When it comes to reminiscing popular trends and pop culture references from past decades, our elders tend to fondly share stories from the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. Everyone mentions the highlighter hues of the 80s, the rock 'n' roll of the 70s, and the hip-hop and grunge scenes of the 90s, but what about one of the most memorable decades of all?
Did anyone else become insanely invested in the Lindsay Lohan/Hilary Duff feud? What about scream-singing all the lyrics to Stacy's Mom? Does anyoneremember the remarkable kickstart to reality TV, The Simple Life? Did anyone else feel aches in their fingers from practicing Guitar Hero until they reached "expert" level or because of texting on their Motorola Razor?
Yup, you guessed it— I'm referring to none other than the 2000s. It was both the best and worst of times when it came to music, television, fashion, toys, snacks, and pop culture. However, one thing's for sure. It will remain one of the most iconic decades in history.
Here are seven things we all love to look back on from this marvelous millennium.
1. The glory days of AIM & Myspace.
AIM Away Message
Before Twitter and Instagram became the most popular social media platforms, we made due with AIM and Myspace. AOL Instant Messenger (known as AIM for short) was birthed in the late 90s but skyrocketed in the early 2000s. One of the best things about AIM was that you could leave a personalized away message to let your contacts know you weren't available to chat. Although most of the time, they were just shout outs or song lyrics.
With AIM also came Myspace, one of the first social networks. If you didn't have a Myspace profile, your chances of being cool were slim, so everyone hopped on that train immediately. Myspace profiles were the original hub for HTML personalization (looking at you, Tumblr). You could add a cool rainbow background or even some blinged out gifs that spelled out your name. It was a whole new world. You could also rank your friends from lowest to highest on your profile to let everyone know who was truly in your circle.
Recently, a Twitter user suggested that we should be able to add songs to our profile. Little do they know that Myspace introduced that idea. *Laughs in 2000s*
2. The snacks.
Original Wonder Ball
If you were a kid in the 2000s, you know we had the best-filled lunch boxes out there. I think we can all unanimously agree that Scooby-Doo fruit snacks, Fruit by the Foot, Baby Bottle Pops, and Wonder Balls could never be topped. With Wonder Balls, we got the best of both worlds with a chocolate sphere filled with hard candy. Fruit by the Foot was always a great time, especially when we'd pretend they were our tongues. And the blue Scooby-Doo fruit snacks... those just hit differently. Baby Bottle Pops were not only delicious suckers dipped in sugary powder, but their commercials brought us the bops and the visuals! I could taste it all now.
3. "Got Milk?" ads.
The Olsen Twins in a "Got Milk?" ad.
For a celebrity in the 2000s, booking a "Got Milk?" ad seemed like a milestone in their career. These advertisements by the MilkPEP (Milk Processor Education Program) encouraged the consumption of milk by picturing our favorite celebrities with a milk mustache. Britney Spears, Mike Myers, Hilary Duff, Miley Cyrus, and Tom Brady are only a few of the "Got Milk?" endorsers that helped kids, teens, and young adults consume more milk. The moment I saw a milk mustache on Britney, I knew I had to get a few glasses in per day.
4. Looking for tunes on LimeWire.
LimeWire library
LimeWire was a peer-to-peer file uploading software that most people pirated music from throughout the 2000s. The software was discontinued eight years after its release because of legal issues. During its time, the general public persisted and searched for "Buy_You_A_Drank_TPain.mp3" and "Helena_My_Chemical_Romance.mp3" anyway. Limewire is also the root of Soulja Boy's fame as he would post "Crank That" under different file names, usually as popular songs by Lil Wayne.
5. Toys, before tablets took over.
Tamagotchi toys.
Before the days of iPads and the app store, kids used to actually play with toys. The 2000s brought some of the best ones, such as the glitzy Bratz dolls, Sky Dancers, Betty Spaghetty, Tamagotchi, the portable Play Station (PSP) and Game Cube. I can hear the opening sequence as I type out the name of the beloved gaming console.
6. Teen magazines.
July 2009 cover of Tiger Beat magazine.
Tiger Beat
Was anyone else's bedroom walls covered with posters of their favorite stars? Teen magazines by the likes of BOP, Tiger Beat, Popstar!, M, and J-14 provided young kids and pre-teens with hundreds of posters, games, polls, and gossip. Posters included stars like *Nsync, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, the Backstreet Boys, Miley Cyrus, the Jonas Brothers, and Jesse McCartney among others. I vividly remember keeping a hot pink binder filled with the faces of my favorite celebrities in the fourth grade. Kids today will never know. This was stan culture before stan culture existed.
7. Blockbuster Video.
With the heightening success of streaming services like Netflix and Hulu, video stores like Blockbuster have gone out of business. This is the thing I personally miss the most about the 2000s. I think we can all agree that we'd do anything to feel the joy we did running through the aisles and picking out a movie to rent along with snacks like popcorn and candy. "Netflix and Chill" could never compare to a good 'ol Blockbuster run.
