What the heck is this 2016 trend? by Katherine

If you’ve been on TikTok, Instagram, or honestly just anywhere Gen Z gathers online, you’ll have spotted it: The 2016 revival. Suddenly, feeds are bursting with pastel Tumblr grids, over-filtered selfies, and the glorious return of the Snapchat dog-ears. So what’s up with the collective obsession over 2016? Let’s hop in our time machines.

What exactly is the 2016 trend?

The 2016 trend is a full-blown aesthetic flashback. Think Tumblr girl energy, flower crowns, flannels, and Kylie Lip Kits. It’s a digital scrapbook of pop culture moments, meme formats, and style choices that defined a very specific era. If you’re not channeling a grainy, slightly overexposed selfie while humming along to The Chainsmokers, are you even trying?

But it’s not just about looks; it’s a whole mood. The 2016 vibe is about a carefree internet, goofy filters, and the wild west of social media before everything felt a bit… heavier.

Why is 2016 suddenly so darn popular?

There are a few reasons. Before doomscrolling became a sport, there’s real comfort in looking back to what felt like simpler, sillier times. Politically, the world hadn’t quite “blown up” yet (to quote many a meme). Obama was still in the White House, and hope was, if not on the rise, at least hanging in there with its sleeves rolled up. There’s an innocence to 2016 internet culture – it was less curated, more spontaneous, and a little less obsessed with “main character energy.” And, of course, everything old is new again. It’s the fashion cycle, but for memes and emoji-laden tweets.

But why 2016 and not 2017 or 2015?

Here’s where it gets deep (but like, as deep as a BuzzFeed quiz). 2016 is the tipping point – right before the U.S. election got chaotic, before Brexit became a word you couldn’t escape, before a certain global event upended everyone’s plans. If 2016 is the party, 2017 is the hangover. And there’s a universal yearning for pre-pandemic normalcy, and 2016 sits right on the edge. It’s become a shorthand for “the last time things felt normal.” Even if, let’s be real, things were already weird.

Peak 2016: The dog-ears filter

Let’s pour one out for the Snapchat dog-ears filter. No symbol captures the 2016 vibe better. It’s iconic. Everyone from your cousin to Ariana Grande had a dog-ears selfie. The filter became a cultural touchstone, a unifying force in the great selfie boom. Allure has a whole article on why we loved it and apparently one of the reasons was that it “slightly elongates and chisels your face – especially the bottom half, from your cheeks down to your chin” which apparently makes us look cuter. Really.

Go on, tap into that 2016 energy

Revisiting 2016 is an emotional weighted blanket. When things get tough, people look back to when things felt easier, even if it’s through rose-tinted VSCO filters. For a generation who grew up online, 2016 is both a memory and a mood board: The year before the world got a bit too real.

So, if you’re tempted to throw on a flower crown, scroll through your old Tumblr, and snap a selfie with cartoon dog ears, congratulations, you’re right on trend. Welcome back to 2016. We missed you. Can we have a do-over?