Oh, how the times have changed! From jelly shoes to Fortnite moves, trends have constantly evolved since the beginning of human societies. These trends can repeat and overlap, and range from fashion, to toys, to new technology. Savoir Flair claims that people participate in trends because it shows that you understand what’s going on around you and that want to be a part of the larger group who is “in” on the new fad. “Trendsetters” can be anyone, from a kid walking down the street to a multi-millionaire wearing a certain brand, and it’s not that hard to grab the attention off of constant social media broadcasting. Brand names also play a huge part in this with paid endorsements from celebrities or models.

Changes in fashion occur almost daily, and we can see it firsthand on a yearly basis. Social media has a large part to play in the clothing trends of the modern era, as it gives exposure to influencers who use their status to “discover” an item. People then seek to emulate this style by buying the item itself or something similar. You used to view the newest trends in a magazine or TV  commercial, which each take time to create and distribute, therefore slowing down the trend, but now new styles are accessible by simply opening Instagram or Snapchat.

According to Savoir Flair, Fashion trends are a great example of something called a “trend cycle,” in which a trend resurfaces after previously having lost its popularity. Many 90s trends have recently made their comeback. Items like  the scrunchie, which originally peaked in the 80s and 90s, has returned as one of this year’s most popular accessories. Denim-on-denim is returning from the 90s, and while skinny jeans have held on in this era, looser-fitting “mom jeans” are reviving their moment. Shoe trends are even a thing, and in the 90s “jelly shoes” (pictured above) and KangaROOS (shoes that have a little pocket on the side to keep small objects in) rose to the top. Although these items are currently trendy, the more popular pairs today are Yeezys and a revamped classic: Adidas Superstar shoes.

Another type of fad that has evolved would be the toys that kids are playing with. Right now, the latest craze is the video game Fortnite. In the early days of video games, Pac-Man was the game to play after school at the arcade. But now that video game technology has developed, we can now play more in-depth games within our own homes. When our parents were children, they played Pac-Man and Donkey Kong. The complexity of our own games has increased significantly since those days, even allowing you to chat with other people online.

Even the way we listen to music has evolved. Imagine this: once you get home, you turn the radio on, waiting for your favorite song to play. You have your blank cassette tape ready to record inside of your radio player. While making sure your surroundings are quiet, the song begins and you press the record button. Once the song ends, you go to the radio, pressed the stop button, and bam! You’ve just copied a song. Since cassettes pick up sound from the radio, and also any surrounding noise (like voices or footsteps), you would have to be very careful about making your recording. Now, we don’t have that problem, and we can just play a song over as many times as we want (as long as you are willing to pay for Spotify Premium). We have apps that keep all of our favorite songs, so we can access them easily with just one click of a button.

Change becomes inevitable as time passes on, but it’s important to know how far we’ve come since the days of yore. Whether irreversible developments or continuing cycles, observing where society has come from in turn informs our future. And who knows? KangaROOS may make their comeback in the upcoming years.