It’s official: We’re all obsessed with 2016. We’ve reached the point in the 10-year cycle where we stop cringing at our old photos and start trying to recreate them.
@nostalgicteendream #fyp #2016 #2016nostalgia #viral #2016vibes ♬ Lean On – Major Lazer & DJ Snake ft. MO
I hate to break it to you, but it has been an entire decade since we were all obsessed with Drake’s One Dance, wearing lace-up bodysuits, and layering enough highlighter on our cheekbones to be seen from space.
If you’ve been on TikTok lately, you’ll know the “2016 filter” is currently trending with over 55 million videos, and searches for the year have surged by a massive 452%.
But why are we all suddenly desperate to go back to the era of the Snapchat dog filter and The Chainsmokers playing on a loop?
@nel_seulli #CapCut #2016 #trend #musically #goviral ♬ I Need Your Love – Ayushi Vaid
The last ‘fun’ era of the internet
According to the experts, it’s because 2016 was basically the last time being online didn’t feel like a full-time job. Franchesca Villar, a beauty expert at Cosmetify, says 2016 was the “sweet spot” before the internet became exhausting.
“It was before the internet became self-conscious,” she explains. “2016 felt like a cultural reset: Bold, influential, and endlessly scrollable. Social media still felt fun rather than stressful. Trends spread organically, not engineered for engagement.”
@oliworia It’s 2016 and I was 17 #2016 #2016trend ♬ suono originale – Jr Stit
Think about it: We had the debut of Stranger Things, Beyoncé’s Lemonade was breaking the world, and King Kylie was the blueprint. It was the era of the YouTube tutorial, not the 15-second TikTok GRWM. We actually spent forty minutes carving out our eyebrows because we wanted to, not because an algorithm told us we looked untidy without a laminated brow.
@officialchrisrockkthis is a genuine outfit I wore in 2016♬ suono originale – Jr Stit
We’re bored of being ‘clean girls’
For the last few years, we’ve been trapped in the shackles of “quiet Luxury” and the “clean girl” aesthetic. We’ve been told to wear slicked-back buns, minimal tint, and linen trousers. Frankly? We’re bored.
Fashion psychologist Shakaila Forbes-Bell told Marie Claire we’re craving the “freeness and boldness” of 2016. We’re tired of trying to look like we’ve just been for a green juice and a 5k run. We want to look like we’re going to a party in a Bardot top and skinny jeans, which, by the way, were outselling every other style back then.
@madsfits_ #2016 #2016throwback #2016aesthetic #vlog #diml @Edikted @VSPINK @hollister @THE REN LOUNGE @Babble & Goose ♬ 3 Strikes – Terror Jr
As Villar puts it: “Revisiting those styles offers more than just a visual throwback. It’s comfort, escapism, and a reminder that beauty can still be joyful, playful, and unapologetically extra.”
So, dust off your Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow and find your oldest choker. We’re going back to 2016, and we probably never should have left.
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Featured image credit: Instagram, TikTok
