Cycles Of Change
February 12, 2026 2026-02-20 12:20Cycles Of Change
Is 2026 the new 2016?
Every year brings a new trend in fashion, food, and style. Often, it starts with a simple swipe or a like. This pattern creates an algorithm that responds to media, which some may enjoy watching or hearing about. This is what has always happened since the internet’s birth, and it’s what happens when another trend begins at the dawn of a new year.
“2026 is the new 2016.” Many people on social media applications like TikTok and Instagram have stated this. Who said it and why it’s being shared isn’t important. What is important is the simple fact that this happens more often than usual.
“I think people want to be kids again. That’s why 2026 is the new 2016,” said Deerfield Beach High School senior Karen Ortiz.
It is called the “decade nostalgia cycle.” The decade nostalgia cycle is a phenomenon where cultural trends, fashions, music, and general aesthetics from roughly ten years prior resurface and become popular again. This phenomenon is part of a broader pattern where society revisits and romanticizes the recent past, often idealizing it as a simpler time or more appealing compared to the present.
This can be proven as many of DBHS’ very own student body wear clothes from brands like Ed Hardy and Juicy Couture, which was the fashion back in the early 2000s. More recently, in the 2010s, Supreme was the “it girl” of fashion. Owning a Supreme hoodie or t-shirt defined popularity.
“Fashion and media get recycled over time,” said DBHS senior Brianna Barton.
The same goes for the top makeup brands and technology: switching from an iPod to Spotify. Items like Beats by Dre are still in demand ten years from now. Lush, a store once popularized for its bath bombs and insane scents, is still open and selling new scents, even branching their product to body scrubs, body butter, and candles. Overall, whether 2026 is the new 2016, this year seems to be great, just like every other year.
