By Natalia Siewezynski ’28
It’s getting closer to the New Year’s celebration in Times Square, so it’s time to look at each sparkling piece of the ball before it drops. Each little mirror that helps the ball glow augments a part of our year. 2024 specifically had a diverse and abundant number of micro-trends, ranging from cucumber salads to bows.
Fashion has always been such a big part of our culture, but this year the trends truly took over our worlds. As mentioned, one of the biggest debuts or should I say guest stars in the 2024 fashion list was bows. The simple fabric knot quickly made a name for itself by infamously shining a spotlight on the word “Coquette”.
The Coquette style quickly changed from just a clothing choice to a lifestyle. The style originates from the Victorian era and the 1950s. It then regained its prominence in the mid-2010s on Tumblr and this year was re-invented through the Gen-Z lens to a more playful, bubblegum version of style.
Another big fashion comeback was the leopard print. In the early 2000s, cheetah print was all the rage, and this year it has been redesigned by the Gen-Z culture. This pattern acted a big inspiration for Halloween costumes in 2024. Leopard print was also seen on pajamas, t-shirts and another big fashion debut, the Adidas Samba.
The Adidas brand truly gained lots of attention from the younger culture this year after their invention of the Samba. The shoe included different colors and patterns, which intrigued younger people and brought in a fresh audience.
The younger generation continued to gain inspiration from past times with the nail industry. Red or maroon nails truly earned its spot back on top in 2024. Although it has always been a staple, the classic red nail never really grabbed the attention of younger audiences, until this year. TikTok created a new branding for the nail color. Instead of it being seen as your mother’s go-to nail color during Christmas time, it revised itself to be “clean” and feminine.
Makeup trends were also very popular. Being “Clean” was one of the biggest makeup trends of the year. The Clean Girl style is a minimalist approach towards makeup. It focuses on enhancing natural beauty with dewy skin, minimal matte coverup, fluffy brows and flushed cheeks. It also brought the slick back hair style into play.
The hairstyle focuses on maintaining attention towards the outfit and creating a snatched enhancement onto the face. It pulls back the hair into a ponytail with a middle part, then is finished off with a wax stick, gel or hair cream to reduce fly aways and frizz.
The style of the Clean Girl acquired lots of neutrals and pastels in the style aspect. It also emphasized on the importance of using the “Sandwich Method”. This was the idea that outfits were more pleasing to the eye when different color elements of the outfit matched.
For example, while wearing a blue jacket it might be best to tie it with blue pants and a “sandwiching” purple shirt in the middle to contrast the other clothes.
Food trends are always crazy, but this year it was not focused on odd food combinations and more of a large variety of tasty snacks. The infamous cucumber salad, created by TikToker Logan Moffitt, became a really popular and healthy snack to enjoy. The vegetable salad has Asian flavors using sesame and fish oil. TikTok also spread some sweet snacks around.
Candies from around the world including the “Dubai Chocolate” and “Swedish Candy” really popularized on social media. The oddity of the unmatched presentation intrigued views to try it for themselves. Popular influencers quickly jumped on the reviews to give their opinion on these sweet treats, which quickly inspired their viewers to try it, rapidly increasing the demand of these goodies.
Needing something to wash down all this grub, social media also introduced an alternative to soda. The Olipop and Poppi drinks blew up this year. They used colorful packaging and authentic flavors to influence younger viewers to try soda alternatives, showing them that healthy can taste good too. These healthy soda brands also began to replicate other sodas with flavors like “Dr. Pop” to resemble Dr. Pepper and “Lemon Lime” to imitate Sprite.
Another refreshment that seemed to energize Gen-Z this year was Alani. Alani is an energy brand that has products in drinks, gummies, powders and more. They strategically collaborareded with popular sororities to reach a target audience of young girls in college. They often gifted popular items to people they were collaborating with for them to post on social media like pickleball rackets.
With all these new refreshments, pop culture decided it was time for a new water bottle. Last year, the Stanley brand took over, but this year the tables have turned, and the spotlight has shifted. Owala stepped into the public eye after being seen as a more affordable alternative to Stanley water bottles. Seasonal drops, exclusive designs and spill-proof models fascinated people with the new bottle. After Owala became accessible at Target, their popularity quickly grew and took over, claiming the next best accessory.
iPhone games truly began to decrease in fame after newer devices like iPads and laptops promoted bigger screens for the visual aspect. This year they truly had a comeback. Ursuline students can not get enough of Block Blast. The game focuses on organizing certain block to get a combo or clear the board.
It quickly became a guilty pleasure for students all around campus. “There’s something addictive about getting that new high score or clearing the board,” says an Ursuline Student.
THE BEAR FACTS 