The 2000s—what a time to be alive. Before the millennial pink of Glossier came the hot pink of Juicy Couture. Between tracksuits and butterfly hair clips, fashion mistakes were looming around every corner. Popular culture was a candy-coated distraction from the Iraq War. MTV and VH1 still played music as reality shows slowly seeped into their regular programming. Cake frosting could have easily been mistaken for lip gloss. And, when in doubt, put a rhinestone on it. So let’s travel to pop culture’s not-so-distant past for some aesthetic nostalgia. A time when…
Beyoncé was “Crazy in Love”
…and Paul Giamatti turned blue in Big Fat Liar…
People drank Red Bull like it was water.
A movie where Amanda Bynes wore this iconic sweater coat:
(A sleek coat with faux furry acoutrements on the neck and sleeves was the epitome of chic for me, at the time. Business in the cut and party in the trimmings, this was a look favored by powerful women.)
Like Raven on That’s So Raven…
…and Lizzie McGuire…
…and Valerie Brown in Josie and the Pussycats.
Remember when everyone wanted this phone?
And this phone?
And of course, every phone needed accessories. Like swarovski crystals:
And charms…
And Jamster ringtones.
All the celebrities shopped here:
And bought Von Dutch trucker hats:
At 50 bucks a hat, it was expensive to look casual.
Anyone who’s anyone was getting Punk’d.
(Even the host’s future wife.)
Rachel Zoe was Hollywood’s stylist…
…and popularized the oversized sunglasses trend, when bigger was better and everyone looked like an insect:
At the turn of the new millenium, futuristic styles were dominating the runways, many of which were inspired by The Matrix films…
where Trinity showed us the most iconic ass-kicking of the decade:
Meanwhile, I was shopping here…
Where I was very excited to purchase a beaded mesh tote…
Handbags were a pretty big deal in the 2000s. It was the era of the ‘it bag’ and logomania.
For Halloween, just add sweatpants, sunglasses bigger than your face, a $3500 purse, plus a latte and/or Red Bull and voila, you’ll look like a celeb from 2005.
Speaking of branding, remember when everyone was wearing these?
These, too.
Which you’d tuck into low-rise, flared jeans.
The 2000s did bring forth some incredible footwear. Like platform flip flops…
A staircase and these shoes made for an interesting 25 minutes.
And sneaker heels…
For me, back in the day, the Converse heel was the epitome of intelligent design.
And an abundance of extravagant hair accessories:
I thought hoop earrings and clip-on extensions made me look wise beyond my years.
Holy hair crimping!
That’s some volume that belongs in an art gallery.
Makeup looked like dessert:
Jessica Simpson even had a line of cosmetics called Dessert.
Frosted lip gloss made everyone look like they just made out with a cake:
Much shiny. Very fancy.
Skirts got shorter:
Behodl! The casual date-night look of the 2000s!
Dreamgirls was the smash hit of 2007, winning awards all over the place, including 2 Oscars.
Jennifer Hudson took home the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress, cementing her status as a movie star in addition to being a standout vocalist.
Social media was on the verge of permeating every area of our lives…
You could easily lose hours on AIM…
My screenname was doglover93.
Then this came along…
All the while, a young Senator from Illinois was getting ready to campaign for presidency.
And on Tuesday, January 20, 2009, Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th president of the United States Of America…
…and the United States had its first black president and his family living in the White House.
Header photo: “High School Musical,” Disney Channel
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