The 2000s—what a time to be alive. Before the millennial pink of Glossier came the hot pink of Juicy Couture. Between tracksuits and butterfly hair clips, fashion mistakes were looming around every corner. Popular culture was a candy-coated distraction from the Iraq War. MTV and VH1 still played music as reality shows slowly seeped into their regular programming. Cake frosting could have easily been mistaken for lip gloss. And, when in doubt, put a rhinestone on it. So let’s travel to pop culture’s not-so-distant past for some aesthetic nostalgia. A time when…
Beyoncé was “Crazy in Love”
…and Paul Giamatti turned blue in Big Fat Liar…
Big Fat Liar, Universal Studios
People drank Red Bull like it was water.
Courtesy of Rodrigo.Argenton via Wikimedia Commons
A movie where Amanda Bynes wore this iconic sweater coat:
Big Fat Liar, Universal Studios
(A sleek coat with faux furry acoutrements on the neck and sleeves was the epitome of chic for me, at the time. Business in the cut and party in the trimmings, this was a look favored by powerful women.)
Like Raven on That’s So Raven…
That’s So Raven, Disney Channel
That’s So Raven, Disney Channel
That’s So Raven, Disney Channel
That’s So Raven, Disney Channel
…and Lizzie McGuire…
Lizzie McGuire, Disney Channel
…and Valerie Brown in Josie and the Pussycats.
Josie and the Pussycats, MGM
Remember when everyone wanted this phone?
Courtesy of edusand via Flickr
And this phone?
Via Mediaguru at English Wikipedia
And of course, every phone needed accessories. Like swarovski crystals:
Courtesy of fashion my phone via Flickr
And charms…
And Jamster ringtones.
All the celebrities shopped here:
And bought Von Dutch trucker hats:
Courtesy of Geronimo De Francesco via Flickr
At 50 bucks a hat, it was expensive to look casual.
Anyone who’s anyone was getting Punk’d.
(Even the host’s future wife.)
Rachel Zoe was Hollywood’s stylist…
Courtesy of Christopher Peterson via Wikimedia Commons
…and popularized the oversized sunglasses trend, when bigger was better and everyone looked like an insect:
The OC, FOX
At the turn of the new millenium, futuristic styles were dominating the runways, many of which were inspired by The Matrix films…
Trinity in The Matrix, Warner Brothers
where Trinity showed us the most iconic ass-kicking of the decade:
Meanwhile, I was shopping here…
Courtesy of Mike Mozart via Flickr
Where I was very excited to purchase a beaded mesh tote…
Georgia Rule, Universal Pictures
Handbags were a pretty big deal in the 2000s. It was the era of the ‘it bag’ and logomania.
Mean Girls, Paramount
Courtesy of AdrianaGórak via Wikimedia Commons
Courtesy of Ashley Cooper via Flickr
Courtesy of Queen Bee via Flickr
Courtesy of Ashley Cooper via Flickr
For Halloween, just add sweatpants, sunglasses bigger than your face, a $3500 purse, plus a latte and/or Red Bull and voila, you’ll look like a celeb from 2005.
Speaking of branding, remember when everyone was wearing these?
Courtesy of Suuz80 via Wikimedia Commons
These, too.
Courtesy of TexasDex via Wikimedia Commons
Which you’d tuck into low-rise, flared jeans.
Thirteen, Twentieth Century Fox
The 2000s did bring forth some incredible footwear. Like platform flip flops…
Courtesy of Ceddie2000 via Wikimedia Commons
A staircase and these shoes made for an interesting 25 minutes.
And sneaker heels…
Courtesy of RanchoRosco via Wikimedia Commons
For me, back in the day, the Converse heel was the epitome of intelligent design.
And an abundance of extravagant hair accessories:
Lizzie McGuire, Disney Channel
Thirteen, Twentieth Century Fox
I thought hoop earrings and clip-on extensions made me look wise beyond my years.
Lizzie McGuire, Disney Channel
Lizzie McGuire, Disney Channel
Lizzie McGuire, Disney Channel
Holy hair crimping!
The OC, FOX
That’s some volume that belongs in an art gallery.
Makeup looked like dessert:
Newlyweds, MTV
Jessica Simpson even had a line of cosmetics called Dessert.
Frosted lip gloss made everyone look like they just made out with a cake:
Mean Girls, Paramount
Mean Girls, Paramount
Josie and the Pussycats, MGM
Much shiny. Very fancy.
Skirts got shorter:
Mean Girls, Paramount
The OC, FOX
Behodl! The casual date-night look of the 2000s!
Dreamgirls was the smash hit of 2007, winning awards all over the place, including 2 Oscars.
Dreamgirls, Dreamworks
Jennifer Hudson took home the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress, cementing her status as a movie star in addition to being a standout vocalist.
Courtesy of Scott Aza Jordan via Wikimedia Commons
Social media was on the verge of permeating every area of our lives…
Myspace LLC, Wikimedia Commons
You could easily lose hours on AIM…
Courtesy of Everaldo Coelho via Wikimedia Commons
My screenname was doglover93.
Then this came along…
Facebook.svg via Wikimedia Commons
All the while, a young Senator from Illinois was getting ready to campaign for presidency.
And on Tuesday, January 20, 2009, Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th president of the United States Of America…
Courtesy of Master Sgt. Cecilio Ricardo, U.S. Air Force via Wikimedia Commons
…and the United States had its first black president and his family living in the White House.
Courtesy of Pete Souza via Wikimedia Commons
Header photo: “High School Musical,” Disney Channel
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