In the rose-tinted world of social media, it seems that 2016 has become the new obsession. From Beyoncé’s Lemonade to the Pokémon Go craze, the echoes of that year have been reverberating across platforms, with users flooding feeds with sepia-toned throwbacks, flower crown selfies, and outfits straight out of the early 2010s.
But as we bask in the glow of millennial pink and thigh-high boots, it’s worth asking: should we really be so nostalgic for a year that, in many ways, laid the groundwork for the divisive and tumultuous times we find ourselves in today?
2016, after all, was the year that saw the rise of Brexit, the return of Pauline Hanson to Australian politics, and the transformation of the Trump presidency from a punchline to a horrifying reality. It was also a year marked by the deaths of beloved celebrities like David Bowie, Alan Rickman, and Prince. And let’s not forget the birth of Jared Leto’s much-maligned take on the Joker in Suicide Squad.
While the fashion and pop culture trends of the time may have been vibrant and experimental, there’s an argument to be made that they also paved the way for a more corporate and less fun aesthetic, spurred on by the “girlboss-ification” of culture.
Admittedly, it’s easy to get caught up in the rose-coloured haze of nostalgia, especially for those of us who came of age during that period. The world may have felt more electrifying and the simple pleasures, like avocado toast and Pokémon Go, more thrilling. But as we’ve learned all too well, the world can change in an instant, and the optimism of 2016 was quickly extinguished by the chaos that followed.
Contrast that with the current state of affairs, which has already seen the devastating Bondi beach massacre and a former US president making threats to forcibly take over nations, and it becomes clear that indulging in 2016 nostalgia is not a healthy coping mechanism.
That said, it’s important to recognize that despite the horrors, great art is still being created, and this bout of 2016 wistfulness might just be the very cure for the new-year funk. Perhaps the sheer awfulness of the past decade has made us more resilient and aware of injustice, even if it doesn’t always feel that way.
After all, 2026 may yet become another beloved calendar darling in the pantheon of memorable years – we haven’t even had a full month of it yet. So, while it’s understandable to yearn for simpler times, let’s not forget the lessons we’ve learned and the progress we’ve made, even if it doesn’t always feel that way. The future may hold more surprises than we can imagine.
