is 2026 the new 2016?

According to TikTok, Instagram, Forbes, and even Wikipedia, 2026 is the new 2016. Given the current state of our world, it isn't surprising that people are longing for "the good old days" -- complete with their snapchat filters, ombre hair, casual Instagram posts, and actually good music from The 1975.

To anyone like me, "the good old days" of the 2010s featured a number of dystopian YA novels, a Twilight movie marathon (that we were all totally hate-watched because we weren't brave enough to admit that maybe, just maybe, we are like other girls), or an entire season of iZombie in one sitting.

If you are seeing any flicker of yourself in this blog, I encourage you to follow along as I explore media that had us fangirling to the max in the back of Algebra I. Looking now, as a media scholar & rhetorician who has worked through her #notlikeothergirls internalized misogyny, I want to reflect on why we loved these pieces of media in the first place & if there's still a place for them in our lives now.