I’m 30, which makes me feel that I’m just old enough to have watched certain trends come to life.
Meanwhile, I’m just young enough to keep up with which trends have died. Though I’m not the coolest person on the planet, I’m a young Millennial who can attest that some trends are way over, and if you’re still doing them, you’re officially out of touch. Here are a few.
1. The duck face
“The duck face” was the queen of my middle school days. She graced all of my photos and reigned supreme as “the official go-to pose.” But looking back, I wonder why we defined “attractive” as a verb that involves imitating waterfowl. These days, if a woman wants to have duck-like lips, she takes a more clinical approach and gets Botox. It lasts longer.
2. Neon-colored eye shadow
I blame Tyra Banks and “America’s Next Top Model”—but gone are the days when it was trendy to rock lime green, bright purple, and electric blue eyeliner. Though most young girls these days could contour their faces blindfolded, the style is a more natural look. (If you really want to avoid trends that have long been laid to rest, don’t put the little rhinestones by the corners of your eyes. You aren’t a Bratz doll.)
3. Code names for boyfriends
It seems today’s teens and young kids are a little bolder, or maybe all the dating apps just make them feel safe behind a screen. Either way, girls and boys are typically more upfront in admitting who they like. There aren’t code names on handwritten notes. No phrases at the lunch table for your best friends to decrypt. Now, you say who you like by swiping right
4. Heavy filters on photos
Filters were cool when filters were new… which was over ten years ago. Sure, platforms like TikTok have amped up their filters, allowing them to look more natural. But the OG filters of Instagram 2013 need to be put to rest. It’s time, friends. We know you don’t look that orange or that blueish-white in real life.
5. Knee-high boots with everything
When I was in college, girls wore knee-high boots with all sorts of dresses, no matter how casual or formal. But if my fashion meter is dialed in, it seems booties are the trend these days. Of course, let the gals in Texas keep rocking their cowgirl boots—that’s a statewide staple that I’m not sure will ever fade. But the rest of us don’t need to look like we’re about to go English-style horseback riding every time we leave the house in a dress.
6. Deep hair parts
None of us are Avril Lavigne, so we should let her rockin’ 2007 deep-parted hairstyle be. In fact, it seems the middle part (that so many of us 90s babies avoided like the Plague) is back in. Sure, not every person’s hair length lets them work with certain parts, but it certainly doesn’t hurt to leave certain hairstyles in the early 2000s—along with the super heavy eyeliner, Etnies tennis shoes, and slap bracelets.
7. MySpace
MySpace exists, but how many people still use it is up for debate. I was just young enough to not be allowed to have a MySpace when it was super trendy. Following the 2008 Facebook blow-up, countless social media apps like Instagram, Twitter (now “X”), TikTok, etc. have taken precedence over this original social media “friends” site.
8. Updating your relationship status constantly
I remember when everyone constantly updated their relationship status on Facebook. Even if you were married but separated but kinda working things out, you made sure the whole world knew “It’s Complicated.” News flash: everyone in 2024 knows that relationships are sticky, messy, and complicated. There’s no need to let us know anymore. (Besides, most people who leave a bad relationship, whether a breakup or divorce, simply delete their relationship status altogether. It saves Snooping Susans from storming your inbox.)
9. Wrist corsages for formal events
It’s one thing for a mother of the bride or groom to sport a wrist corsage at a wedding, but for prom and other formal events, it’s best to rock a simple floral bouquet. This seems to be a bit pricier, but the more I look back on my wrist corsages of proms gone by, the more I realize they look like a mini funeral flower arrangement strapped to my wrist.
10. T9 text messages
Remember when “T9” text was a thing? (If you don’t, please don’t tell me. I’m already wrestling with the few gray hairs I found a few weeks ago.) I was ridiculously fast at T9 texting, but once you upgrade to a smart device, T9 isn’t an option. So unless you’re still holding fast to an old-school flip phone, you’d best learn that instead of doing all sorts of abbreviated messaging and “:),” learn to text with the standard “typewriter” format.
11. The bump-it
I was a Bump-It gal. And if I didn’t have the plastic bump-it insert to nestle in the crown of my head, I could use a sock. While it was once popular to look like you quite literally had a mountain of hair stacked on top of your head, I think it’s best to leave that trend to Cindy Lou Who. While today’s hairstyles still require a little bit of teasing and volume, there’s no pressure to hide Mt. Everest under your hair.
12. The wings
While the bump-it was trendy for the girls, guys had “the wings.” They would let their hair grow out just long enough that it would start to curl on the ends. What’s so funny is that the style for most dudes now is similar to a military “high-and-tight” look. Lots of men buzz all of their hair except for a little on the top, leaving a masculine, sleek look.
13. Posting photos of your lunch
We don’t care that you cooked dinner. I’m sorry. I really am. But unless you’re showing off a homemade sourdough reel, it’s just not cool to let the whole world know you baked some chicken and heated up some green beans from a can. If you didn’t make your food from scratch with an incredible video of your aesthetically farm-y house in the background, it no longer counts.
14. Bright accessories
Outside of the classic pink, all other bright colors are basically reserved for Easter eggs. Pastels and nudes seem to take the cake for everything from Thanksgiving sweaters to formal bridesmaid dresses. Softer and simpler is better.
15. Ankle socks
I was recently informed by my fashionista Gen-Z sister that if you wear ankle socks, the world knows you’re old. Why? Because ankle socks were what made you look cool in the early 2000s and 2010s. I have no clue why or exactly when this trend shifted, but if you’re 30+ like me, I just thought you should know that you better be wearing those super-long socks again. No one will make fun of you this go-round.
