20 Famous Trends That Came and Went in the Blink of an Eye
Trends come and go, surging to popularity with an exciting flash, then vanishing just as rapidly. These trends can cover all spheres, from fashion to technology to fleeting cultural fads catching interest. Twenty well-known trends that made a fleeting but significant presence in this article will leave us with recollections and perhaps a little nostalgia.
- Tricia Quitales
- 6 min read
There are many fads in the world that grab the stage for a brief period before fading. Twenty of the most well-known phenomena that swept over society are highlighted in this article, catching popular imagination before vanishing. From fashion statements to viral internet challenges, these trends defined their time but didn’t stay for long, demonstrating how rapidly public attention can change.
1. Fidget Spinners
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Promoted as a stress-reducing tool, fidget spinners became a fixation in 2017. Children and adults were spotted whirling them everywhere—from workplaces to classrooms. Though they became quite popular, they soon lost favor and left only a heap of neglected toys behind.
2. Dabbing
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In sports and social media, dabbing, the action of extending one arm and burying your face into your elbow, became a viral pose. Particularly by athletes following a score, it was often done as a celebratory gesture. Though quite popular, dabbing soon became overdone and connected with “outdated” styles.
3. The Ice Bucket Challenge
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The Ice Bucket Challenge was a viral phenomenon that raised awareness of ALS using freezing, icy water dumps. Participants would dare others, producing a series of viral videos that went all around social media. Though it brought in millions for charity, the challenge vanished just as fast as it began.
4. Harlem Shake
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In 2013, the Harlem Shake took over the internet as people danced wildly to a song’s fragment. Usually coupled with ridiculous clothes and locations, the meme included a sudden and uncontrolled dancing motion. As people moved on to the next great thing, its explosive growth was followed by an equally rapid drop.
5. Teenybopper Fashion
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Teenybopper fashion was distinguished in the late 1990s and early 2000s by chunky shoes, crop tops, and vividly colored accessories. It was fashionable for young people and music stars but soon lost appeal as trends developed. The style vanished as fashion changed into increasingly complex trends.
6. VHS Tapes
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For decades, VHS cassettes were the means of watching movies at home; nevertheless, their days were limited once DVDs and streaming services started to take center stage. Although some people kept sizable VHS collections, the arrival of digital technologies rendered tapes obsolete. In the following years, more effective media options completely supplanted VHS players and tapes.
7. Tamagotchi
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Originally a virtual pet that required continuous care, the Tamagotchi became a must-have item in the late 1990s. Children and teenagers became fixated on feeding and playing with their small digital pets, but soon, the novelty lost appeal. Though it enjoyed a brief comeback, Tamagotchi is primarily a wistful memory today.
8. MySpace
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Popular for its customizable profiles and music playlists, MySpace was the go-to social networking site before Facebook. Though its appeal fell drastically as Facebook grew, it was the first social network to link people with such creative flexibility. With users swarming to more modern, simplified platforms, MySpace rapidly became a relic of the past.
9. Snapchat Filters
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Users produced millions of crazy pictures by adding amusing and even strange effects to their selfies using Snapchat filters. This function dominated social media for some time, as every update added new filters to examine. However, Snapchat’s supremacy rapidly declined when other applications included similar capabilities.
10. Soulja Boy Dance
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Driven by his smash song “Crank That (Soulja Boy),” the Soulja Boy dance swept the planet in 2007. Children everywhere picked the moves and danced to the appealing rhythms at parties and classrooms. The dance finally disappeared as more recent viral dance challenges took the limelight.
11. Planking
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Planking is done by lying down in odd locations and taking a picture to gain social media attention. Although it was a creative and straightforward approach to stand out online, the trend soon got boring. A few months later, the fad vanished, leaving some strange pictures behind.
12. Flat-Bill Hats
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Flat-bill caps, which were particularly famous in the skateboarding and hip-hop scenes, were all the buzz in the early 2000s. Often worn as part of the streetwear trend, their flat brims added a distinctive look. The fashion eventually faded, and curved-brim caps gained popularity once more.
13. Viral Dance Challenges
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With people from all walks of life uploading videos, viral dance challenges such as “The Floss” and “Whip/Nae Nae” seized the internet. These dances were mainly found on sites like Instagram and TikHub, and they were like wildfire. After some time, even more modern, flashier dancing trends took the stage instead of the fervor.
14. Pokemon Go
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Pokemon Go is a revolutionary augmented reality game that lets users “catch” virtual Pokémon at real locations. In 2016, a frenzy swept over individuals searching their neighborhoods for Pokémon. However, the novelty wore off, and the game became less interesting over time. The excitement soon faded.
15. Y2K Fashion
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Inspired by the turn of the millennium, Y2K fashion was all about metallic garments, clunky boots, and futuristic accessories. This look captured the thrill and uncertainty of the new millennium, but it soon lost appeal as fashion progressed. Y2K was left behind as more austere and elegant designs took center stage in the early 2000s.
16. Bubble Wrap Popping
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People who liked popping bubble wrap made it a trend to record and share videos of themselves doing it online. It became a popular way to pass the time for a while. However, the novelty went off, and the fad was forgotten when people stopped being so obsessed with bubble wrap.
17. Mannequin Challenge
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In late 2016, people filmed themselves frozen in place like dummies while the song “Black Beatles” played in the background. Famous and ordinary people joined the trend, leading to complicated group arrangements. After a few months, it disappeared because new challenges emerged.
18. Shaggy Hairstyles
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Grunge artists and celebrities helped popularize shaggy haircuts, where chaotic layers defined the decade. Although this freewheeling approach was adaptable and easy to maintain, the look finally lost appeal as sleeker, more polished looks took over. Most people today view the shaggy haircut as a nostalgic look from another era.
19. Zynga Games
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With their addicting gameplay, Zynga games like FarmVille grabbed millions of users on Facebook in the late 2000s. These games produced a fresh wave of casual gaming, but the fad burned out a few years ago. Zynga’s simpler games faded behind the rise of mobile apps and more sophisticated games.
20. Virtual Reality Headsets
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Midway through the 2010s, virtual reality headsets attracted interest as an exciting new front for gaming and entertainment. Despite all the buzz, the technology fell short of mass adoption predictions. Virtual reality has stayed a niche business far from the mainstream as better options have developed.