How the Pandemic Spawned the Y2K Revival
The 2000s are back, but the return was slightly earlier than expected.
In case you’ve been living under a rock for the last year, the 2000s are back. From fashion to music to beauty, there’s been no shortage of Y2K revival. While many have attributed the resurgence in 2000s style to Gen Z, TikTok, and the general cyclical nature of trends, the COVID-19 pandemic can, in many ways, be credited with the specific timing and rapid growth of this rebirth.
In March 2020, people everywhere were forced into their homes to social distance as coronavirus took over the world. In doing so, digital platforms like TikTok and streaming services became a regular source of entertainment for the public. TikTok, as a social media app, was popularized by Gen Z, evidenced by the number of stars it has spawned in their teens and early-20s since its creation. As a result, much of the platform's viral content comes from Gen-Z users.
Simultaneous to TikTok's boom, a source of comfort for many during this tumultuous time was retreating to nostalgic TV series and movies from one's youth. Similar to the '90s revival under the rule of Millennials, Gen Z reverted to shows and films like Gilmore Girls, The Princess Diaries, Mean Girls, etc.
Prior to the pandemic, the entertainment industry was already capitalizing on nostalgia culture. The Gossip Girl reboot was in the final stages of casting; Reese Witherspoon announced a Legally Blonde 3; Disney+ was in the process of filming a Lizzie McGuire reboot (the project never came to fruition). With the accessibility streaming, Gen Z has been allowed easy access to revisit these cultural reference points from their youth, bringing Y2K style to the forefront of their minds.
Consequentially, the collective rediscovery of 2000s culture became a popular theme on TikTok throughout quarantine. Aly & AJ's 2007 song "Potential Breakup Song" found new life as fans, now in their teens and 20s, clamored for the duo to release an explicit version of the track. The unexpected resurgence spawned a full-hearted comeback for the sisters. At one point, users were obsessed with buying Amazon's version of Jennifer's Garner's iconic blue mini dress from 13 Going on 30 and sharing the results.
However, like any trend, what cemented the Y2K rebirth was its unspoken seal of approval by today's biggest celebrities. With fashion, TikTok celebs like Addison Rae and Charli D'Amelio are often spotted with a Prada nylon shoulder bag, rectangular sunglasses, or bubblegum pink garments. Looking at film and television, the reboot circuit has only expanded into new iterations of iCarly, Rugrats, and Sex and the City. In music, Olivia Rodrigo, 2021's music darling, co-opted elements from Jennifer's Body for her "Good 4 U" music video, while Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker has almost singlehandedly reawakened the pop-punk craze by appearing on tracks for artists like Machine Gun Kelly, Willow Smith, and Barker's young protégé Jxdn (also a TikTok star).
The restoration of early-aughts life has nestled its way into almost every sector of today's media. While many attribute the trend to Gen Z, saying it was par for the course, it's hard to separate the speed at which it arrived from the nature of how the younger generation spent their time in lockdown and their instantaneous ability to share their daily goings-on with the world.
