2017 was a year that saw a wide array of unique fads and trends. Yet in considering all of them, there were some that Marquette students definitely identified as the strangest ones they came across.
“I think one of my favorite trends would have to be the ‘who would win’ memes,” said Ania Dabrowska, a sophomore in the College of Arts & Sciences. But shortly after, Dabrowska remembered an icon that changed her mind. “Okay, actually my favorite strangest trend of 2017 would be ‘being extra.’ I think that being extra lets people do weird things and really just opens the door for a lot of memes.”
Will Godfrey, a sophomore in the College of Engineering, agreed that meme potential was high in 2017. And for Godfrey, it was one specific meme that took the prize as his favorite fad from the year. “2017 consisted of a bunch of SpongeBob memes with different screenshots from the show and hilarious captions,” Godfrey said, “I thought those were pretty funny.”
SpongeBob was only the tip of the meme iceberg, as for Annie Callahan, a sophomore in the College of Arts & Sciences, her favorite fad was specifically memes that are intentionally relevant. “My favorite trend is probably all the hilarious memes on Twitter, especially the ones that feel like they especially relate to you,” Callahan said.
Besides relatable memes, fidget spinners – the rotating devices that have exploded in popularity and even been banned from some schools because of their distracting nature – came to her mind as well. “The strangest trend that comes to mind is the fidget spinners,” Callahan said. “I didn’t really understand the appeal of those.”
The things that didn’t make much sense, however, were often what took off in 2017. Just one example was commented on by Jack Lawder, a sophomore in the College of Business Administration.
“My favorite trend that kind of started at the end of 2017 and rolled into the start of 2018 is the invisible box challenge,” Lawder said. Videos of people seemingly walking on air sparked many people to learn the secret behind it and even try it for themselves.
Lawder explained that he himself had watched many videos trying to figure out how it was done before deciding to give it a go. Unfortunately for him, when recounting the event all he had to say was, “It didn’t go so well.”
After reflecting on the craziness of 2017, Dabrowska and Callahan both had some similar estimations on just what absurdity might be seen in 2018.
“I think that 2018 will bring trends related to self-care,” Dabrowska said. “I think that people will take time to focus on themselves more but in a good way. Eating better, exercising more and finding peace within themselves is all a part of that.”
Callahan also hoped people will take more time for themselves and not focus so much about what other people think of them. “2018 will make people care about each other more and people will start to put themselves in each others shoes,” Callahan said.
On the other hand, Godfrey had some more direct estimations for this upcoming year, the first of which revolved around changes in vocabulary. “I think 2018 will get rid of the words ‘fad’ and ‘faux pas’ and start using ‘trends’ and ‘mistake,’” Godfrey said.
Godfrey even predicted that popular brands will take Heelys, an old fad that allowed a wearer to skate around on detachable wheels in the sneaker heels, and make them popular again in 2018. “Heelys will become cool again and go back in style,” Godfrey said. “Versace, Gucci, Champion, Nike, Adidas, Tom Ford, New Balance and many other expensive clothing companies will all make a different variation of a Heely.”
Perhaps these new kicks are on the near horizon, or perhaps memes and fidget spinners will continue to rule this new year. Only time will tell what trends will be talked about (and even regretted) at the end of 2018.
