Last week, Elon announced a lineup for homecoming 2018 that had me saying, "6th grade me is super pumped right now." This is both an insult and a compliment. The artists are old but the songs still bop. Since the releases of "Beautiful Girls" and "Leavin" took place in 2008 and "Fire Burning" in 2009, I figured we would take a look down memory lane as to what was popular the last time our homecoming artists were relevant.
1. Messaging girls on AIM
GiphyWhat will probably be the most shocking thing on the list, AOL Instant Messanger was still a thing at this time. I can still feel that rush from when your crush would log on at the same time as you. Then, if she hit you with a "hey" that had more than two y's, you were in. What a time for romance.
2. Yelling "Cabs are here!"
In 2009, the world was introduced to how stupid Americans could really be with the premiere of "Jersey Shore." Every day in middle school, my friends and I would yell "Cabs Are Here" and talk about our Gym, Tan, Laundry routines (spoilers, we never did any of the three). I guess today they would be yelling about their Uber.
3. "Planking"
One of the first real memorable internet trends, planking was all the rage around 2009. Whether you were at school, at the park, or at home, everyone thought it was hilarious to just lay there and do nothing. Without planking, we wouldn't have things like the ice bucket challenge, the drive-by dunk challenge, and maybe even dabbing.
4. The iPod touch
GiphyBasically an iPhone without the calling, everyone at this time had their pockets stuffed with an iPod in one pocket and a flip phone in the other. There was nothing like getting the highest score in doodle jump while hanging out in homeroom.
5. Shutter shades
GiphyAs you could see in the cover photo, not even I was immune to rocking these lady killers. Long before he had us wearing Yeezys, Kanye tricked us all into thinking these were a good, fashionable form of light protection. I'm sure these lead to some great tan lines if worn properly in the sun.
6. Swine Flu
in 6th grade, every sick person in school was accused of having swine flu. People were absolutely terrified, yet I'm still not entirely sure what swine flu is. It was very important to not sneeze during this time in order to not scare away others.
7. YouTube singer Justin Bieber
GiphyThe Biebs is still a cultural icon today, but in 2008, he was discovered for his cover songs on YouTube. By the next year "One Time" and "One Less Lonely Girl" were smashing all over the airwaves and into every teenage girl's heart. Middle school would have been very different without this man.
8. Being "on a boat"
"The Lonely Island" had everyone grabbing their swim trunks and flippy floppies and headed to the water. The refrain of this song will be etched into my brain forever. If you rode a boat in 2009 and didn't scream, "I'M ON A BOAT, MOTHERFATHER, DON'T YOU EVER FORGET" did you even ride it?
9. "Yes, we can."
GiphyIn case you didn't know, 2008 was the year we elected our first black president. Whatever you think about his politics, there's no denying that he was a kind-hearted man who handled the job with dignity and grace. The "Yes We Can" campaign and "Hope" posters took over the country during his candidacy, helping lead to his eventual victory in the election.
10. Netflix DVDs
In this era, you kind of knew how to stream things from Netflix, but the most important thing was getting those precious DVDs in the mail. The worst feeling in the world was thinking your movie was coming in the mail, only to open that famous red letter and realize someone had changed the queue at the last minute. Now Netflix has literally replaced DVDs and cable television entirely.
11. "Iron Man"
In 2008, no one had ever heard the phrase "Marvel Cinematic Universe." Since the release of this movie, Marvel has released 19 other films, forming a shared universe never before seen in the film industry. This concept was simply a pipe dream back then. Hopefully, Sean Kingston and Jesse McCartney hold up as well as this film has.
12. Club Penguin
GiphyFrom sledding to pizza, there was no better place to hang out online than Club Penguin. Trust me, I had more "girlfriends" on club penguin than I have ever have had in real life. While I wasn't really using it by 2008, Disney owned it by then, turning it into an unstoppable online force.
13. Mourning Billy Mays and Michael Jackson
In what might be the worst week in human existence, "The King of Pop" and "The King of Infomercials" both passed away. The death of Mays left a huge hole in the world that the Sham-Wow guy simply could not fill. Phil Swift is starting to warm my heart when he cuts boats in half but Billy Mays is unassailable. Also, Michael Jackson was pretty important and stuff.
