This article was written by The Zillennial Zine’s fall editorial intern Alayna Thomas. Find her on Instagram at @ratatoolie. If you would like to share an article with The Zillennial, send us an email at thezillennialzine@gmail.com.
Y2K themed parties. Y2K baby tees. For the past two or three years, younger Millennials and Gen Z have been completely obsessed with what we call ‘Y2K Fashion’. Anything Juicy Couture and leopard print is calling our names. Likewise, we are obsessed with brands and celebrities from this era such as Paris Hilton or Baby Phat. But, I recently learned that what I and many consider Y2K is not what the original aesthetic embodied. Just like how we cringe at Gen Alpha calling Lululemon preppy, Gen X’ers and older Millennials scoff when we call velour tracksuits Y2K. The actual aesthetic that we are inspired by for our Y2K inspired fits is called McBling.
Furthermore, I realized that our post-Covid, post-Biden election pop culture has striking similarities to our country’s pop culture landscape after 9/11, which is when McBling really took off. Let’s look at the differences between the past and current iterations of the Y2K aesthetic, compare it to McBling, and do a bit of trend forecasting. What themed parties will we be hosting next? What’s going to happen to Depop? After Y2K, what trends and aesthetics will we resurrect?
Are Y2K and McBling the Same Thing?
Before, they would be considered two different aesthetics. Y2K and McBling were inspired by different societal circumstances, events, and styles. However, now the original Y2K is being retroactively called Cyber Y2K or Y2K Futurism because the connotation has been lost.
Additionally, many other aesthetics that started or were popular in the early 00’s are being grouped under the Y2K umbrella along with McBling. Frutiger Aero and Neo-Tribal are some of the more popular ones on social media. This is probably the reason why McBling is referred to as Y2K; it’s how people consider the general aesthetic of early 00’s America.
The Original Y2K Aesthetic
Y2K was futuristic; chrome was abundant and so were CGI graphics. Blob-shaped architecture is also a defining feature of this era. Silver and white were the go to colors for outfits. Pristineness and cleanliness are important to Y2K, unlike Grunge, a popular aesthetic that reached its peak as Y2K was being birthed.
This aesthetic gets its namesake from the Year 2000 Problem. For those of us too young to remember, the Y2K problem was a public panic that took place in 1999. Many people believed that computers would stop working correctly in the year 2000 because they would mistake it as the year 1900. Those who were really scared thought that this could lead to things like electrical grid outages.
Even though many people were nervous about their computers malfunctioning, the Y2K aesthetic represented the excitement and people had for the future. The internet is a new and exciting place, CGI movies are something you had never seen before, and the economy is on an upward swing. The new millennium looks promising!
Some examples of Y2K/Y2K Futurism are No Scrubs by TLC, Toy Story, Spy Kids, Sandstorm by Darude, the Motorola Razr, and Cloud Gate a.ka. “The Bean” in Chicago.
The McBling Aesthetic
Spray tans. Snookie. Velour tracksuits. Oversized sunglasses. These are some of the things that come to mind when I think of McBling. We love animal print, hot pink, and name brands. Heavy on the name brands. Every major group was catered to between Rocawear and Abercrombie; Bathing Ape and Gucci. Hedonism and trashiness are valued in this aesthetic.
The term McBling was invented in 2016 by Evan Collins of the Creative Aesthetic Research Institute. The ‘Mc’ refers to McDonalds: it represents the consumerist aspect of the aesthetic. You are meant to have a huge closet, name brand clothing, a nice car, a big house; you get the idea. ‘Bling’ refers to the flashy and maximalist nature of the aesthetic. Reality shows such as Pimp my Ride or My Sweet 16 exemplify this.
The hope that many Americans had going into the new century had faded. In 2000, the stock market crashed due to the dot com bubble bursting. 9/11 shocked the nation and kicked off an invasion in the Middle East. In order to distract ourselves from the atrocities abroad and to remind ourselves that we are the greatest nation on Earth, we tapped into consumerism.
Then, in 2008, the recession hit and it wasn’t cool to flaunt wealth anymore. People were losing jobs and homes, they couldn’t afford to keep up with the Joneses. Enter Recession Pop and Indie Sleaze. We had to now distract ourselves from the fact that we’re broke.
Why is McBling Still Popular Now?
I actually think that it’s on its way out. But I’ll get to that.
I first started noticing an uptick in Y2K fashion in 2021. Throughout 2021, the country experienced a myriad of Covid-19 restrictions loosening up. We also elected Trump out of office and saw Joe Biden become president. After a period of uncertainty and unprecedented lockdowns, people felt hopeful again, especially young adults. The world was finally going back to the way we were supposed to receive it. Or so we thought.
The job market has run stale for many people, inflation is rampant, and the minimum wage is not increasing. We are not currently in a recession, but some economists say that there is potential for it to happen in 2025 due to consumers cutting back on spending. This is the antithesis of McBling. We can’t be flashy without disposable income.
What Comes After This Y2K Revival?
I think we are going to see some sort of return to Recession Pop and Indie Sleaze. The ‘Brat Summer’ phenomenon signals this. Being brat is about smoking cigarettes and going about your day in last night’s makeup. Although the album is notable for that absolutely insane green album cover, the aesthetic surrounding brat has the vibe of 2009. More specifically, it reminds me of Britney Spears’ Femme Fatale era. It’s dance music that has a dark vibe, but the clothing and makeup has a metallic, grungy look.
Another person that I think people will look back on is Kesha. She was a true blend of Recession Pop and Indie Sleaze. She wore ripped up clothing, had gold and silver eyeliner, and her music was what I thought I would hear in the club when I was an adult. Other pop music artists from that time I see going semi-viral on TikTok are Flo Rida, Pitbull, LMFAO, and The Fame era Lady Gaga.
I do think this revival will have a twist due to Y2K Futurism becoming slightly more popular. We might see Indie Sleaze and Recession Pop mixed with Neo-Tribal or Cybersigilism Y2K due to the increased reliance on AI in recent times.
So, check back in with me at the end of the decade. We’ll see if I’m right.
What do you think? Are Y2K and McBling the same thing? What do you think will be the next major trend? Let us know in the comments?
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