THE YEAR THAT REBUILT US
2002 is basically over—and no one really talks about it
but this year was kinda iconic in its own weird, chaotic way
Like… we weren’t totally okay.
But we were getting there 💅
This year was rhinestones, rebellion, and realizing we could choose our vibe
Not everyone was ready—but we were 🖤
THE YEAR OF TRUCKER HATS
Fashion was UNHINGED (in the best way) 💥
Low-rise jeans sank even lower. Like… criminally low.
Mesh tops. Visible thongs. Belly chains jangling with every step 🔗
Juicy tracksuits had girls in a chokehold—especially in hot pink
And Von Dutch trucker hats were everywhere.
Paris wore it, Ashton wore it, probably your older cousin too 👀
Scene kids were rising from the glittery ashes.
Black eyeliner thicker than our emotional walls
THE YEAR OF 8 MILE
Movies in 2002?
Escapism or emotional damage—no in-between.
Spider-Man dropped and suddenly nerds were hot again 🕷️
Eminem starred in 8 Mile and basically battle-rapped his trauma into history (Mom’s Spaghetti is now a personality type 🍝)
The Ring ruined sleepovers across the globe
Seriously. One VHS tape and we were all sleeping with the lights on
(Don’t answer blocked numbers to this day)
And Two Towers? Fantasy escapism turned cinematic event
Goblins, swords, dramatic speeches = serotonin
THE YEAR OF AVRIL LAVIGNE
This year wasn’t soft.
Avril showed up in a tie and eyeliner and said “complicated” like it was a slur 💔
Eminem dropped Lose Yourself and every PE teacher suddenly had a pump-up playlist
Pop punk basically moved into our headphones and never left
Simple Plan, Good Charlotte, New Found Glory—we were sad, we were loud, we were seen
Oh and btw—Kelly Clarkson happened.
She won American Idol and made us believe again
Like... maybe we could scream our feelings and hit a high note after
THE YEAR WE MADE IT PERSONAL
This was the year the internet started getting a little ✨personal✨
MySpace was crawling into our lives. Slowly. Quietly. But with glitter graphics.
Layouts, music players, pixel fonts that said “I hate everyone” in pink cursive 🖤
Reality TV? Fully in its villain era.
The Osbournes gave us dysfunctional family goals.
The Bachelor turned romance into a game show (rose ceremonies hit HARD 🌹)
We were forming digital cliques without even knowing it
Scene kids, pop girls, emo bois, mall goths—if you had a vibe, you had a page
THE YEAR THAT WASN'T NORMAL
This wasn’t the comeback year.
It was the rebuild, the rebrand, the reinvention
We weren’t healed—but we were expressive af
And 2003?
We could already feel it.
The eyeliner would get darker. The jeans would get tighter.
The music would SCREAM.