27 Short-Lived 2000s Trends You Probably Don’t Even Remember Anymore

If you grew up in the 2000s, you likely participated in trends and fads buried in the darkest depths of your memory. Whether you participated in these short-lived fashion trends and cultural fads, it's nothing to be ashamed or embarrassed about. We all try something new sometimes, and it doesn't always stick.

Holt from "Brooklyn Nine-Nine," in a red hat and dark trench coat, stands with outstretched arms in an office setting
NBC

Here are trends from the 2000s you either forgot about, or, in some cases, want to forget about:

1.Flip tech had a stranglehold on the world. From phones to gaming devices, all portable tech needed to close shut or slide in a cool way...for some reason.

A hand holds a silver flip phone with a keypad and screen, displaying it in front of a display board with multiple other old-style cell phones and accessories
Koichi Kamoshida / Getty Images

2.Instead of teaching children responsibilities with a pet, the cheaper route was to buy them one of the many brands of "robot dogs" to keep them happy. I won't judge you, parents.

Two robotic dog toys on a table are being displayed. A hand reaches out to touch one of the robots. Background people are out of focus
Sion Touhig / Getty Images

3.Did you have a t-shirt? What about a tie? Throw both on and go out for a night of everyone giving you side eye!

Man smiling, wearing a black AC/DC shirt, a red tie, and an open blazer, displaying the shirt
Amanda Edwards / Getty Images

4.Sweatbands as fashion were a thing. It's pretty genius when you think about artists performing on stage. As a fashion statement, though? Eh.

A man sitting on an orange couch in casual attire, wearing a striped polo shirt, blue jeans, white sneakers, and a headband
Gregory Bojorquez / Getty Images

5.Short-brimmed fedoras were a disaster. Indiana Jones walked so '00s artists could faceplant.

Justin Timberlake smiles at a public event, wearing a fedora, patterned shirt, and sweater
Frazer Harrison / Getty Images

6.Embellishment jeans...because denim needed art for some reason.

Rihanna on the KIIS FM red carpet in a sleeveless crop top and embroidered jeans, accessorized with multiple bracelets and gloves
Mark Mainz / Getty Images

7.Boy bands. Boy bands were everywhere. And just when you thought you had enough, the newest dancing batch would be shoved in your face.

Backstreet Boys performing a synchronized dance in an airport terminal wearing white outfits

8.The emo-volution grew faster than you could say "when I was a young boy" while putting on your eyeliner and Converse.

Gerard Way from My Chemical Romance performs in an emotional music video with band members playing instruments in the background

9."Vote for Pedro" shirts were THE graphic shirt for about a year. Even as a kid who didn't know what a meme was, I remember thinking, "Man, that's so played."

Efren Ramirez and Jon Heder stand in a high school hallway. Efren wears a detailed shirt with a bolo tie, while Jon wears a "Vote for Pedro" t-shirt
Fox Searchlight Pictures

10.Whether backward or upside down, wearing visors for non-athletic reasons was popular as a fashion statement.

(Melissa "Missy" Elliott, Gwen Stefani) Missy Elliott in a furry jacket and Gwen Stefani in a sporty outfit with a cap, both standing at an event
Lester Cohen / Getty Images

11.Invisible eyebrows, pencil eyebrows, shaped eyebrows...you name it. People were getting experimental with their brows.

Fergie attends an event in a stylish red and black patterned dress with a strapless neckline, accessorized with a long, dangling earring and bold makeup
Mj Kim / Getty Images

12."Frosted Tips" are more than good. They're GREEE—really bad. Everyone looked like they were about to make a stop at Flavortown.

Chris Kirkpatrick, Lance Bass, Justin Timberlake, Joey Fatone, and JC Chasez are posing playfully with finger to lips in a candid group photo
Tim Roney / Getty Images

13.Sunglasses in the 2000s were all over the place. You either had a cheap wrap-around pair or something that looked like it belonged on the runway — nothing in between.

David Beckham in a white shirt, brown leather jacket, and sunglasses, tilting his head slightly down while touching the edge of his sunglasses
Gareth Davies / Getty Images

14.There were those low rise jeans that got dangerously low.

Tara Reid stands smiling in casual attire with a red top featuring a bejeweled Union Jack and an open gray hoodie
Anthony Harvey / Getty Images

15.If you're wearing a dress in the 2000s, don't forget your jeans:

Anne Hathaway at a red carpet event, wearing a pink patterned dress with a long, light coat, blue jeans, and holding a green handbag. A movie poster is behind her
Evan Agostini / Getty Images

16.Belts with words in ALL CAPS were a big hit for a while.

Close-up of a person wearing white shorts with a metal chain belt displaying the word "BANANAS"
Alberto Tamargo / Getty Images

17."Whale tails," but with the whole back of the thong sticking out, were popular on the night scene. The style was meant to be sexy but looked like the aftermath of an atomic wedgie.

Paris Hilton smiling at the camera, wearing a white tank top and blue jeans with her thong underwear showing. She has a green bag over her shoulder
David Klein / Getty Images

18.Those hilariously oversized suits made people look like they were characters in Big...mid-transformation.

Group of NBA Draft 2003 top players in formal suits standing on stage with David Stern, holding a basketball, in front of the draft board
ESPN

19.Trucker hats for fashion were a guarantee on every red carpet in the early 2000s.

Person in casual attire, including jeans, sneakers, and a pink jacket and cap, energetically dancing at an indoor event. Other people in the background watch
Gareth Cattermole / Getty Images

20.Licensed video games based on movies were also a guarantee back then. They weren't all great, but there were some gems (like "Warriors").

Spider-Man is kneeling on a rooftop at night with a backdrop of tall buildings and bright lights
Activision

21.Diamond earrings for men were a huge hit. Some even wore it in a single lobe.

Will Smith wearing sunglasses and a diamond earring
Peter Macdiarmid / Getty Images

22.All-denim outfits made people question: How much denim is too much? Thank the fashion gods denim socks and underwear never became mainstream.

A woman stands on a red carpet dressed in a fitted denim jumpsuit, holding a purple jacket and black handbag
Vinnie Zuffante / Getty Images

23.When renting DVDs ruled the world, some no-name company called Netflix would send them directly to your house. What's next? Streaming movies from our couches?

A man smiles while sitting in a large bin filled with Netflix DVD envelopes inside a bustling work environment
Justin Sullivan / Getty Images

24.The market for handheld/portable gaming was on fire. Everyone had that thing on them during field trips and family outings. They're still a product, but you just had to be there at its peak.

Close-up of two people playing a racing game on Sony PSP consoles, focusing on the in-game screen showing a racing motorcycle at high speed
Justin Sullivan / Getty Images

25.Rapper Nelly made face bandaids a fashion trend, which I think deserves to be immortalized as getting the most random thing popular as a fad.

Nelly stands in front of an SUV, wearing a casual, sporty outfit with a matching hat, jacket, and pants
Raymond Boyd / Getty Images

26.Yellow Livestrong wristbands evolved into a cancer awareness tycoon. The controversy around Lance Armstrong ended something equivalent to the viral stock of the "ice bucket" challenge.

A yellow LIVESTRONG wristband worn on a person's wrist
Stephen Chernin / Getty Images

27.And lastly, anybody going out for a night on the town needed the tiniest shoulder bag. They even became a staple at red carpet events.

Paris Hilton smiles and holds hands with a man wearing a cap at an indoor event. Paris is dressed in a ruffled, sleeveless dress with a deep neckline
Alexander Tamargo / Getty Images

Do you wish any of these would make a permanent comeback? Remember any obscure fads that aren't on this list? Comment below!