It’s no secret that hipsters are ridiculed. What is more opaque is the definition of a hipster, but the fact remains that being a hipster is associated with trying too hard to be different. What makes someone a hipster can be as varied as how they get their caffeine, their transportation choices, or their fashion sense. What unites all people deemed hipsters, however, is that they try to not follow mainstream trends.

SEE ALSO: 10 Reasons Millennials Are No Different From Any Other Generation

One of the ways hipsters try to avoid mainstream trends is by creating their own, but many hipster trends are not new at all. Indeed, the following ten trends are decades, and sometimes even centuries, old. Perhaps if the hipsters spent less time schmoozing with Instagram thots and more time reading their Bible, they might have heard the ancient wisdom of Ecclesiastes 1:10: “Nihil sub sole novum” (there is nothing new under the sun).

10Almond Milk

Before people decided to put almond milk in their coffee to save calories or avoid dairy, it was used in medieval cooking. Instead of consuming almond milk to follow a trendy diet, medieval people employed almond milk in their recipes for more practical reasons. During Lent, Christians could not eat dairy products, meat, or eggs, and almond milk served as a suitable alternative to milk. Egg and butter substitutes were also made with almond. Almond milk was also popular throughout the calendar year because of how easily milk spoiled in those days before refrigeration. It was employed not only in desserts, but also in more savory dishes with meat.

Despite the popularity of almond milk, it was a luxury. Not everyone could afford it for everyday consumption because of its high price. Instead, the majority of people would likely have enjoyed almond milk only when they were ill, as medieval doctors argued for its effectiveness in helping soothe the sick who probably needed an energy boost after the same doctors bled them. While almond milk was a drink of the wealthier classes during medieval times, lower prices today means it is more accessible and people can enjoy it in their coffee, in their cereal, or by itself without being Warren Buffett.^[1]

9 Coffee Was The Drink to Die For

A drink enjoyed by a variety of people, from hipsters to those working late-night shifts, is coffee. Much like today, Arabs in the 16th century and Europeans in the 17th century flocked to coffeehouses to enjoy the beverage and the conversation of others. While people today visit cafés and sip coffee while working on their laptops, learned people of the 17th and 18th centuries also visited coffeehouses to work. When it came time for the American colonies to rebel against the King, coffee began to replace tea as the beverage of choice in America. John Adams even wrote to his wife, lamenting of how tea was superior, but he would drink coffee to show his loyalty to the colonial cause.

While Adams may not have been fond of coffee, some people were willing to risk their lives to drink it. Under the rule of Sultan Murad IV, residents of the Ottoman Empire could lose their lives for consuming the beverage. Murad IV’s fatwa against coffee was so thorough that he would dress himself as an ordinary citizen and behead his subjects as they drank coffee. His heir made coffee a capital crime only if someone was caught drinking it twice. The reason coffee scared powerful rulers was that it stimulates ideas without disabling people in the way that alcohol does. Much like hipsters have made coffee a daily drink for millions today, forward-thinkers of previous centuries catapulted the drink into mainstream culture. Saint Drogo be praised!^[2]

Related: 10 Creative Ways To Enjoy Coffee Besides Drinking It

8 Vegetarian and Vegan Diets

Vegetarian and vegan diets have been promoted for thousands of years for a wide variety of reasons. While today such diets are sometimes criticized as affordable only for the wealthy, they were eaten by a variety of people in the ancient world. Some Hindus, Jains, and Buddhists have followed vegan or vegetarian diets for thousands of years.

Vegetarian diets (excluding eggs) were eaten by Taoist and Buddhist nuns and monks during the 4th century in China. Ancient Greek thinkers such as Apollonius of Tyana, Plotinus, and Pythagoras all followed diets that minimized the amount of meat or animal products eaten. While many people throughout history eschewed meat for religious reasons, more people today are following vegan and vegetarian diets for ethical reasons born out of secular — instead of spiritual — concerns.^[3]

Related: 9 Reasons To Reject Vegetarianism

7 Sugar Alternatives

Today people use everything from artificial sweeteners to stevia to agave nectar as a substitute for cane sugar. In the 18th and 19th centuries, people looked for alternatives to cane sugar for a different reason: slavery. Opponents of slavery saw maple syrup as a viable alternative to sugar cane. By buying maple syrup, abolitionists could sweeten their palates without the moral guilt associated with buying cane sugar.

Sugar cane alternatives were also found for purely economic reasons. During the Napoleonic wars, the British blockade left France without access to sugar cane. Napoleon turned to sugar beet as an alternative sweetener at the suggestion of French scientists. He encouraged domestic production of sugar beet, which drove down the price of sugar and transformed sweets from a luxury to an affordable treat.The amount of sugar consumed in Europe increased by nearly 300% in the 19th century alone. Nowadays, hipsters use maple syrup as a “natural” alternative to sugar and sugar beet is no longer seen as trendy or innovative.^[4]

6 Alternative Currencies

Today, alternative currencies from Bitcoin to Trumpcoin are used by people as a status symbol and a way to show political affiliation. In true hipster fashion, some people seek out alternative currencies that are obscure precisely because of their obscurity. Centuries before cryptocurrencies became mainstream, the Roman empire allowed local governments to mint their own coins. These coins were used alongside the denarius, the universal coin used in the Roman empire.

While cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin are often used by customers to support libertarian ideals, alternative currencies in Ancient Rome were likely employed to foster togetherness in local communities. In Pompeii, bronze coins were frequently used instead of denarii in local and inexpensive transactions. In Ancient Egypt, lead tokens were used as an alternative form of currency during a coin shortage — likely for similar reasons as the bronze coins of Pompeii. While the concept of alternative currencies may not be new, what makes cryptocurrencies different is its decentralized nature.^[5]

Related: 10 Reasons Why Bitcoin Will Fail

5 Collecting Antiques

Before there were reality TV shows featuring enthusiastic bargainers searching for antiques and hipsters combing through consignment shops for vintage clothing, people looked at art as something to hoard. Art was amassed in ancient Egypt, Babylon, India, and China by wealthy and powerful individuals. It was a status symbol, much like jeans from the 1960s and 19th century table linens are today. The ancient Greeks began the appreciation of antique art and the Romans continued that craze once they conquered Greece. The Romans glorified Greek culture and art and wealthy Romans sought out Greek artwork to add to their collections. Much like people today buy replicas of antiques, Romans would sometimes pay to have Greek sculptures replicated. Desire for Greek art even led unwitting Romans to buy forgeries.

During the Renaissance, wealthy individuals amassed private collections of art, making Greek art popular once again. In time, however, private collections became replaced by public ones as monarchs began allowing common people to see their collections. Some individuals even gave their colections over to the public. Nowadays, people can search on eBay for antiques or visit a museum, meaning we don’t have to be hipsters or millionaires to enjoy art from the past.^[6]

4 Socks With Sandals

Socks with sandals is either the greatest footwear combination or the most grievous fashion sin ever conceived depending on who you ask. Centuries before hipsters decided that socks with sandals were fashionable, Roman legionaries donned similar footwear. In 2010, archaeologists in North Yorkshire found a Roman sandal. What was remarkable about the sandal was the traces of fibers left on it. These fibers may have been the remnants of a sock.

Romans were known to wear socks, so it would not be much of a jump to conclude that legionnaires may have worn them with their sandals. Doing so would have kept their feet insulated against the cold and protected them from thorns. While today socks with sandals are seen as a sign that one is lacking in style, Romans legionnaires likely saw the combination as a practical way to keep their feet battle-ready.^[7]

3 Leggings

Leggings have catapulted into mainstream society, but they still manage to cause controversy. Leggings have a long history of being accepted, however. On the Great Plains, Native American women wore leggings made of animal skins for modesty — bare ankles were deemed inappropriate — and to shield their legs from the elements. While in the 21st century leggings are oftentimes associated with women who practice yoga, leggings were once primarily worn by men in Europe. European leggings were first created by William Lee in the 1500s and two centuries later, they were sported by men whose jobs or leisure activities included physical labor. Women took up leggings during the sexual revolution of the 1960s and the fitness craze of the 1980s and today, leggings are primarily worn by women. However, meggings are growing in popularity, though they may be more popular with hipsters than your average Joe.^[8]

2 Anti-Capitalism

Anti-capitalism is not something invented by hipsters in coffee shops sipping their caramel macchiatos with a dash of almond milk or even by Karl Marx. With the formation of capitalism came opposition to it. Although terms such as capitalism and socialism are relatively new in terms of human history, anti-capitalist sentiments have been expressed for centuries. The Greek poet Hesiod wrote of how men had fallen from the Golden Age when things were shared and humankind experienced peace to the greed and strife of the Iron Age.

Similarly, Greeks were criticized by themselves and others for their markets and merchants. In ancient Rome, merchants were vilified by thinkers like Cicero as dishonest and playwrights such as Plautus mocked them. Early Catholics and Protestants railed against merchants and John Calvin even compared them to prostitutes. Throughout history, greed has been seen as sinful and by characterizing market-driven economies as run by greed, thinkers have criticized capitalism long before the term was coined. It is little wonder, then, that anti-capitalist sentiments are still harbored today. Of course no one fails to see the irony of a hipster wearing a Che Guevara (“chay” – the “ch” is pronounced like “chain” not “shape”) tee-shirt in a Starbucks on their iPhone (except perhaps the hipster himself).^[9]

Related: 10 Reasons Why Communism Sucks

1 Hipsters Themselves

Even hipsters themselves are not new. There have always been those who have subverted social norms and hipsters are the latest group to earn the ire of mainstream society. While hipsters of the modern era draw near-universal scorn, hipsters of the 1930s to 1950s are less well-known these days. The word hipster began as an adjective, hip, used to describe those fond of jazz before becoming a noun. Black jazz musicians inspired the very first hipsters — mostly white men from well-off families — to rebel against social norms. Hipsters entertained notions of nihilism and focused on separating themselves socially from society.

Hipsters experienced a revival greater than their genesis after kids from the 1990s decided to embrace their nostalgia for times they had never lived in. As hipster culture merged with mainstream culture, alternative music and art became mainstream or forgotten. The hipsters of today are different from the first hipsters much like almond milk is used for different purposes today. While many elements of hipster culture are appropriated instead of created, hipsters do help make old ideas trendy again.

The pic above is Allen Ginsberg, the great hipster poet of the 1950s. As you can see, the modern hipsters don’t even have a unique appearance: even that is copied from the original hipsters – from the denim and plaid, to the beard and thick rimmed glasses! For a real treat, here is a video of Ginsberg reading his poem Howl which was so scandalous it led to an obscenity trial! It is one of the masterpieces of the era.^[10]

About The Author: Alexandra loves guinea pigs, reading, and writing.

As anyone who has explored the depths of the Internet would tell you, it’s a pretty weird world out there. From fetishes you didn’t even know existed to websites maintained entirely by bots, there’s no dearth of bizarre things to be found in the online world. However, those areas are still just niches and almost no one seems to care about them.

When it gets truly weird is when you get more than just a handful of people to go along with your bizarre, out-of-place idea. These Internet fads don’t stand out because they exist—as the Internet is home to much weirder stuff—but because they convinced a bunch of regular individuals to get on board.

10 ‘Naked Butts In Front Of Pretty Scenery’ Photography

No one likes a picture of a naked butt online unless you’re specifically looking for that, and you’d probably be banned from most social media platforms if you post one. However, it’s a completely different matter altogether when you do it with a pretty landscape in the background as the recent viral trend proves.

Carefully and successfully walking the line between art and buffoonery, users on Instagram have taken to photographing their bare butts in exotic, beautiful places. Before anyone could ask, “Why the hell are you doing that,” it was too popular to contain. Many people include it in their travel itineraries as we speak.

You can still see the pictures on an Instagram account called Cheeky Exploits. We’re guessing that it has something to do with body positivity, though that’s not explicitly clear from the photos or their captions. It’s highly likely that people are just doing it because everyone else is.^[1]

9 Hot Water Challenge

In case it’s not immediately clear through common sense, pouring scalding water on yourself for no reason other than to see if you can is a terrible idea. It’s one of those everyday things that may seem like a harmless mistake, but it actually ends up killing more people than you’d expect. In the US alone, around 100 people die every year due to burns caused by hot water.

So, when some people on the Internet thought it’d be a great idea to turn the hot water challenge into a viral trend, it raised some understandable red flags. Everyone was suddenly pouring hot water on themselves or others or just drinking it with a straw and then posting the evidence all over YouTube and Instagram.

As you’d expect, many people were seriously burned. Medical professionals across the world advised against jumping on this particular bandwagon.

The worst of it was when an eight-year old girl died after being dared to drink hot water through a straw after her cousins saw videos of the challenge on YouTube.^[2] Due to the injuries caused by this type of challenge, the trend has thankfully ebbed and the Internet audience has finally learned its lesson. Oh wait, it didn’t . . . 

8 Salt And Ice Challenge

For a species that counts burning to death as one of its biggest fears, we sure love to come up with ingenious ways to burn ourselves for fun. The salt and ice challenge is another one of those.

As you accurately guessed, you put salt and ice on a part of your body. The trend has apparently fizzled out for now, but videos of people doing it can be traced as far back as 2012. It was only recently that it became popular in a big way, though, causing parents and health experts to issue warnings.

While salt and ice may not seem dangerous at first, they combine to create a dangerous chemical reaction that causes serious burns and injuries. The combination of the salt and ice results in something very similar to frostbite.^[3]

7 Furry Nails

Although we were unable to track the user who started it all, the Internet fashion trend of doing up your nails in the form of fur has spread far and wide ever since it first gained traction.

Essentially, it requires you to painstakingly attach strands of fur to your nails. Even if we ignore its ethical implications—and the people doing it claim that it’s all faux fur—the simple fact that it doesn’t really look good or fashionable is why this trend baffles us.

There may be some legit benefits to it, like added insulation during winter, though we were under the impression that gloves do that job quite well already. It may not be as popular now as it was around a year ago. But why it was popular at any time is a question we all need to ask ourselves.^[4]

We may think that this one is a bit less dangerous than the others on this list. However, that’s only if we’re talking about bodily injuries. Looking at something so aesthetically displeasing still harms the brain in other ways.

6 Condom Snorting

We all know the most popular uses of a condom—to fight against the spread of STDs and avoid unwanted pregnancies. The Internet, however, has long disputed that those are the only applications.

We’ve seen everything from DIY furniture-fixing kits made with condoms to condom blow-up challenges surface on YouTube, which were all fine as long as they weren’t hurting anyone. The most recent condom trend to hit the Internet, however, took it a bit too far.

It entails snorting a condom up your nostrils until it comes out of your mouth. We don’t need to tell anyone why that’s a horrible idea as condoms are made to not break or dissolve under any conditions. Aside from the danger of choking to death, this can cause bacterial infections or rashes in the nasal cavity. However, that didn’t stop it from blowing up on YouTube.^[5]

Thankfully, this challenge has largely subsided now, and teenagers are (hopefully) back to using condoms for their intended purpose.

5 Parent Shaming

Having arguments with your parents was a healthy and natural part of growing up. However, with the advent of the Internet, that’s not the case anymore. “Parent shaming” refers to an increasingly popular trend of taking your parental complaints online—whether it’s about your folks refusing to buy you the latest gaming console or embarrassing you in front of your friends. Almost anything goes.^[6]

If you’re feeling bad about the parents at the receiving end of this, don’t. Child shaming is a countertrend. There are around 30,000 clips of parents disciplining their kids on social media platforms, and the types of punishments range from grounding children to setting their Christmas presents on fire.

4 Funeral Selfies

If you’ve spent enough time on the Internet, you know about the creative and creepy ways that people have used corpses throughout history. One particularly unsettling example is Victorian-era corpse photography when people would prop up their dead loves ones to get a photo with them.

Now if you thought that was a thing of the past, we’d like to tell you that it absolutely was. Then modern-era Internet users picked it up again and turned it into a fad.

Many people on Instagram and Facebook are now taking selfies alongside corpses of their dead relatives. The living relatives are often found to be smiling or cheerful about the whole thing.^[7]

For some, it may even be a part of the mourning process. Although from all the photos we’ve seen of the trend, mourning doesn’t seem to be a part of the process. It’s a horrifying combination of the modern craze of taking selfies wherever we can and the age-old tradition of being photographed with the dead.

3 100 Layers

With the deluge of Instagram beauty influencers and YouTube vloggers consistently coming up with new ways to look better, beauty trends are often hard to define. Are we supposed to shave off our eyebrows now? Are bangs back in fashion? Can we make DIY lipsticks from things found in the kitchen?

All of those questions have wildly different answers depending on whom and when you ask. Some people got fed up with that and came up with a whole new trend as a statement against the generality of the term “beauty” nowadays. The trend is putting 100 layers of something on yourself and making videos of it.^[8]

It can be anything—from 100 layers of tape to makeup to clothes—as long as it’s precisely 100 and you put it up on the Internet for everyone to see. While we can’t say if it’s still all the rage, the mere fact that it caught on is something we’re still grappling with.

2 Fire Challenge

For some people online, pouring hot water on yourself or giving yourself frostbite with salt and ice was not an efficient way of causing burns. So they took to actually setting themselves on fire.

We especially love Wikipedia’s matter-of-fact and dry definition of it: “Fire challenge is an activity which refers to the application of flammable liquids to one’s body and then setting the liquids aflame, while being video recorded.”

If you’ve seen people pouring lighter fluid on themselves and lighting it up on Facebook, that’s not a one-off Internet weirdo. Worryingly, it’s a growing trend on video-sharing sites like YouTube. Needless to say, it is extremely dangerous to attempt.

While we don’t understand the motive behind any of the trends on this list, we particularly don’t grasp this one as it entails actually burning yourself for a bunch of fake Internet points. That is, of course, if your video goes viral. Otherwise, you just burned yourself for nothing.

There have been reports of people—especially kids—being admitted to the hospital due to severe burns after attempting this challenge. However, that hasn’t done anything to discourage other proponents of this viral phenomenon.^[9]

1 Pimple Popping

As most of us have been told at some point during our adolescence, popping a pimple yourself is almost never a good idea. Doctors and surgeons are qualified to do it in case it gets worse, but most pimples are temporary occurrences that go away on their own. It’s just one of our body’s many mechanisms to fight off infections, which usually don’t require any intervention on our part. Also, pimple popping is a bit gross.

That’s why the Internet video phenomenon of people popping zits—as well as removing botflies from the body—is so fascinating. We have no idea what’s fueling it, but right now, plenty of people are searching online for videos of other people doing it.^[10]

Some say that the process is immensely satisfying to watch, which makes sense as some people are just weird. However, why so many others are getting in on it remains a mystery to us.

You can check out Himanshu’s stuff at Cracked and Screen Rant, or get in touch with him for writing gigs.

Almost everyone goes through some sort of a ‘phase’; a double denim phase, that time you got a Mohawk, growing your own chilli peppers, getting weekly colonics. Some of these passing fads stick, growing into movements, lasting trends or subcultures, replete with specific conventions, jargon and even taking on a pseudo-religious air. Here’s a list of identities, clubs, hobbies…stuff people like to do, that are still around and show no signs of going away.

10 Times Popular Culture Actually Killed People

10 Goth

Who knew we’d still be seeing goths two whole decades into the 21st century? Why won’t they die? Well, in fairness, they seem to already be dead. It is mildly ironic that the go-to trend for outcast, non-conformist types turns out to be one of the most wide-spread, long-lasting subcultures of the 20th and 21st century. But goths don’t care. They don’t care about much of anything (except running out of ‘midnight onyx’ lip gloss).

Goth started in the 80’s, from the fragmentation of English punk. Why has it endured? Perhaps it is due to how it has drawn an aesthetic from many movements and eras of the past, (unlike the similar ‘New Romantic’ movement which focused more narrowly on the Georgian era). 50s monster movies, German expressionist cinema, gothic literary figures like Edgar Allan Poe, Victorian fashion and even darker elements of European folklore and African and Caribbean voodoo are all sources of aesthetic inspiration for goths, giving the subculture a timeless air. Goth, it could be said, is not the ‘New Black’ but more the ‘Perpetual Black’.^[1]

9 Hacker Culture

The Matrix is real, we all know that by now. I mean, 2020 has pretty much removed all conjecture on the subject—reality cannot be this crazy, this random. Hackers, a now venerable community that live beyond the digital fringe of civilisation, seem to have known this for a while.

Hacker culture is fundamentally about finding creative ways to solve difficult problems, primarily within software systems. One burning question they solved: How can you make an old fashioned dot-matrix printer play musical notes? Hackers will go into the belly of the mechanical beast and make it do whatever they damn well please. Dating from the early 20th century, hacker culture has developed alongside the growing free software movement, making this subculture perhaps the only one on this list that could truly change the world in a meaningful way. If the real world were ‘real’, that is, but given the ease that these guys and gals can manipulate our cyber reality, it seems to all be a simulation anyway.^[2]

8 The New Age Movement

“This is the dawning of the Age of Aquarius” sang the band ‘The 5th Dimension’ in 1969. We’re still waiting, hippies.

From crystal healing and reflexology, reappraising defunct divination practices like I Ching and astrology to claiming belief in debunked myths like the existence Atlantis and ancient aliens forming everything before Christ came along, this movement is so loose it is a real miracle it’s still about. It seems to be a one-size-fits-everything-outside-science-and-organised-religion type of thing.

To be a bit fairer to this lot, there doesn’t seem to be much malice there (often… we’re looking at you, cults). A bit like Mormonism, they just don’t hold much stock in objective reality or the scientific method whilst making claims that should fall well within that sphere. Sure, crystal healers make money off people who may be very sick, but usually both parties actually believe in the power of lumps of pressurized rock. Have you ever met a new-ager that scared or offended you directly? Well, Charles Manson, I guess… then again, you probably never met him.^[3]

7 Furries

Don’t click away! This subculture may be inextricably linked to creepiness, but it actually has a fascinating history. First off, a little housekeeping. Is furry fandom all about sex? No it isn’t…for all of them, anyways. Still here? Good, it gets better, I promise.

Furry fandom finds its origins in an unexpectedly cool place—the ‘underground comix’ scene of the late 70s. By 1983, the term ‘furry’ was being used by fans of anthropomorphic animals in Sci-fi, cartoons and comic books, who’d meet at expos and conventions, setting up online communities as early as 1990, further growing the fandom through to the twenty-first century. These guys and gals like to dress up as cutesy-looking animals and… that’s it for many. For around 37% of furries, they like to dress up and then get it on like, well, cute little furry animals. If you love cartoon animals or want to make love to cartoon animals, maybe this lifestyle is for you.^[4]

6 Gopniks

You’ve seen these guys and gals, I can pretty much guarantee it. You see, gopnik culture is simply a regional flavour for, arguably, a ubiquitous and inevitable subculture which occurs anywhere that has sportswear brands, small cars that are easily modified and some form of electronic music. In Britain they go by many names, more commonly ‘chavs’. In South Africa they are a part of Zef culture. One could argue that hip-hop culture US cities and the latest manifestation of ‘Cholo/Chola’ culture in Latin America and the US can also be seen as a part of this. Some call it ‘Street Culture’, ‘Working Class Drop-outs’ or ‘Gutter Stargazers’. Essentially, all these similar subcultures involve young, uneducated, disaffected people from lower class areas that society views as adjacent to, if not immersed in, loutish, sleazy and often criminal behaviour. Nice, right?^[5]

10 Incredible Subcultures From Around The World

5 Naturism

Millennia ago, we didn’t wear clothes. This is the natural state for all other members of our shared animal kingdom. Having said that, we used to die pretty young, and being uncovered whilst having to face the elements may have contributed to that (alongside sabre-toothed cats, wood splinters causing sepsis and those pesky volcanoes dotted around the landscape).

Organised naturism started out in the British Raj in 1891 with the first recognised club, The ‘Fellowship of the Naked Trust’, formed by a judge in Bombay named Charles Crawford. Since this time, philosophical papers, pamphlets, films and documentaries have helped spread the utopian, stripped back way of life all through the world. But it’s not all hippy-dippy nonsense: Croatia, a real hotbed for naturism, has a booming tourism industry in the post-Yugoslav era. Nudist tourism accounts for 15% of the market. Not too shabby… although where you’d keep your wallet is a real head scratcher.^[6]

4 Surfer Culture

“Yeeeew! Look at that gnarly swell coming in! This is gonna be radical, dude.” What should be scary to all of us is that this piece of surfer sociolect, a sub-category of hobby-related jargon that should only be understood by a small clutch of people, will be understood by nearly all English-speakers who read it. Surf culture has made one hell of a mark for a very niche pastime.

One could claim that surf culture finds its origins in native Hawaiian culture, at least in terms of the sport itself. It was Duke Kahanamoku, an Olympic gold medallist in swimming and a native Hawaiian, who is credited with popularised the sport of surfing, first by introducing the sport in Southern California in 1912 and then to Australia in 1914 by giving demonstrations in both swimming and surfing at Sydney’s Freshwater Beach. From this enthusiastic yet typically laid-back introduction (“You wanna see me do that thing with a plank of wood from the islands? No sweat, brah!”), fashion, language, movies and people’s lives have been shaped by this sport and the subculture it spawned.^[7]

3 Punk

Who doesn’t love being spat on by a skinny yob with a safety pin through their nose? Punks certainly love this, and a whole load of non normative behaviours and political stances to boot. Many, many, many subcultures and musical genres have formed in the wake of both English punk and the New York scene, proving that punk is probably the most influential cultural movement of the latter half of the twentieth century.

So what is punk? Patti Smith seemed to think it was ‘freedom’. Joe Strummer said it was more about ‘attitude’ and ‘truth’. Author Chuck Klosterman seemed to partly agree with Strummer, adding that it was also defined by a ‘laziness’, a certain style over substance:

“…you didn’t even need to know how to play your instrument, assuming you knew how to plug it in. There was really no difference between Sid Vicious and anyone in London who owned a base”. Except Sid Vicious was, well, Sid bloody Vicious.

Punk, in it’ rawest essence, is about rebellion, about honesty and a very specific style that makes people looking at a punk say “hey, look at those ripped jeans and that mohawk hairdo. That person is a punk”. However this highly influential subculture is defined, punk’s enduring nature and ever evolving set of definitions shows no sign of dying and, unless the world falls into either an all consuming totalitarianism or nihilistic anarchy, will always live. Bollocks.^[8]

2 Outlaw Motorcycle Clubs

“My most basic credo is: I never said freedom was cheap. And it ain’t. Never will be. It’s been the highest priced and most precious commodity in my life.”—Sonny Barger, author, actor and Hells Angel.

When military personnel return from war, they often find it difficult to settle back into society. This was as much of a problem in the 1940s as it is today, probably more so (Thanks, Hitler and Hirohito). Fighter pilots found it especially hard, finding the ‘normal’ life they had to lead nowhere near exhilarating enough after spending the last few years strafing fleeing SS units from the skies above Europe or fighting propeller-to-propeller with Imperial Japanese Zeroes. The only way to reclaim that freedom? Found a motorcycle group and tear up and down US highways on some kick-ass hogs. Hate the rules of the American Motorcycle Association? Form an unsanctioned, ‘outlaw’ motorcycle group.

What could go wrong? Well, all that unbridled freedom doesn’t provide you with any of the stuff you need to live. Many, but not all, outlaw motorcycle groups are now dangerous gangs, considered as influential and dangerous as any organised crime groups. Huge street battles, drug trafficking and contract murders are common fare for many groups. Still, one cannot deny the romance of leaving polite society behind, mounting a Harley and riding off to the next adventure.^[9]

1 Ferroequinology

We’ll end on perhaps the most exciting, pulse-rate-increasing, in-your-face, tear it all down subculture on the list.

Train spotting.

No, not the debauched, heroin-taking guys and gals from the novel/movie ‘Trainspotting’. I mean the spotters, cataloguers and general lovers of trains. You bathed in sweat yet? Are your nerves ready to burst?

There are loads of terms for a person who enjoy this hobby—’rail fan’, ‘trainspotter’, ‘anorak’, ‘gunzel’ and ‘foamer’, but the term ‘ferroequinologist’ is the preferred one (‘Ferro’ is Latin for iron, ‘equine’ is horse). It is difficult to consider a more meaningless way to spend ones time than seeing, noting and then discussing trains, but there is a real world benefit to this seemingly nerdish activity. The British Transport Police often appeal for info from avid trainspotters, and the BNSF rail company have asked American rail fans to keep them informed as to anything out of the ordinary so they can keep the railroads safe. Just for this service, we promise not to feed ferroequinologists to the furries…^[10]

10 Cool Subcultures You’ll Want To Join

About The Author: C.J. Phillips is a storyteller, actor and author living in rural West Wales. He is a little obsessed with lists.

I think we can all agree that workout advice is kind of all over the place. How many reps? How many sets? What muscles should I be working? It’s definitely enough to make your head spin. But there are certainly a few fads in the exercise world that I think we can all agree are over-the-top outrageous. Get ready to sweat with these ten wild workout trends that have fitness fanatics buzzing. From Tae Bo to Aqua Spin, we’re diving into the wackiest ways people get fit.

Related: Top 10 Worst Alternative Health Practices Influencers Pedal

10 Tae Bo

In the world of fitness fads, where routines seem as fleeting as a Snapchat story, one workout trend has stood the test of time: Tae Bo. It’s the fitness regimen that blends martial arts with boxing, and it’s been kicking butt and taking names since the 1990s.

Picture a room pulsing with energy, bodies jabbing, kicking, and gyrating to the rhythm of infectious beats. That’s the scene of a typical Tae Bo class, where Billy Blanks, the man behind this fitness symphony, orchestrates sweat and determination.

Tae Bo is not just a random mashup of kicks and punches. It’s a carefully crafted fusion of Tae Kwon Do, karate, and boxing, sprinkled with a generous dose of aerobics. The result is a calorie-blasting, muscle-toning extravaganza that leaves participants feeling like they’ve just conquered Mount Everest.

Billy Blanks, the brains (and brawn) behind Tae Bo, didn’t stumble upon success by accident. A seven-time world karate champion and martial arts guru, Blanks combined his expertise with a flair for showmanship to create a workout that has attracted legions of followers worldwide.

9 Vibrating Belt

When it comes to fitness fads, there’s always been a certain allure to the unconventional. Enter the vibrating belt—a gadget that promises to shake, rattle, and roll away those extra pounds with minimal effort. It’s the stuff of retro infomercials and gym folklore, but behind its whimsical facade lies a history as fascinating as its supposed benefits.

The vibrating belt burst onto the scene in the 1950s, championed as the ultimate shortcut to a toned figure. An earlier version created by Dr. John Harvey Kellogg in the 1920s was originally intended to stimulate circulation and promote weight loss. With its vibrating mechanism strapped around the waist, users were promised the bliss of passive exercise—all while lounging in the comfort of their own homes.

While the vibrating belt’s heyday may have come and gone, its legacy symbolizes fitness quirkiness. Despite the skepticism surrounding its effectiveness, there’s a certain nostalgia attached to shaking off those stubborn inches with a touch of retro flair.

Modern versions of the vibrating belt have emerged, adding sleek designs and advanced technology. However, the fundamental promise remains unchanged—a quick fix for fitness enthusiasts seeking to cheat their way to a toned physique. However, experts caution that while the sensation of vibration may temporarily stimulate muscles, it’s no substitute for traditional exercise and a balanced diet.

8 Skateboard Pilates

Skateboard Pilates emerges as a daring fusion of balance, strength, and agility. Imagine participants executing Pilates moves atop a skateboard, blending traditional Pilates with the thrill of a solid shred.

At its core, skateboard Pilates targets stabilizing muscles while engaging the larger muscle groups. Every movement requires a heightened level of focus and control as participants navigate the instability of the skateboard beneath them. From classic Pilates exercises like the Hundred and the Teaser to more dynamic moves like the skateboard plank and the rolling pike, each session promises a full-body workout with an adrenaline-inducing twist.

Beyond its physical benefits, skateboard Pilates offers a mental challenge, demanding concentration and mindfulness. Participants must tune into their bodies and the board’s movements, fostering a deeper connection between mind and muscle. While skateboard Pilates may seem like a niche workout, its popularity is growing among fitness enthusiasts seeking unconventional ways to stay in shape.

7 Electric Ab Belts

When it comes to achieving that elusive six-pack, the quest for shortcuts can lead down some truly electrifying paths. Say hello to the electric ab belt, a device promising to zap your midsection into shape while binge-watching your favorite series. But before you strap on this modern marvel, let’s separate the zips from the zaps.

The concept of electric muscle stimulation (EMS) isn’t exactly new. It’s been used for physical therapy and muscle rehabilitation for decades. However, turning it into a passive workout solution gained momentum in the fitness world in the 2000s. And thus, the electric ab belt was born.

The premise is simple: place the belt on your waist, flip the switch, and let the electrical impulses do the heavy lifting—literally. These impulses trigger muscle contractions, mimicking the effects of crunches and sit-ups without the sweat-inducing effort.

The creator of one of the most popular electric ab belts, Slendertone, claims their device can stimulate all major abdominal muscles, promising firmer abs in weeks. But before you start replacing your gym membership with a battery-powered accessory, let’s dive into the facts. While some research suggests it can enhance muscle tone with consistent use, others argue that results are more likely due to diet and overall physical activity.

6 Sauna Suits

In fitness, where bizarre trends often emerge faster than you can say “burpee,” one particularly steamy fad has been turning heads (and dripping sweat)—the sauna suit. Picture being clad head to toe in what looks like a plastic spacesuit—not exactly high fashion, but undeniably attention-grabbing.

Sauna suits have become popular as enthusiasts seek weight loss and detoxification shortcuts. The concept is simple yet somewhat extreme: donning a sauna suit during exercise turns your workout into a personal sauna session, inducing buckets of sweat.

Initially designed for athletes aiming to shed water weight quickly before competitions, these suits have since found their way into mainstream fitness culture, appealing to those chasing the dream of rapid fat loss.

While sweating may lead to temporary weight loss due to fluid depletion, it’s not a sustainable or healthy long-term strategy for shedding pounds. Moreover, prolonged use of sauna suits can lead to dehydration and even heatstroke if not used with caution.

5 Shake Weight

Picture a seemingly innocuous dumbbell, but with a twist—literally. The Shake Weight, aptly named, relies on rapid shaking motions to tone and sculpt muscles in record time. It’s as if someone looked at a regular dumbbell and thought, “You know what this needs? More wobble.”

Invented by Johann Verheem, the Shake Weight burst onto the scene in the late 2000s, promising to revolutionize arm workouts with its vibrating, oscillating design. With celebrity endorsements and infomercials bordering on parody, the Shake Weight quickly became a pop culture phenomenon.

Despite its tongue-in-cheek reputation, the Shake Weight does have some science behind it. The rapid shaking supposedly engages muscles more intensely than traditional weightlifting, leading to faster results. However, experts remain skeptical about its efficacy, with some even dubbing it the “Shake Weight Sham.”

But let’s not dismiss the Shake Weight entirely. After all, any workout that can elicit laughter while burning calories deserves at least a nod of recognition. Plus, watching someone vigorously shake what looks like a futuristic maraca is entertaining.

4 Prancercise

Fitness fads often come and go faster than a New Year’s resolution. Still, one trend stands out as absurd and strangely effective: Prancercise. Yes, you read that right. Prancercise is a legitimate exercise regimen that combines the grace of a gazelle with the cardio of a jog, all while channeling your inner horse.

Created by the charismatic Joanna Rohrback, Prancercise trotted onto the scene in 2012 with a viral video that left viewers scratching their heads and reaching for their running shoes. The concept? To exercise by mimicking the movements of a horse in various gaits, from the light and airy “Prance” to the full-on “Gallop.”

But don’t let Prancercise’s whimsical nature fool you. Beneath its playful exterior lies a workout that can leave even the most seasoned gym-goers breaking a sweat. By engaging the core muscles and promoting proper posture, Prancercise offers an effective full-body workout that’s low-impact and accessible to people of all fitness levels.

3 Body Flex

Imagine doing more than just your average deep breathing exercises. You’re flexing every muscle from your diaphragm to your pinky toe. Created by Greer Childers in the 1990s, Body Flex promises to oxygenate your body like never before while sculpting you into a masterpiece worthy of a Greek statue garden.

The premise is simple yet way out there: Contort your body into various positions while synchronizing your breaths to enhance oxygen flow. Think of it as yoga on steroids, minus the actual steroids. Advocates swear by its effectiveness in toning muscles, improving flexibility, and reducing stress. Skeptics might find themselves chuckling at the sight of grown adults huffing and puffing while contorted into what can only be described as a human pretzel.

Despite the eyebrow-raising theatrics, there’s some science behind the madness. Deep breathing has long been praised for its stress-relieving and health-boosting benefits, and adding a twist (literally) only amplifies the effects. Plus, it’s hard to argue with the cult-like following Body Flex has amassed over the years.

2 Power Balance

The Power Balance bracelet was launched in the mid-2000s with grand promises and flashy marketing. It used holographic technology embedded within a silicon band and was believed to harness the body’s natural energy to improve performance.

Athletes and celebrities alike endorsed it, swearing by its magical powers. But alas, science played the party pooper. Numerous studies debunked the claims, showing that the bands had about as much effect on performance as a lucky rabbit’s foot.

Like a modern-day snake oil, Power Balance had its heyday before crashing down to earth in a blaze of skepticism. Lawsuits followed, alleging false advertising and deceptive marketing. The company eventually conceded, admitting that their claims lacked scientific basis.

1 Aqua Spin

Aqua Spin takes the conventional spin class and throws it into a pool, quite literally. Imagine a spin bike submerged in water, pedaling against resistance while buoyant bliss surrounds you. It’s like cycling through Atlantis, minus the mermaids.

However, this aquatic marvel is actually backed by science. Water provides natural resistance, giving your muscles a serious workout without the joint-jolting impact of traditional spin classes. Plus, the water’s hydrostatic pressure promotes circulation and reduces post-workout soreness. So you might feel totally insane, but there’s a method to all that madness.

Nowadays, Aqua Spin classes are popping up in trendy fitness centers worldwide, drawing enthusiasts eager to make a splash in their exercise routines. With pulsating music, swirling water, and a dash of camaraderie, it’s not just a workout. It’s a pool party on pedals.

Teenage fashion is consistently changing, with more teenagers shopping online due to newer pieces of technology, more businesses promoting the use of fast fashion and the need, we all often get, to follow trends set by huge celebrities.

Teenage girls are always looking to expand their wardrobes, so, if you are a teenage girl reading this post, why don’t you get some inspiration to add some shine to your wardrobe?

Hottest Fashion Trends for Teenage Girls in 2024:

1. Embroidered Tops

These tops are a great staple piece to add into any teenage girl’s wardrobe. They give your tops a sense of uniqueness and will most definitely turn heads as you walk down the street feeling like a queen. The most popular pieces often contain an embroidered butterfly, cherry or a dragon on them.

You can find embroidered tops at any fashion store such as SHEIN, Urban Outfitters and other online stores for young women. They are definitely a trend as many famous influencers wear these nowadays.

2. Wrap Tops

Wrap tops are a perfect staple piece for summer and you can find a wide range of them at many online stores. They are perfect due to their often-soft texture and light material meaning you won’t be all hot and sweaty for summer (thankfully).

They also come in different styles of wraps such as a plunge wrap, a front tie wrap, and a wrap bralette. You can find these tops in places like SHEIN, Zara, Urban Outfitters, PrettyLittleThing and more!

3. Mom Jeans

Yes, you’ve heard me right. Mom jeans are back in a way we’ve never seen them before! These denim jeans feature a high waist and a little bagginess as it reaches the ankle. They have been popularised due to their aesthetic and stylish look that often remind people of the early 2000s.

These jeans make teenagers look taller and you can find them in a range of styles and colours, including ripped and baggy at the ends.

4. Air Force 1s

Air Force 1s have become a staple trainer in the sneaker world and would be a perfect addition to your closet. You can sport the trainer with anything from dresses to jeans.

You can find these sneakers anywhere, and, if you prefer them customised, you can head to DePop. Do bear in mind that the prices may be a little higher if you opt for this.

5. Shoulder Bags

Shoulder bags are in trend and you should get one. The bag is perfect to pair with any outfit and can even make the most boring outfits stylish.

Shoulder bags come in various sizes, shapes and colours so choose one that you believe fits your style aesthetic the most. You can find these at any online shopping site.

6. Biker Shorts

Biker shorts are perfect for pairing with a loose top, a hoodie, a sweatshirt – literally anything! They were popularised in 2024 and remain a teenage fashion trend today.

They are most popular worn in black and are made from stretchy material. Many influencers wear them such as Kim Kardashian, who made the clothing piece popular in the first place. Again, you can find them at any online fashion store.

7. Graphic Tees

A Graphic Tee is any t-shirt that has a design on it – that design could have been created by the processes of screen printing or painting etc. The graphic designs are well done and very artistic.

They are quite popular as they add an interesting element to your outfits and make them more unique. You can pair graphic tees with biker shorts and Air Force 1s for a complete look.

8. Doc Martens

Doc Martens are boots that are ever rising in popularity in the teenage fashion world. Like Air Force 1s. They are perfect to pair with any look.

The boots are made of leather and can be bought as either high-rise or low-rise depending on which you prefer. They are made from good material so should last you a long amount of time. You can also pair them with almost anything!

9. Bucket Hats

Bucket hats are a perfect accessory for any outfit. They give off that 2000s vibe which so many teenagers and influencers seem to crave.

You can find them almost anywhere and are a great clothing piece to wear in summer to shield your eyes and skin from the sun. They also come in many cute prints and patterns for you choose from.

10. Oversized Clothing

Last, but not least, we have oversized clothing which includes hoodies, sweatshirts and tees. They are great for loungewear, but you can also use them to create amazing outfits.

Many teenage girls often pair oversized sweatshirts or hoodies with skirts and doc martens or Air Force 1s. They could also be paired with matching baggy joggers to give it a finished look.

Related

Viral social media trends are usually harmless stuff like dancing or cats doing something specific and hilarious, though they can easily get out of hand if left unchecked. There have been quite a few bizarre – and sometimes downright dangerous – trends that went popular on websites like YouTube or TikTok in the past few years. Some of them – like the infamous Salt and Ice Challenge – even caused quite a few real-life injuries, forcing local authorities and social media networks to intervene and restrict them until they died down. 

10. 100 Layers Challenge

While not as dangerous as some of the other trends on this list, the 100 Layers Challenge was still a bizarre and pointless trend that managed to gain viral recognition. As the name suggests, it involved applying 100 layers of any product, usually makeup or clothing, and sharing it online. The challenge was first started by a beauty vlogger back in 2016, when she uploaded a video of applying 116 coats of nail paint to her YouTube channel. 

Despite its relatively-harmless nature, the 100 Layers Challenge became a hugely-popular social media trend, with videos attempting it garnering millions of impressions overnight. It was particularly popular among beauty enthusiasts and social media influencers, as everyone raced to see how far they could take the concept. The experiments included traditional 100-layer products like mascara, lipstick, foundation, and various types of clothes, while others went for the more unconventional options like face masks and hair extensions.

9. Halo Brows

Halo brows were largely an Instagram trend that became popular some time in 2018, spreading to other networks like TikTok and YouTube in a short span of time. Also called reverse unibrows, it involves creating a rounded brow shape that appears to be connected above the bridge of the nose with a variety of makeup techniques, creating a halo-like effect around the forehead. 

According to Cosmopolitan, the idea first showed up in an Instagram post by a 16-year old Britisher called Hannah Lyne, which inspired other people to try out their own halo brow designs and get the trend going. When it reached its peak in 2019, makeup artists and influencers across the Internet were experimenting with it, turning it into one of the most popular social media trends of the time. 

8. Devious Licks

According to Urban Dictionary, a lick is a ‘successful type of theft which results in an acceptable, impressive and rewarding payday for the protagonist’. Some time in September 2021, students in schools across America took to filming themselves stealing or vandalizing school property, and then posting the videos on social media with the hashtag #deviouslicks. While it started on TikTok, the phenomenon soon spread to other platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

It mostly gained popularity due to the shock factor of the videos, which showed students stealing everything from soap dispensers to fire extinguishers from school premises. As it grew, however, #deviouslicks got a lot more extreme, with reports of students stealing things like entire classroom doors and causing thousands of dollars in damage. While it was eventually restricted by social media networks and died down, Devious Licks – also called Diabolical Licks or Dastardly Licks – led to thousands of dollars in damages across the United States. 

7. Fire Challenge

The Fire Challenge was a TikTok trend that first gained popular attention in 2014, when a slew of accidents left many of its participants severely burned and injured. At its most basic, it involved people dousing themselves with various flammable substances and setting themselves on fire in different ways. The challenge quickly gained niche popularity on platforms like Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube, though it really went mainstream when a 15-year-old from Kentucky suffered high degree burns after attempting it, followed by numerous other cases of severe injury and hospitalization. 

The Fire Challenge received backlash from health officials, disaster experts, and parents, as well as widespread media coverage from major news outlets across America. Despite that, it had become a viral sensation by 2015, with thousands of videos and social media posts featuring people attempting the dangerous stunt. Thankfully, the challenge was eventually banned by social media networks like TikTok and Facebook. 

6. Condom Snorting

Snorting condoms as a sport may date back to at least 2007, when a video featuring the act was first uploaded to YouTube. However, the trend gained widespread attention only in 2018, after a video of a teenager doing it went viral on social media. Like it sounds, it involves people inhaling a condom through one nostril and, hopefully, pulling it out from the mouth. Like other incredibly-dangerous, possibly-life-threatening trends that have gone popular in the past, condom snorting quickly spread on social media platforms like Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube, with mostly teenagers attempting the challenge and sharing videos online.

As you’d expect, condom snorting in any way could be really dangerous and lead to serious health problems. The condom might get lodged in the nasal cavity or throat, leading to choking, suffocation, and respiratory problems. In addition, the latex material can cause irritation and allergic reactions, leading to infections and other complications. 

5. Kylie Jenner Lip Challenge

Some time in 2015, people on social media decided that they’d try to recreate Kylie Jenner’s lips as accurately as they could, sparking off a trend we now know as the Kylie Jenner Lip Challenge. Of course, as one can’t just change the kind of lips they have, it involved many resorting to methods like using a shot glass or other homemade suction devices to create a vacuum around their lips, resulting in swollen, plump-looking lips. 

The challenge quickly went viral, as everyone shared their own versions of Kylie Jenner’s lips across Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. While it started out as a relatively-harmless trend, many doctors and other medical experts warned against attempting it, as it can potentially lead to bruising, broken blood vessels, and, in some cases, permanent scarring. In addition, the increased blood flow due to the vacuum could also cause persistent swelling and pain lasting for several days.

4. Salt And Ice Challenge

The Salt and Ice Challenge was another dangerous-yet-popular challenge that went viral, surfacing some time in 2017 on video-based networks like YouTube and TikTok. The idea was simple – put some salt on your skin and press an ice cube on the area. The overall goal was to endure the burning and freezing sensations for as long as possible and sharing the results with other people online, as the entire thing was usually filmed and posted on social media.

It soon became popular among teenagers and young adults online, as the videos quickly spread and went viral. Of course, the trend led to many real-life injuries, as putting salt and ice on your skin can cause the temperature of the skin to drop rapidly, leading to tissue damage and other medical complications like frostbite and third-degree burns. Despite numerous warnings from health professionals, however, the challenge remained popular on the Internet until it was banned by some social media networks. 

3. Pimple Popping

Many dermatologists and other medical experts strongly advise against popping pimples in any way, as it tends to exacerbate a relatively-harmless and common medical problem. Still, pimple popping is a hugely-popular social media trend on websites like YouTube, as videos of the act still garner millions of views. For one example, a channel called Dr. Pimple Popper has gained more than 7.4 million subscribers since it started in 2010 (as well as spawning a reality series of the same name on TLC), making it one of the most popular topics on YouTube. 

Scientifically speaking, we have no idea why the idea is so popular among some people, as videos of popping pimples are inherently disgusting to many others. According to studies, it could be related to the differences in everyone’s inbuilt disgust mechanism, which is why some people can easily watch violent and explicit horror movies while others can’t. 

2. Hot Water Challenge

The Hot Water Challenge was a social media trend that mostly involved people pouring boiling water on themselves or other unsuspecting victims, though there were also a few notable variations, like sipping boiling hot water through a straw. The challenge first featured on news outlets in 2017, when it caused severe burns, hospitalization, and other harmful consequences for many of its participants. In one particularly tragic case, an 8-year-old girl in Florida died after drinking hot water through a straw, finally bringing popular attention to the dangerous trend. 

Like many other trends on this list, the Hot Water challenge became increasingly popular among younger people. Videos across YouTube featured children and younger teens attempting the stunt, resulting in a visit to the hospital for many of them. The phenomenon eventually died down due to the amount of pushback by parents and medical experts, though not before causing second and third-degree burns for many of its victims. 

1. Eyeball Tattoos

The idea of tattoos on eyeballs might make a few people uneasy, though in the tattoo and general body-modification community, it’s not as far-fetched as it might sound. Eyeball tattoos gained traction some time in 2017, when a few enthusiasts online started tattooing their eyeballs in various styles and sharing the techniques online. As one would expect, it involved injecting ink directly into the white of the eye, potentially causing permanent damage to the delicate tissues of the eye and other long-term medical issues.

Despite all that, the trend gained popularity in tattoo and other niche communities on platforms like Instagram and TikTok. Since it became popular, the online phenomenon has been widely criticized by medical experts, who continue to warn of the potential dangers of the procedure. If done incorrectly, eye tattoos can cause severe and permanent damage to the eye, as well as other issues like infections.

They say that beauty is pain, but some fashion trends are so horrifying that they’re actually painful for everyone who sees them. Strange moments in history have created some pretty strange fashions over the years, looks that (hopefully) will never be repeated or ever be seen again now that their time to be trendy has ended. Fashion may be cyclical, but some looks should never be dusted off.

You might have had the experience of stifling a giggle upon seeing what your parents were wearing in old photos, but those old clothes have nothing on the entries in this list. Look back at history’s most depressing fashion trends, and vow here and now never to wear a flour sack—no matter how many people are doing it!

10 Flour Sacking

What’s more depressing than a trend born of the Great Depression? In an era where nothing in America was wasted, flour sacks became the go-to dress material for women everywhere.^[1] The height of the trend came in the late 1930s and early 1940s, when rural fashion rose to its heyday. Country women who could sew neatly and quickly became the fashionistas of their era and dominated the national sewing competitions that sprung up across the US.

Thriftiness was in fashion, and the fashion trend known as flour sacking caught on everywhere. Women who were really adept at flour sack dresses even managed to earn extra money by selling their dresses to others. Companies like the National Cotton Council and the Textile Bag Manufacturers Association sponsored contests where women could show off their flour sack creations, which gave flour sack dresses their own sort of fashion clout.

By the 1940s, savvy sack makers were catering to the trend by producing bags in brighter colors and with more intricate patterns, hoping their products would be favored because of the prettier packaging. Large sacks of feed and flour were particularly desirable, as they provided much material. So when life gives you flour sacks . . . make a dress?

9 The TB look

Fashion has seen many strange trends in history, but one of the most questionable is the popular TB look. It was all the rage during Victorian days to mimic the effects of the disease, which made people look very pale and skinny in its final phases (just before they died).^[2] The look was partially inspired by popular literature of the day, particularly tragic tales like La Dame aux Camelias.

Because tuberculosis was rampant and not just the stuff of literary fancy, the TB look became a viable—and desirable—fashion trend. The look was popular for decades, reaching its height from 1780 to 1850. The thin, pale look brought on by the disease already fit in with beauty ideals among the upper classes. But this is where fashion sense and common sense are directly at odds with each other because for generations, women living in the Victorian era starved themselves and avoided sunlight so that they could look more like they were wasting away from tuberculosis. How attractive.

8 Hobble Skirts

In what now seems impossible, the hobble skirt was so popular that no one knows who really invented it because everyone wanted to take credit for it. It was the 1910s, and women were ready to express their fashion freedom by getting rid of the trends that shackled them in the past.^[3] Gone were the layers of petticoats, the big hoops, and the extra fabric. Instead, women started lashing their ankles together.

As soon as the skirt made its way from Paris to the US, it became the stuff of fashion scandal. Cartoonists drew caricatures of women attempting to walk in the restrictive skirts, and The New York Times wrote a giant article about the impact to the textile industry because so many petticoats would be sacrificed to the new trend. The story called the skirts “an ungraceful and immodest freak of fashion” and asked readers to imagine 10,000 families starving as a result.

But the trend just would not go away. Soon, so many women were wearing hobble skirts that streetcars and trains had to lower their entrance steps so that the ladies could still successfully climb aboard with their steps restricted. The hobble skirt trend may have continued to flourish, in fact, if World War I hadn’t changed everything for fashion the world over. New restrictions on fabric and a scarcity of manpower in Paris upset the fashion industry and put an end to the days of the hobble skirt. Happily, women chose not to go back to their petticoats just the same.

7 Scheele’s Green

If beauty is pain, then Scheele’s green is the most beautiful color ever.^[4] Karl Scheele was a chemist in Sweden when he created the pigment in the 1770s. The pretty green hue he found was cheap to make and easy to use in all sorts of items, from clothing to wallpaper. And that’s really too bad, since Scheele’s green was made with arsenic. Oops.

The gorgeous green was used in ball gowns and curtains, pretty much any home fabric, and was so commonplace that it surrounded none other than Napoleon in his final days. In fact, the arsenic-infused pigment may have contributed to his death. Since Scheele’s green was a hot color in Victorian Britain and elsewhere in Europe, he certainly wasn’t the shade’s only victim.

Scheele’s green was used in fashion for about 100 years, a century of death, before another chemist decided to take a good look at the pigment and discovered its true nature.

6 Bird Masks

Bird masks were part fashion trend, part professional necessity. The bird masks were first worn during the 17th century as a defense against the plague, but they inspired centuries of costume fashion and linger to this day as a popular masquerade choice.

The plague was deadly; it had decimated around one-third of Europe’s total population back in the 14th century, and it had periodically reared its ugly head since. Doctors roamed the streets and went into villages, tending to the afflicted. But to get the job done, they needed these masks.

The beaks on the masks weren’t just fashionable; they were functional.^[5] The masks were stuffed with fragrant flowers and herbs and worn directly over the nose. This kept the doctors from smelling the scents of death and decay as they attempted to haul away the dead bodies. The masks were worn due to the miasma theory, which held that disease was transmitted by poisonous, foul-smelling gas in the air, which was produced by decay.

5 Crinolines

It’s a must-have for every movie set in the latter half of the 1800s, and it featured so much in Gone With the Wind that it should have been given starring credit. It’s the crinoline, one of fashion’s deadliest and dumbest trends of all time. Made to give women’s skirts a big bell shape, crinolines, stiff petticoats that sometimes even had frames, literally killed thousands of people during their time in the fashion spotlight.

At their height in the 1850s and 1860s, crinolines made skirts too big and too puffy. That made them dangerous. In those two decades alone, an estimated 3,000 women in England died due to fires caused by crinolines.^[6] Big skirts and candles don’t mix well; nor do they make it easy for people to quickly escape a suddenly burning building. Some women simply ignited as a result of standing too close to the fireplace, while others died in massive events.

The most infamous crinoline fire occurred in 1863 at the Church of the Company of Jesus in Santiago, Chile. As many as 3,000 people died due to the amount of flammable crinolines in the room. In 1864, it was estimated that almost 40,000 women the world over had died due to crinoline-related fires since 1850.

4 Bullet Bras

An anomaly that the world hopes will stay confined to the late 1940s and 1950s, bullet bras were everywhere for a few years. The sharply pointed bras were worn by all the well-dressed women, and some designs were truly dangerous enough to put out an eye. The bullet bra became the must-have accessory for the classic pinup girls of the era.

More properly known as the Chansonette bra, the bullet bra appeared in Frederick’s of Hollywood and soon became a fashion icon.^[7] Part of the bra’s popularity was due to World War II and the nylon fabric restrictions it created; spiral stitching and different fabrics made bras stiffer and pointier.

The bullet bra faded into obscurity in the late 1950s with the rise of the softer, more gender-neutral fashions of the 1960s, though it did enjoy a resurgence in popularity thanks to Madonna’s 1990 “Blonde Ambition” look.

3 Armadillo Shoes

Though they haven’t been around long enough to really be historic, as they were designed by Alexander McQueen in 2010, armadillo shoes will surely go down as one of the worst of the worst. Everyone hopes these shoes will stay in the annals of fashion history, where they belong, never to be seen on a runway or at an award show again.

The first line of armadillo shoes were carved out of wood, which means they’re probably just as uncomfortable as they appear. The shoes were famously worn by Lady Gaga, who is notorious for bizarre fashion choices, and they sold for around $3,900 to $10,000 per pair.^[8] Only a relative few were ever produced—and only for extremely special clients, such as Gaga herself. Though Gaga made them work, one Vogue fashion blogger admitted they are impossible to walk in. No surprise there.

2 Zibellinos

Also known as tippets and flea furs, zibellinos were significant in fashion and worn only by the very wealthiest. If you were a high-ranking noble or member of a royal family, you wouldn’t go anywhere without his must-have accessory that was truly one of the most awful things ever.

Basically, a zibellino is the pelt of a marten or sable . . . with the head still attached.^[9] It’s worn simply draped over one arm, because that’s exactly where you want to hang your pelt. Sometimes, the heads were encrusted with gold and jewels.

It wasn’t until the end of the 16th century that faux versions were created to replace the actual animal remains.

1 Black Teeth

Today’s fashion is all about having white teeth, and you can’t watch TV or open a magazine without seeing an ad for whitener. But if you lived in Japan in the past, you’d need black teeth to be totally in fashion. Black teeth were a symbol of wealth and sexual prowess, particularly for women in Japanese society, for years.^[10] To get the look, they drank black dye mixed with cinnamon and spices for taste. The practice, called ohaguro, was outlawed in 1870, and the white teeth trend caught on after the Japanese empress showed off her own non-blackened smile in public.

But as it turns out, black teeth were better teeth, health-wise, anyway. The dye mixture used to created the blackened teeth look actually protected them from decay because it had a lacquer-like effect on the enamel. The mixture even warded off certain bacteria to promote better overall health. Maybe this is one trend that will make a comeback?

KC Morgan is a professional freelance writer. She has written thousands of articles, on every topic from history to food hacks. Whether KC is explaining how to complete a DIY project or exploring the world’s mysteries, she’s writing about something every single day.

Fashion is a relevant term. It is based on peoples’ personal preferences. Although there are fashion trends that the world gets crazy about, people will follow only the ones that they personally like. Fashion has been there for centuries. Cleopatra was one of the first fashion icons of the world and her style sense is still talked about. She introduced nail polishes with the pulp of fruits, the big dark lined eyes and the ornate jewelry that she adorned at all times. Fashion is observed everywhere in the world according to the area’s culture, climate and traditions.

Fashion trends come and go and even though we all love following fashion, sometimes it just gets completely weird. There have some fashion trends that you just can’t seem to understand. Fashion designers like to bring out their creativity on the runway and we get that but sometimes they just go way over the top. They forget what would look nice or not and just create about anything possible. There have been fashion shows where models have worn dresses made out of hair, condoms and one designer attached real humans together in weird ways to make a statement. What are you trying to convey?

The Top 10 Bizarre Fashion Trends

Here is a list of the 10 bizarre fashion trends out there. Get ready to cringe.

10. Night suit in the day

One of most bizarre fashion trends, we have recently seen on runways and red carpets is the night suit fashion. Now you might be confused but people are literally wearing night suit for events. Brands have come out with slip dresses which are basically sexy nighties turned into dresses and some wear the good old pajamas and a robe. Um if you’re so sleepy why don’t you stay home?

See also: The 20 most beautiful girls in the world.

9. The hideous case of socks in sandals

For me the worst shoe trend is the crocs. I absolutely hate the shape of them and can’t stand them. But this trend just won the trophy. Socks in sandals is the new shoe trend and it is absolutely horrendous. Girls are wearing sandals and not the flat ones with thick neon colored socks in them. Um how exactly does that look flattering?

8. Colored armpit hair

There are fashion trends that are weird and there are those that are downright gross. This is one of those bizarre fashion trends. The new fashion trend endorsed by celebrities like Miley Cyrus is of dying your armpit hair of different colors. Women have grown their armpit hair and gotten them dyed. Apparently this shows a symbol of feminism but I just see gross hair.

See also: The 10 most beautiful women in the world.

7. Eye tattoos

People have gotten tattoos for centuries with the resources they have had. Tattoos can be simple and meaningful and some just plain weird. However the latest trend is getting your eyes tattooed and this is just bizarre and scary. I’m getting goosebumps just thinking about it.

See also; Top 10 of the world’s most beautiful eyes.

6. Barbie Flu

Remember when we were kids and played with Barbies. Yeah those were the simpler times. However the Barbie fever has gone a little out of hand and turned into what is now called the Barbie flu. In Ukraine women are turning themselves into living Barbies by getting plastic surgeries done.

The men aren’t far behind either and are getting surgeries done to look more like Ken. A city full of human dolls, that’s just terrifying.

5. Ear Gauging

Piercings are commonly done as a fashion statement but in countries such as Africa these piercings are a part of their culture. An African ritual is to stretch out the ear and placing huge rings inside. However it has now seeped into the younger generation as a fashion trend and is just simply weird.

See also: 10 Most Weird Piercings You Won’t Believe Exist

4. Gothic Lolitas

We all know the comic con craze that goes in Japan but the recent trend has just weirded us out. Gothic Lolitas have taken over the fashion trend in Japan where women are dressing up in gothic clothing and makeup with an umbrella as a prop. Yeah we know you’re made in Japan.

See also: 10 thing You Need To Know About The Nose Piercing Du Jour

OMG somebody stop this monstrosity please. The new shoe trend seen on runways are the hoof footwear. These are shoes in the shape of hoofs and they look exactly like them. These look so scary as if people just became centaurs.

2. Meggings

We understand unisex fashion and love it too. But some things are just supposed to be worn by one gender and leggings are one of them. Leggings for men have now taken over the fashion scene and are being called ‘meggings’.

See also: The 10 most handsome men in the world.

1. The Hitler craze

Hitler died many years ago but his fashion sense has stayed. Thailand has been recently seen with a Hitler fashion craze. People are seen wearing shirts with Hitler’s face, accessories, posters and many other things. We’re very worried about the Thai nation.

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Fashion in the world of today is not meant for just Hollywood celebrities and runway models. Media has exposed common people to the world of fashion. Television, newspapers, internet, and all other means of communication have exposed people to the ever-changing fashion trends, getting updated in every season. Women from every walk of emulate the designs by top-notch designers. As we know, fashion changes with every season of every year. We have picked some of the latest and most wearable fashion trends for women.

So, let us take a look at the top 10 fashion trends for women to adopt in 2024.

1. Shirt-dresses

One of the trending styles to pick from the spring/summer collection this year is the shirt-dress. Long shirt, which hit the stands a few years ago, has already become a classic. But, this season, designers have reimagined the shirt-dress with a variety of quirks and cuts.

Drop waists, double high slits, button-downs, asymmetric hemlines, mandarin-collar: be ready to embark upon an adventure, and experiment with any look to match your personality as you play with this fashion trends for women.

See also: The 20 most beautiful girls in the world.

2. Kimono-style Trench Coats

This stylish mix of a modern robe, a traditional kimono and a proper coat has been a surprisingly fashionable and well-accepted trend since the last summer. A fancier, single-coloured version of last year’s waist-length flowery frocks totally worth bringing down from the runways that it is ruling this. They are slouchy, roomy and lightweight.

Though thrown in with these summer trench coats, just for the sake of it, belts, especially a medium-size obi belt, with a knot in the side, can complete the look.

3. Culottes

Culottes are tricky, especially with the length. Falling somewhere between a bootcut and a full-on flare, have evolved from last-season’s raw denim, double-tone or embroidered variants to the almost-trousers with wide legs this pre-fall season, and the length is hemmed just between the upper ankle and lower calf.

Apart from the ankle-grazing length, a higher, more notorious length is also going hot, and it will look best teamed with tall leather boots, considerably taming the style.

See also: The 10 most beautiful women in the world.

4. Long Vests

Long vests, which the designers have been playing around with for some seasons now, are perfect for the pre-fall season, particularly because pre-fall is the season for outerwear that you have been so excited about. An alternative for the 70’s jackets and blazers, long vests have a slimming effect on the body, especially when left unbuttoned.

They can be worn in the late summer September on their own, showing off the bare arms, with sweater when it gets colder, or even used for a layered look.

5. Sporty Look

Add the cool quotient to winter with the athletic trend, an old-school approach to styling that is making a comeback in the moderate temperatures this autumn/winter season. The classic touches like the go-faster stripes, tennis skirt, gym shorts, plimsolls or leather leggings can really jazz up the look in a fresh, splashy kind of way.

The sporty design can provide a nice fit, offering great body shape. Racer backs are in, but polo neck is one of major fashion trends for women for the year 2024.

6. Cape

The trench coat is so last year! This winter, beat the harsh winter cold with the all new fashion trends for women, i.e. the cape. It closely resembles a poncho, and is flexible enough to beat all the other forms of winter dressing.

It can be worn with either sides up or down, and will still go well with any other winter piece, from above-the-knee boots to the pyjama style. These are best when the neutral colours are chosen. The poncho itself offers a layered appearance. Do not miss this winter trend.

7. Gypset

Gypsy-inspired looks meets the glamorous jet set styling, and you have gypset, characterized by bold patterns, orientalism and opulence of bohemianism. It is one of the biggest fashion trend for women this year, and is totally wearable.

It is a fun and enjoyable cruise line, beginning in the ‘70s. Spice up your regular work and evening wardrobe with a dash of colour and exoticism. Layered tunics with Aladdin pants, oriental-inspired accessories and bold floral patterns, will jazz up the look.

8. A-Line Shapes

A-line has been ruling the fashion world for some time now, and it is definitely on the rise, especially for the resort season. It looks best when sported with a touch of the 70s for a bit of a twist.

A playful mix of masculine jackets with modernized floral prints or colourful zigzags, cropped cuts, and high-waisted flared fits or straight-leg trousers worn with trainers, can leave no doubt.

A-line jumpsuits, and dresses, or skirts with embroidery, paired with shirts or knits, are feminine, and so 2024!

9. Trucker Jackets

If you are looking to add something to your wardrobe that you can reach in for, any time of the year, the trucker jacket is a must-have this year. The denim jackets are great when there is an onset of a slight nip in the air, and are just as great when worn under a layer, creating a fashion statement.

Opt for any: just team it with slim jeans or khakis, wear it unbuttoned on a loose tee, or like a shirt. The choice is yours. This jacket is super-versatile, and an absolute essential to complete the wardrobe.

10. Saree: with a twist

The ethnic Indian wear is not just for the Indians anymore. Wear your saree with a modern twist, and drape it like a gown. Show off those curves in the styles that are rocking the ramp, or bring back the old modern style of Mumtaz.

Still not enough? Throw in a blazer, a crop top, a tube, or anything that catches your fancy, in place of the boring old blouse, and add a whole new, quirky dimension to the traditional 9 yards. Add a belt. Make an absolute fusion to own the saree-clad look this year.

Gingham patterns, both large and small, are trending patterns of 2024, and so is the large and flamboyant floral pattern. For the monochrome lovers, there’s head-to-toe white, just waiting to enamour, or the military green that goes with look, from slouchy to skinny. Suede is back from the 70s, while denim is making a comeback, too, especially with the 80’s favourite full-denim look.

Knits and midi-skirts are among the fall trends, and so are the timeless furs and plumes. Throw in an obi belt or fancy aprons for a more runway look at the lounge party. Show off some skin with some mid-riff baring, or play with the imagination with the fringes. Comfy flats are in, and so is bouffant.

So, go out there and mix it up. So what if you can’t wear Vogue, Chanel or Louis Vuitton? Get inspired, anyway, and indulge in a fashionable 2024. Be beautiful. Also see the list of 10 Most Expensive Clothing Brands.

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The ’90s are famous for many things—but these days, they’re most famous for their spawn—the overly-nostalgic X-ennial middle-children that call themselves 90s kids. You might be a ’90s kid if you always start sentences with, “Aw man, ‘member…?” You might be a ’90s kid if you think the best version of everything was the version you had when you were 10. You might also be a 90s kid if you caught the Jeff Foxworthy reference and hate it.

The one thing that is guaranteed to be common to all of us 90s kids is that we all grew up with the absolute weirdest trends. Our toys, tech, food, and furniture were all nuts, at least until we collectively wisened up and moved on to the next nonsensical fad. Here are ten of those bizarre trends of the ’90s, and may we all absorb these harsh truths and do better next childhood.

10 Furbies

I need to get these haunting little monsters out of the way first so I can close some tabs and never see their vacant, inhuman eyes again. Furbies were at best an annoying knickknack designed to periodically shout out Simlish and, at worst, an over-the-counter demon for children. It’s been said before: this was an odd fad. Sure, the trend toward home robotics has always been inevitable, but we all expected our home robots to be humanoid butlers or lovable metal dogs, not cheap Mogwai knockoffs that watch you while you sleep.

Somehow, Furbies reigned supreme for a few years, around 1998 and 1999. During this time, 15-20 million Furbies charmed their way into households across the globe and entertained children by nonconsensually recording them and learning their language. However, a series of revivals in the new millennium failed, and at least for now, any Furbie heat is constrained to the back burner.

9 Big Mouth Billy Bass

Let me just say this out loud. It’s a mounted fish. But it’s fake. And it sings. Exclusively the most annoying song you’ve ever heard. And only when someone walks by. Sigh. Okay. As someone who once actually got for Christmas from my mother a towel marked on one side with ‘butt’ and the other side with ‘face,’ let me say with some certainty: joke gifts are not good gifts.

If you know someone who loves fishing, get them a rod and reel or an actual mounted bass. Don’t get them something that forces them to do the awkward, “Why the heck did they get me this? Now I have to fake being thankful, “Gee thanks, grandma!”‘ present performance. This inexplicably successful fish made more than $100 million dollars in its first few months of sale, and later spawned (heh heh) spinoffs such as a Christmas Billy Bass, a deer head named Buck the Animated Trophy, and a new Alexa-enabled Billy Bass, guaranteed to frustrate a number of hippies when they ask their home assistant to “play Phish.”

8 Wassup

Let’s face it: Budweiser was absolutely on fire when it came to advertising in the 90s. I still think about those three delightfully laconic frogs “Bud”, “Weis,” and “Er,” and even their less-popular frenemy the chameleons. Then in 1999, Anheuser-Busch rolled out the “Whassup?” ad, which took their advertising dominance to new levels. The commercial won a Clio, the Oscars of advertising, and was even inducted into the Clio hall of fame. And everyone saw this commercial.

You know they did because everyone started saying whassup constantly, always making it raspier, longer, and more unintelligible. I was a preteen at the time, and this meant that every person in my school said “whassup” every day—in the hallway, in the cafeteria, at recess. Then I would come home and my dad’s friends would be saying it. It was the type of cultural wildfire that forced news anchors to learn the word ‘memetic’—a decade before they learned the word ‘meme.’

7 Blow up furniture

I’m going to place the blame for this one on “Clarissa Explains It All,” “Blossom,” “Saved by the Bell,” and every other 90s kids show in which the characters inevitably slept in overly elaborate rooms filled to the brim with neon, bowling alley carpets, and thrift-store miracle-finds.

There was a lot of wish-fulfillment in 90s kid’s shows when it came to furniture. Those kids had everything, and everything was perfectly unique. It was all so kitschy. To emulate this, normal kids grew up wanting to put their own spin on interior decorating. Enter blow-up furniture. If you’ve ever sat in a blow-up chair in shorts, you know why this trend was doomed to fail, but for a time it was all the rage.

With a few cheap items, kids could make their rooms big, bright, and loud. They could make their room theirs. Of course, anything blow-up in the hands of a child is destined to pop, but that didn’t mean that fun night on the blow-up couch watching Clueless and chatting with Nate on your clear-plastic wall phone wasn’t worth it.

6 Pokemon

Yes, Pokemon is still around and yes, it’s only getting bigger in a lot of ways. But when writing about the bizarre creations of the 90s, you can’t not include its most famous sci-fi anime dogfighting card game/RPG. Love it or kind of love it (because how can you hate Pokemon?) you have to admit that the premise is just insane.

The Pokemon story goes like this: at age 10, Ash, a child whose father is being cuckolded by a Mr. Mime, leaves home alone. He travels the world, sleeping in bushes and blindly trusting every adult he meets in any old dark forest. His goal: find every animal in the world, force it to fight another animal until it loses consciousness, and then capture it inside a Matrix-like digital prison forever. He will periodically let the animals loose for ‘bonding,’ but this is just so they can recover in time for the next fight. After all, the ultimate plan is to catch ’em all, i.e., force the entirety of the natural world into captivity, and that takes capable combatants.

And yes, maybe the franchise has some good qualities, too. Maybe I cried when Ash gave up Butterfree, maybe I still have my first holographic Haunter, and maybe when my little nephew asks me to tell him about all the old Pokemon, my heart explodes. Maybe. But that doesn’t make this franchise any less bizarre as a multi-billion dollar kids’ show and game.

5 AOL Instant Messenger

Sit back and let xX_bannana_hammock_Xx tell you a story. Before the dawn of social media, communication on the internet was more cloistered. Niche communities used small chat services to talk, often about (at the time) counterculture topics like coding, anime, and comics. There were larger instant messaging clients with broader user bases- the old IRC comes to mind- but it wasn’t until 1997, when AOL launched AIM, that an instant messaging service became a widespread phenomenon. AIM launched right when the internet was beginning to become a part of daily life, and unlike other AOL services, was made available for free to any internet user, not just AOL clients. Suddenly the cloister was open to all. And it often got weird.

Suddenly people discovered things like sarcastic away messages, using song quotes on your page to seem deep, ghosting, the perils of creating a ‘close friends’ list, and even forcefully blocking a person from using their own application. That’s right. With AIM, you could “warn” someone enough to forcefully log them off their own account. I don’t think the AIM programmers understood trolling yet.

4 Pogs

Just to be clear, this is where a lot of our addictive personalities were born. Pogs were collectible cardboard discs, ostensibly the caps to old milk jugs, with cool designs drawn on them. As a craze, this one is weird.

They were literally just cardboard circles, although they had skateboarding bigfoots and whatnot on them, which I guess adds value. There was a game based on Pogs, involving slamming stacks of them with heavier plastic or metal discs, though most Pog enthusiasts seemed to be in it just for the collection. And again: the collection was just cardboard circles. This fad understandably didn’t last, and the company which brought the Pog brand to popularity in the early 90s, Canada Games Company, was out of business by 1997. The lasting effect of the craze was that we were now primed at a young age to value hoarding…

3 Beanie Babies

…and hoard we did. For kids, the 90s were all about moving from one collectible craze to another. If looking at the ratio between money spent and lack of reward, Beanie Babies were the king. And they still are, as eBay continues to play host to hundreds of Beanie Baby collectors seeking to cash in and reap their well-earned fortune, only to be disappointed when no buyer appears. For many, Beanie Babies are a hard lesson that just because someone says something has value, that doesn’t mean it actually does. While that can be true—capitalism does exist, after all—Beanie Babies prove it often isn’t.

In 1995, Beanie Babies became a craze. They were cute, cuddly, and adorably named. Their creator Ty, Inc., started “retiring” certain Babies to create market rarity and drive up collection in reaction to this. It worked extremely well for a time. Both Beanie Baby sales and resales were a huge industry. Then came the inevitable collapse, as people starting asking themselves questions like, “What the hell do I do with 500′ Bandage Bears’, and why did I insure every single one for $10,000?”

2 Bowl cuts

Fashion is subjective. What looks good now may look stupid in 10 years, or even now but to a different audience. Except, that is, for bowl cuts. They have never looked good and never will. As their name implies, Bowl cuts are haircuts in which the hair has the shape of an upside-down bowl. Indeed, many of them were created by cutting around actual bowls. This haircut is so wrong, so evil, so universally reviled that even The Ramones couldn’t make them cool.

The Ramones were able to make a song about beating a bratty child with a baseball bat (oh yeah) and make that cool, but they couldn’t make bowl cuts cool. I know fashion is supposed to cyclical. I’d rather spin back around to wearing the skulls of enemy tribes as a belt before I accept bowl cuts back.

1 Nicktoons

Before you lash the timbers together for the crucifixion, just hear me out. The article title is “bizarre” 90s trends—not bad trends, not good trends, just bizarre ones. And Nickelodeon in the 90s was so strange, the long-forgotten Greek god of bizarreness Catdogius was able to regain his full former power and take Zeus’s throne. Here’s a test. Google search “most normal Nicktoon” and count the results.

Now Search “Nicktoon” alongside “weird,” “strange,” or even “creepy” and count those results. As fun as it was describing the Pokemon plot without context, attempting that with Spongebob would be suicide. “Rocko’s Modern Life,” for one, is so weird that even just the intro sequence plays like one of David Lynch’s transcendental meditation dreams if the director had been experimenting with mescaline and bath salts. Even “Rugrats,” which in theory is just a show about babies, uh… doing baby stuff, feels like a fever dream at times. Don’t believe me? Go watch “Angelica’s Worst Nightmare,” and then we’ll talk.