability play an undeniably important role in its resurgence, especially on the fashion side. For many, thrifting is the best, most sustainable, not to mention, affordable option for cultivating a uniquely individual and personalized wardrobe. Presently, the clothing and accessories people are donating and reselling to thrift stores are from the recent past: Y2K…
