An ode to the 2010’s

The highlights of the decade

Dear 2010s, our relationship has had many ups and downs. It is, however, time for the decade to come to a close. “New year, new me,” as they say. Before goodbyes are exchanged to the millennium’s second decade, let us pause and reminisce.

2010: The year of seemingly ceaseless “photo-ops” and hashtags. Instagram launched at the beginning of the decade, and so the 2010s were an explosion of social media and technology. People began to adopt Instagram as a way of life and even bought followers to boost online popularity. Instagram’s birth coined a decade of a monitored self-image and hashtags. 

2011: Sorry Potterheads, but this was the year when the final Harry Potter movie, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2” was released. Many millennials grew up reading the “Harry Potter” series with a flashlight under their blankets at night and watching the movies turn the words into life. 

Quidditch is a part of the millennial vocabulary and those who watched the movies grew up alongside the characters. Wizards fans everywhere mourned and celebrated this year as the finale of childhood. Gryffindor 4ever.

2012: The birth year of some of the world’s most catchy (read: annoying) tunes. Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Call Me Maybe” and PSY’s “Gangnam Style” blared in every car. These songs of the summer have become a historic moment in music history while the Gangnam Style dance went viral. 

2013: Do you want to build a snowman? Anyone reading that question now has the Disney movie “Frozen” jingle ringing in their head. It’s inevitable, just let it happen. 

Disney shook things up a bit by advocating for women empowerment rather than the damsel in distress princess archetype. Way to go Disney! It was winter all year long in 2013 with this movie’s release, but the cold never bothered me anyway. 

2014: #BlackLivesMatter sparked a historic campaign that remains pertinent to this day. This was a year of racial distress between police officers and people of color. The movement was marked by a nationwide protest against police brutality and the justice system — a time of solidarity and heartache after the murder of Eric Garner and the lack of justice in the court’s decision in who was at blame. 

2015: It seems like every year is the Kardashians’ year, but this year Caitlyn Jenner stood in the spotlight. “Vanity Fair” cleared the air for Caitlyn Jenner’s speculatory transition with their cover “Call me Caitlyn.” As a former Olympic icon, Caitlyn reintroduced herself to the world. 

2016: Alas, the Make America Great Again debate. President Donald Trump won the election (but not the popular vote!) against Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton. A heated and controversial political moment in history began this year… and continues to this day. 

This year, the country split and red and blue stood on opposite sides of the battleline. The color orange was the most American color that everyone could agree on — Trump’s tan. 

2017: A royally embarrassing mix-up at the Oscars. Warren Beatty, sorry, but you became a Twitter sensation after messing up the Oscars! The poor producers and cast of “La La Land” — they thought they had won. Two minutes into Jordan Horowitz’s speech, a producer of “La La Land”, revealed to the audience that there had been a mistake. “Moonlight” had in fact won Best Picture. 

2018: Queen Bey took the stage as the first Black woman to headline Coachella. The festival rightfully became Beychella after Beyoncé’s momentous two-hour, mind-blowing set. 

Everyone was drooling over her performance, which was dedicated to Black traditions at Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Beyoncé knew the importance of her headline, and she did not disappoint. Yas Queen! If you missed it, don’t worry, “Homecoming” is on Netflix and features a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the show. 

2019: There’s no way to close a decade like an impeachment trial. President Trump became the third president in American history to be impeached by the House of Representatives. He has been accused with both the abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. 

Originating from the whistleblower complaint of Trump’s abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, the question still remains — will President Trump be removed from office? We will find out from the Senate trial in 2020. 

Rest in peace 2010s. All good things must come to an end, and sadly, it is about that time for the decade. We now, however, enter the roaring 20s and it is a whole new decade, a chance to reset. Cheers to a new year and a new decade — bottoms up. 

Written by: Sierra Jimenez — arts@theaggie.org