Depending on how long you’ve been around, 2010 can feel like it was just yesterday — or it can feel like half a lifetime ago (literally). We’ve compiled a few decade-old classics to make that surefire panic set in about just how old you really are.
Remember when the days were simpler and minions hadn’t yet had their time in the limelight, when “Despicable Me” was the newest adventure comedy animation on the block? In 2010, Minionese became an unfortunately recognizable language, and the movie took off to become one of the most popular franchises of the decade. Now, not only do we have the OG film but also two additions to the saga, as well as spinoffs “Minions” and “Minions: The Rise of Gru,” which will be released this year. Factor in an entire themed section in the Universal Studios amusement parks in Florida, Hollywood and Japan, and anyone can see that this series has managed to be inescapable for 10 solid years.
One Direction
What? One Direction formed 10 years ago? Yes, it was all the way back in 2010 when the five cheeky boys auditioned for “The X Factor” and were brought together by pop genius Simon Cowell. Although the group didn’t win the 2010 season, work on its first record Up All Night began at the start of 2011. Since disbanding around 2016, each of the boys has either announced or come out with a solo record to ride what’s left of the wave of teenage support. The mid-2010s were fangirl heaven, but it seems like nowadays boy bands (that aren’t BTS) are a figment of the past.
A lot has changed in Jaden Smith’s life since the release of this film. “The Karate Kid” was one of the first projects Smith worked on without his uber-famous father, and now that he’s all grown up, the actor-turned-rapper is going on tour left and right alongside his equally talented sister, Willow. Considering Smith’s iconic feature on Justin Bieber’s “Never Say Never” in the same year, we can’t help but think this movie was the start of Smith’s musical career just as much as it was for his career in acting. No matter how often he tweets about questionable conspiracy theories, his artistry is good — and we can thank “The Karate Kid” (and his, did we mention, super-famous parents) for putting Jaden Smith on the map.
There Is No Nutrients In Our Food Anymore Or In Our Soil OR IN OUR WATER.
— Jaden (@jaden) October 10, 2013
Remember when people actually used these? Crazy, right? If you’re not an econ major or in some STEM field in which people typically draw out their notes, then you probably haven’t seen one of these babies used for anything, other than Netflix, in a while. In 2010, back when Steve Jobs was still alive, the iPad made its world debut as one of the most innovative technologies of its time. The iPad changed the way many artists approached digital art, the way avid readers spent time flipping through the latest literature and the way babysitters cleverly tricked their kiddos into shutting up: FarmVille, Angry Birds and Fruit Ninja galore. We love 2010.
The early 2010s were the heyday of our lord and savior Michael Cera. “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World” defined a generation of kids growing up on Tumblr, anime, fanfiction and the e-girl aesthetic — before it was cool. People were crushing hard on Ramona Flowers and suddenly everyone wanted a goth girlfriend, even though Ramona’s quite literally not goth in most ways. One of the first full-length movies that Edgar Wright ever directed, “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World” set our expectations for films high and for ex-boyfriends even higher.
Who would’ve known that Kesha would invent the year 2020? Today, TikTok means something wildly different than brushing your teeth with a bottle of Jack, but that doesn’t lessen the cultural impact Ke$ha’s presence would have on the pop atmosphere of the 2010s. Over the course of a decade, Kesha lost the dollar sign in her name and gained a whole lot of support after her rocky relationship with her ex-producer, Dr. Luke. After the powerful release of “Praying” in 2017, occurring around the same time as the infamous Harvey Weinstein allegations, it seemed as though all of her lighthearted pop hits of the last decade were clouded by a shroud of hurt. “TiK ToK” may have been one of the most iconic songs of 2010, but let’s not forget the lyrics of Kesha’s “Dinosaur,” which came out during the same year.
The “Pretty Little Liars” television series was easily one of the hottest teen dramas of the decade, and it got its start right in 2010. With a solid seven-season run, the lies were never less than spicy and the melodrama nowhere near little — but you can be sure that every person in that show was definitely pretty. The program was based on a popular book series of the same name, and you can bet that this show single-handedly increased the number of teen girls hitting the library — slide-keyboard phones almost definitely in hand. Thanks to 2010, “Secret” by The Pierces is basically burned into our heads for the rest of time.
And if this list didn’t make you feel old enough, just remember that there are now young children who don’t know who One Direction is, will probably never buy a DVD or CD and know how to use an iPhone better than a Nintendo DS. Cheers to the new decade.
