Noughties Culture is Back, Baby – Nostalgic Trends from the Millennium

You heard the title – noughties culture is clawing its way back after a long time in the shadows, where we left it. The recent reprisal of 90s culture wasn’t enough to satisfy our tastes, apparently; oversized polos, frosted tips and curtains were just the starters… Here are four of the biggest noughties trends to re-surface fully-fledged in 2022.

Low-Rise Jeans

The low-rise jean: perhaps the biggest crime to befall the West since double denim. And yet, despite the lessons we all thought we learned, here they are! Back again, with all the bellybutton flaunting tact they can muster. The low-rise trend has infected more than the humble jean, though. No fabric or pant style is off-limits this time – and that’s a warning. Low-rise fashion is a marmite trend, for sure, but this summer is sure to be a fun one for those willing to embrace the cringe.

CDs

The vinyl revival is still very much alive and kicking, but the nostalgia train absolutely didn’t stop there. Indeed, 2021 saw CD sales go up for the first time in nearly 20 years, as North American CD sales increased by over $100 million.

There are several reasons CDs might be experiencing the comeback of a lifetime, and not all of them relate to the endless cycle of nostalgia. Streaming services have been king for over a decade, but their novelty is beginning to soften, alongside continued coverage of extremely low artist revenue from streaming.

Meanwhile, physical media has always been there to offer a tangible route into someone’s music – and buying CDs online has never been easier. This is where nostalgia creeps back in; don’t we all fondly remember leafing through the lyrics booklet while blasting Living Da Vida Loca through our compact CD/Tape/Radio boombox? No? Just me?

Camcorders

As the age of the smartphone continues unabashed, many of us thought that the early days of digital photography were well and truly behind us. However, daring Gen-Xers have plumbed the depths of charity shop bargain bins and parents’ box rooms the country over, to rediscover the noisy, washed-out haze of the 2000s digital camcorder. There is something to be said for the aesthetic, though, and artists and filmmakers alike have been having a ball with the textures and vibes the old tech provides.

Pop-Punk

Pop-punk and emo music had a time and place; we were told it was a phase, and for the vast majority of us, it genuinely turned out to be one… While some of us may cringe at photos of swept fringes, red highlights and way too much mascara, there was always something to be said about the music – and that something is being said again today, with the ‘rehabilitation’ of pop-punk and emo bands in the modern-day.

My Chemical Romance are re-uniting, Paramore never left, Avril Lavigne is releasing her first hotly-anticipated work since Complicated – and Olivia Rodrigo is leading the way with pop-heavy pop-punk hits designed to be full-on nostalgia-bombs. Pop-punk is well and truly back, and we’re here for it!