The early 00s nostalgia wave has swept 2017 with a swelling intensity. So many current trends derive from an era in which velour tracksuits were the norm and 50 Cent was undisputed King of the charts. Music was copped on the regular via MTV and shady Limewire downloads, fandoms still interacted through chatrooms and, selfies were taken on Motorola Razors and digital cameras – everything exuded an aura of simplicity.
Throwing it back, it’s nice to look at the 00s as the ‘golden days’. Time seemed to move slowly back then – we were happy to buy So Fresh CD’s and use them as our party soundtracks for years on end. Was it because we were young and naive? Possibly, but, there is something unique about the collective fondness we look at the decade with. Social media has made marketing ourselves easier than ever – although Myspace and personal blogging came into prominence as the middle of the decade, the relationship between the ‘on-screen’ and real-life that exists now as the norm wasn’t quite as common. With self-marketing comes the pressure of curating an image amidst constantly changing trends. To curb this, we adore reveling in the proper ‘dagginess’ that was the 00s.
Yes, waiting for your album of photos to upload onto Myspace relying on dial-up internet was inconvenient but this sense of ‘wholesomeness’ and ‘purity’ seems to be sorely craved amongst millennials.
The generation who grew up with Gameboys are now young adults, entering a world that doesn’t always have their best interests at heart. Every day, claims of laziness and impending failure permeate the rhetoric surrounding the future of millennials. We are clearly yearning for an entrance into a time that signifies the innocence of our childhood.
Music is a huge indicator towards this sentiment. The emergence of ’emo-rap’, directs straight towards a sense of 00s worship. Acts like Lil Peep and Lil Yachty constantly refer to acts like Fall Out Boy and Brand New as points of inspiration and, their aesthetics scream Myspace goth-meets Lil Wayne bling. (If that isn’t peak 00s, we don’t know what is.)
These acts are total products of the internet – as 20-year-olds, they’ve lived through the social media boom that arrived later in the decade. Their fan bases are teens who remember the wee years of the 00s as a time of freedom from the pressures of growing up. Manifested in their sound is an eternal sense of angst that resonates deeply with a generation who feast on the bittersweet.
Fashion-wise, the reemergence of Champion is an ode to our streetwear heroes of the 00s, whilst Kylie Jenner has sported Von Dutch hats and Juicy Couture tracksuits like Britney Spears never broke down.
Skate fashion’s enduring prominence within the social psyche is another marker towards our 00s obsession. Thrasher‘s popularity and checkered Vans are symbolic of a time when Tony Hawk’s pro skater was king and the teen movie heartthrob was always a master of a kickflip. Even Dickies is receiving a newfound love, urging us to spend an entire afternoon Youtube-ing old episodes of Pimp My Ride.
Let’s face it – even Australian meme culture has entered a renaissance due to this obsession. Pages like I Saw A UFO & Nobody Believed Meme and, Aussie Music Memes of the 90s and 00s pays direct homage to a niche culture appreciated by so many.
Our social media platforms now allow us the ability to reminisce over the one connector we have as a generation – our nostalgia. With millions of dividers constantly thrown our way, we’re able to look at the 00s with the same rose-coloured glasses because we all perceived at the time, the same way. Being young with limited access to the internet meant our cultural currency was earnt through mainstream TV and radio and now, as a generation, we’re able to reminisce on these widespread pieces of pop culture with fondness and irony.
The presence of social media although an overwhelmingly positive thing will often mark this generation with stresses and anxieties that ceased to exist years ago. Nostalgia is healthy, but, we should continue to embrace what makes us, as millennials great in the present.
But hey, if 00s nostalgia means a further appreciation of Von Dutch, we’re not going to knock it.
For more 00s nostalgia, suss the looks BAPE & Champion are serving for FW17.
