Top 5 Trends of 2018

As we start in 2019, it is interesting to look reflect on the numerous trends from 2018. Here are what Morro Bay High School students thought were some of the best trends:

1. 1. Fashion. According to an informal poll of MBHS students, students favored the trends of baggy jeans, plaid pants, Birkenstocks, and more popular styles. 2018 featured clothes with more plaid, corduroy, velvet, and various styles of jeans than ever. Thrifting also made somewhat of a come-back in 2018, as did some 80s fashion trends.
   2. Diversity. Many students in the poll also mentioned the commonly dubbed ‘20-gay-teen’, which represents the increased representation and diversity in the media. This was seen with both the LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, etc.) community and with other groups. Some examples include the movie “Black Panther”, which represented a shift from a predominately white Hollywood (as far as screen-time) and the movie “Crazy Rich Asians” which was key in representation for Asian people. LGBTQ+ representation was seen in the movie “Love, Simon”, and also a record number of LGBTQ+ candidates running for office in November.
   3. Memes. A few notable memes mentioned by MBHS students were ‘They Did Surgery on a Grape’, ‘Walmart yodeling kid’ memes, and moth memes. 2018 was a rollercoaster of internet trends, from the arguably dangerous Tide Pods memes that resulted to many people eating Tide Pods laundry detergent to the “Is this a…” meme which was a parody of someone very confidently identifying something incorrectly.
   4. Fortnite.  According to students, another thing that sought popularity in 2018 was Fortnite- an online video game that falls under the genre “battle royale”. Fortnite gained lots of popularity both because of its multiplayer game option and versatility. Whether you were for it or against it, Fortnite has left its mark on 2018.
   5. ASMR. ASMR, or Autonomous sensory meridian response (which can be explained as a calming feeling in response to stimulation), became fairly popular in 2018. Many ASMR Youtubers post high-quality recordings of different ‘stimuli’ sound like gentle rain, honeycombs, and keyboard typing. Though a very specific niche, it has gained traction and popularity.

Time will tell if these trends will remain in 2019.