By Iliana Kuntelia
We’ve all seen 2016 trending on TikTok and Instagram reels. Mutuals posting themselves from 10 years ago in galaxy leggings and glitter baseball caps. What persuaded us to do this? What is so iconic about 2016?
Some would say there’s a sort of blissful ignorance. Before the two inaugurations of Trump. Back when we had hope for the world and politics. This showed in the way we dressed ourselves. We were much freer than we are now. Not afraid to celebrate big, bold makeup, colourful, loud prints in our clothes, whether it was casual, formal, or even in athleisure. We styled anything.
Due to the rapid rise of social media, we became connected to the world through our screens. It was much easier to access fashion tips, articles, etc., through celebrities and even peers. This convinced us we could become makeup YouTubers. I know myself; I was filming terrible makeup tutorials in my badly lit room. The thick, sculpted eyebrows were done with my cheap Anastasia Brow-Dip because, Lord knows, I couldn’t afford the real thing. A glitter cut-crease for the weekly Sunday roast at my granny’s, and a bold matte lip. No one paid much attention (except my poor granny); we were all doing it.
At this time in our lives, we had more access to the inside of celebrities’ lives. Seeing what they wear to the gym, coffee dates, etc. This had a strong influence on how we dressed. Celebrities either started or cemented trends.
Beyoncé’s “Lemonade” visual album was released in 2016. One of the year’s most defining albums. In the musical film and music videos, there’s a strong taste of 2016 fashion on her and others.
Specifically, the “Hold Up” music video, with the iconic yellow dress and baseball bat, which just screams 2016. Her dress is off the shoulder, loud, unapologetic. We saw that it influenced a lot of bright colours in the spring of 2016.
Off-the-shoulder was a staple silhouette in 2016. I remember going into New Look and buying every off-the-shoulder top, jumper, dress, anything! Off the shoulder had me in a chokehold.
Chokers were a must-have in 2016. Seen throughout all of Lemonade and other famous music videos of the year, such as “Work” by Rihanna.
This music video also highlights so much of 2016 fashion. It is a 2016 digital time capsule: the bold lips and eyebrows, the massive chokers, the unapologetic attitude, which we need to bring back.
Now, as a society, we are so tired of the fast-paced media worrying if what we’re seeing is AI. We miss true creativity and passion for art.
Anything too clean and well curated reminds us of AI. We’re getting rid of the “clean aesthetic”. We want dedication to the arts. Human work. We want that back.