A small recap of 2020
After making it through a year that felt like it would never end, it may feel as though there was no good that came from 2020. Yet despite facing the incredible obstacles and challenges we did, there were many ways to kill time while we practiced social distancing. With the help of our favorite artists, streaming services and social media platforms, there were plenty of new and exciting trends or works that exploded this past year. As we enter this new year with hope, optimism and new goals, we can now reflect on a few of the positive things that 2020 gave us.
Fashion Trends
During the earlier part of quarantine, people had already begun finding new ways to fill their time. It is from this moment that many of our favorite 2020 fashion trends were born. On apps such as TikTok, Instagram and Pinterest, people began creating their desired looks in a post-COVID world. From a mixture of online shopping to using what you already have, people began copying looks from their favorite celebrities of all ages, managing to bring back trends from as early as the 90s.
In 2020, people had endless amounts of time to play with various styles, color combinations and haircuts which inspired others. Social media has served as a creative outlet for people to both gather ideas from or directly imitate a specific style from either an influencer or celebrity. While it may feel like a poor idea to buy new clothes with no date for wearing them in sight, many of these trends can be created using clothes you may already have!
- Monochromatic: outfits made up of one single color
- Tie Dye: crop tops, t-shirts, sweats, sweatshirts; etc
- 90s Hair Trends: hair clips, barrettes, curtain bangs, long layers, pigtails, small braids, the outward hair flip and headbands
- Preppy Style: tennis skirts, collared shirts under crewnecks, sweater vests, chunky boots, pleated skirts, bucket hat, loafers and white tennis shoes
- Oversized Clothing: 80s fitting suits, jeans, flare pants, sweaters, leather coats, blazers, yoga pants, flannels and cardigans
From comfortable looks to being a model off-duty, there’s a multitude of options for everyone!
Albums
With the cancellation of countless tours, many artists were hit hard and left wondering if they were even going to release new music at all. Thankfully, artists continued to release their music and found ways to make 2020 a little easier for us all. During a year filled with chaos and change, artists gave at-home performances or online concerts which served as a means of sharing their new music with their fans in as personal of a way as they could manage.
From bringing back throwback-style music as Miley Cyrus did, to creating heartfelt ballads like Taylor Swift, these albums all helped us to cope in some way, shape or form. Music this year truly showed the impact that listening to a good song can have for you; proving that a good album has the power to make you laugh, cry or heal in a year filled with hardships.
- Tame Impala – The Slow Rush
- Taylor Swift – Evermore
- Miley Cyrus – Plastic Hearts
- Chloe X Halle – Ungodly Hour
- Lil Uzi Vert – Eternal Atake
Although these are only 5 of many albums released last year, you can find more of our favorites listed in our past story, EPs in Quarantine.
Movies
At the beginning of 2020 everything seemed bright for the film industry, as new movies like “A Quiet Place 2” were set to premiere in theaters. In March, the world turned upside down and various films were put on hold. In light of the closure of various movie theaters, many streaming services became popular for people looking for entertainment while staying at home. Popular streaming services like Netflix, Hulu and Disney+ released various movies for the entire family to enjoy. As hard as 2020 has been, some of these movies have helped us get through the lockdowns, while others still managed to shed light on the injustices of the world.
- “Soul” – Disney+
- “Bad Boys for Life” – Sony Pictures
- “Becoming: Michelle Obama’s Documentary” – Netflix Original
- “Run” – Hulu Original
- “Bad Hair” – Hulu Original
From animated films that highlight the significance of life like “Soul” to thriller movies like “Run,” which expose the devious relationship between a mother and daughter, 2020 brought us films which we can look back on and remember with the events that we all persevered.
TV Series
Evidently, the pandemic has led us to watch more TV than normal. Many binge-worthy TV series made 2020 bearable and allowed us to connect with others via discussions on these shows over social media. Many of these underrated TV shows have done everyone a great favor by providing people a way to escape the reality of the health crisis.
Shows like “The Circle” where participants used a social media-like platform to communicate introduced us to the way we would all be forced to communicate in 2020. From comedy shows like “Dave” to drama in “A Teacher,” they force us to stay at home watching from our TV’s or smartphones.
- The Circle” – Netflix
2. “Selena: The Series” – Netflix
3. “Self Made” – Netflix
4. “Dave” – Hulu Original
5. “A Teacher” – Hulu Original
These are only five shows which came out in 2020; there are many more that helped us get through this difficult year. These are all shows you will be watching on your phone for hours while you sit on the toilet, forgetting why you were there in the first place.
TikTok Trends
With TikTok becoming seemingly more popular among social media platforms, TikToks from 2020 naturally brought us some interesting trends. Many of these trends have continued on to 2021, given the amount of attention they are receiving. If you don’t have an air fryer in 2021, where even are you? One of the popular TikTok trends is sharing different recipes to make using an air fryer, such as chocolate fudge cupcakes to Cajun homemade fries.
- Air Fryer Recipes
- Rating Random Things
- Put a finger down if…
- Two Pretty Best Friends
- Snowman Sia Singing Challenge
Have you tried any of these?
As 2020 comes to end, we continue to reflect on what great trends, movies and TV shows it brought us to make it bearable. We may not be out of this pandemic yet, but we can certainly look forward to the release of new TV shows and movies in the year to come. All of these things have brought our communities closer to each other even as we are being forced to stay apart. May this year bring more trends and binge-worthy shows for us to be entertained by, and please stay home as we get through this pandemic.
Author: Shyanne Mortimer & Sheyla Castillo | A&E Co-Editors
