Is it 2026 or 2016?

As we're two weeks into 2026, people online have been reminiscing about the aesthetics of 2016. From the Snapchat dog filters, rose-tinted Instagram posts to the full glam makeup looks; the 2016 aesthetic revival may be coming back into full swing. BBC News reports that, “According to TikTok, searches for "2016" surged by 452% in the last week, and more than 55 million videos have been created using the app's filter named after the year.” Many may think that this comeback is out of nowhere but statistically it makes more sense than people would think. It's known that every 20 years, fashion from the past comes back into style; we’ve seen this a few years ago with the early 2000s/Y2K fashion coming back in full swing. Then, in summer 2024, thanks to Charli XCX and her album BRAT, we saw indie sleaze and rave attire being more mainstream. So is the comeback of 2016 just another trend cycle but more a mirror of the political and social climate right now? In 2016, Donald Trump was elected president of the U.S., the rose gold iPhone 6 was the hottest thing, Harambe died, terrorist attacks were occurring around the world and Snapchat, Tumblr and Instagram were the main social media platforms. Fast forward 10 years later, Donald Trump is president of the U.S. (again), Tik Tok and Instagram are the main social media platforms, protests are happening globally and AI is the hottest thing. So come to think of it, the aesthetics of 2016 cycling again for 2026 isn’t coming from out of nowhere but rather reflecting the political climate right now. However, a revival of 2016 could also be because of nostalgia and yearning for when in our eyes it was a better time. In this Dazed Magazine article it states that, “For consumers, this nostalgia can offer emotional comfort, a warm embrace in times of instability. For designers, it provides creative comfort, a safe space to revisit what once worked. For shareholders, it churns out a reliably performing product for a zeitgeist haunted by the past. A 2016 summer bestseller resurfaces in 2025, and it’s not just the item that returns, but the cultural memory of that summer along with it.” So, while it may be fun to look back and reminisce on old memories, we as a society eventually have to move on and create our own fun. 

Image Courtesy of Air Culinaire