Fittingly, the first week of 2022 on TikTok was all about the 2010s.
Between debates over the Twee aesthetic revival and revisiting old Snapchat memories, Pinterest boards, and songs from the mid-aughts, here’s what you need to know about the latest trends taking over your FYP.
TikTok is Twee now
Speculation that the Twee aesthetic will come back in 2022 is sparking debate on TikTok. Popular trend analyst and forecaster Mandy Lee, known by her TikTok username @oldloserinbrooklyn, and in , provoking conversation about whether or not there will be a Twee renaissance this year.
The has roots in twee-pop, a subgenre of indie-pop that was popular in the 80s and 90s, and gained popularity in the mid aughts and persisted until the mid 2010s. The aesthetic is quaint, and it prides itself on being ironic and uncool, taking inspiration from mod 60s style and indie films. The aesthetic is playful and features shift dresses, fun collars, skirts, tights, and oxfords. Zooey Deschanel is the poster girl for the Twee aesthetic, so it is no surprise that her twee-pop song “Why Don’t You Let Me Stay Here?” is the sound TikTokkers are using to show off their Twee looks and discuss the plausibility of a Twee comeback. So far, over 5,000 videos have been made to the song, and the tag “twee” has over 40 million views.
TikTok users are collaborating to modernize the aesthetic by sharing which aspects of Twee should be brought back. For example, captioned “twee this twee that, I vote let’s just start dressing like it’s the late 60s/early 70s and not the cringy tumblr-ized version from the 2010s.” are more specific in depicting what they want 2022 Twee to look like. Users are also suggesting other trends that should come back instead of Twee, like .
Many creators have pointed out that the original trend was dominated by thin, white women. But if the Y2K revival is any indication, fashion trends can come back without the outdated, toxic culture surrounding them. Creators are already making Twee more inclusive. TikTokker captioned, “trying out the twee aesthetic on a plus sized body.”
The conversations surrounding the theoretical Twee revival reflect how TikTok allows fashion trends to be something we can all discuss and contribute to, rather than having them dictated to us by the fashion industry.
Sharing very specific old photos
Twee isn’t the only thing being dragged out of its grave. Two trends have users digging up very old, cringeworthy photos.
The first encourages users to post their Snapchat memories from the mid 2010s. Users are sharing their memories to ‘s mash-up of songs from 2015, including bangers like “Hotline Bling” and “Antidote.” Over 38,000 videos have used the sound so far.
The videos each say the year the Snapchat memories are from and sometimes include a descriptor of what the person’s vibe was that year. For example, , “my 2016 snapchat memories but i was trying so hard to be like a beauty youtube girly.”
The charm of this trend is that these Snapchats are total slice-of-life moments, and they’re visceral reminders of what was cool at the time. The trend capitalizes on the fact that the only thing the internet seems to agree on is that 2015-2018 was a particularly uncool period of time, and yet, we are deeply fond of it.
Yet, the trend also makes a good argument for why Snapchat memories shouldn’t exist. We shouldn’t be reminded of some weird phase we went through seven years ago every single day.
The other trend in the same vein emboldens users to share their old Tumblrs or Pinterest boards from the early 2010s. Like the Snapchat trend, these videos are set to a mash-up of bops from 2012. So far, over 50,000 videos have been uploaded using ‘s 2012 top hits audio, which features “What Makes You Beautiful” by One Direction and “Stronger” by Kelly Clarkson.
Between these two trends, chances are you’ll stumble across something that takes you back to the not-so-distant past.
So hot you’re hurting my feelings
The latest TikTok dance is not like the other TikTok dances.
The dance is to Caroline Polachek’s 2019 song “So Hot You’re Hurting My Feelings” and is based off her own choreography in the music video. Over 16,000 videos have been made to the song in the past several weeks, and .
Unlike other TikTok dances, “So Hot You’re Hurting My Feelings” is accessible to the everyman and doesn’t require much skill. Like all the best TikTok trends, the dance thrived in queer TikTok spaces for the past four weeks before finally making its way to the mainstream this week. The song and its accompanying dance are a satisfying and wonderful serotonin boost.