Yahoo Lifestyle 16 Trends From The 2000s That Were Actually Toxic, Unnecessary, Or Just Plain Weird
We recently asked the BuzzFeed Community to tell us what they don't miss about the 2000s — and their responses range from light-hearted to eye-opening. Here's what they had to say:
1."OK, I'm not a celebrity by any means, but the fact that they would always wear things like capris and tee shirts to big red carpets always bothered me a little."
—39, USA
2."Dial-up internet. Nostalgic as it is, that mess was so inconvenient. That noise does live forever in my memory."
3."People posting lyrics on Facebook (publicly) in a futile attempt to convey a message to one person. On that note, early Facebook is a cringe fest that would be better off wiped from human existence."
—Anonymous
4."Graphic tees by corporate fashion houses of small businesses that don't actually exist. Coral Surf Shop. AJ's Ice Cream Shop. Why was I wearing tops with fake ads on them? And why was it cool?"
—38, Canada
5."Everything! MTV and VH1 stopped playing music for ridiculous dating shows like Rock of Love and A Shot at Love. Of course, the music sucked, thanks to all those boy bands and teen idols. Scripted shows had terrible characters and no plots."
"Worse, we were too broke to go out and do things thanks to the recession. Even in these wild times, I will never want to go make to that era of pop culture crap."
—44, Minnesota
6."The unnecessary layering. EVERY OUTFIT DID NOT REQUIRE LAYERS!"
—35, Maine
7."Sweatpants/yoga pants with words on the butt. It was always so creepy to see a preteen girl walking around with the word 'Juicy' or 'Sexy' on her behind."
8."I don't miss when 'skinny' was the only acceptable body type. Granted, being thin has always been valued, but this was peak Victoria's Secret Angel and Abercrombie & Fitch model envy, and tons of movies had low-key to blatant fat-shaming."
"Not to mention fashion trends were meant for slim body types, i.e. low-rise jeans."
—39, Nevada
9."Tape rewind fees."
—39, California
10."I hated crop tops — and they were often paired with low-rise pants, which meant that unless you had a tiny waist and washboard abs, it was 'not' going to be a good look! (Not even mentioning the ever-present belly chains; WHAT made us think that was a good idea?!?!)"
"I DO miss the prevalence of mainstream goth fashion back in the 2000s, which is basically when I got into goth. But I think it's coming back! 🤞"
11."The expanding hairbands that felt like daggers going into your skull."
12."I'm good with dresses over jeans. Great with shorts and footless tights. Skinny scarves? Rock 'em. But for the love of both everything good and holy and bad and unholy, do NOT, I repeat, DO NOT bring back the thong whale tail. Please. DO NOT."
13."How common it was to talk about people's weights/sizes (lookin' at YOU, Oprah!), how mental health crises were considered hilarious tabloid fodder, and how famous women were made to apologize after SOMEONE ELSE leaked private photos of themselves to the world, victimizing them all over again. It's WILD what was considered 'OK.'"
14."Low-rise jeans. NEVER AGAIN."
15."Things have improved a bit since we're seeing more films with women in mind these days, but I don't miss how much the male gaze affected damn near every movie and TV show. We had so many female characters that were pretty much there just to be hot. Things aren't exactly 'fixed' entirely in this regard, but women actors have stopped putting up with this crap as much, and I love it. Action movies aren't just for men."
"I also don't miss how much more critical the media seemed to be of women's bodies (like after having a baby or for just having 'flaws' in general) and how consumers would just jump on the bandwagon and go along with it. People are calling that out more now."
And finally...
16."This one's a double-edged sword: Time seemed to move slower back then. Not everyone used cell phones as rampantly as we do today, so we often relied on landline voicemails and made plans way in advance. News and media weren't quite at your fingertips just yet. Everything took just a bit more time — which is both good and bad."
What are some other things from the 2000s that you don't miss? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below. Or, if you prefer to remain anonymous, feel free to use this Google form.
Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.
