Durags. Gaucho pants. Missy Elliott. Obnoxious fur coats. Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears with the matching denim fit. All these things bring a sense of nostalgia into my mind. They remind me of the carefree times when learning to do my multiplication charts was the hardest part of my day and when I would come home and park on BET.
The early-to-mid-2000s were arguably the most iconic years in American culture. I mean, this was the age of sassy Motorola RAZRs in every color possible and those rose colored glasses with no rim but a rhinestone heart on the edge. Did the ‘80s have Shakira teaching elementary school kids how to belly dance? Did the ‘90s have men like Cam’ron embrace the color pink and take away the stigma against men who wear the color? I don’t think so.
From the sense of power you would get when it was your turn to choose what movie to rent from Blockbuster to begging mom to buy the Lean Cuisines because the TV ad made it look so cool, the whole era was just bursting with a culture. A culture and a lifestyle that I find myself missing once in awhile. I miss recording ringtones off the radio to avoid that 99-cent fee. I miss waking up at 7 a.m. to watch Winx Club or Bratz or the Suite Life of Zack & Cody on ABC7. I miss riding my Razor scooter down the hill in my neighborhood. I miss it all — the memories and the era.
The 2000s were my glory days, but all good things come to an end. Just like studded belts and tacky hair highlights, the 2000s are dead and gone. I mean, growing up was inevitable, no matter how much I thought I was going to be a kid forever. But just because I left the era doesn't mean I left the culture of the era. I still find myself going to my Apple Music, shuffling my playlist and cranking some Akon. I still find myself drinking disgustingly sugary Hawaiian punch and licking popsicles. I even find myself falling in love all over again with some of the fashion of the 2000s like the tacky fur coats and chokers.
All these things put together just remind me of how although we may grow up and feel as though we left things behind, we never leave behind those things we truly love. These things always find a way back into our lives (shout out to denim on denim).
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