It has been a decade since 2016. Why are celebrities, influencers, and actors reminiscing about that year? While it may be a moment from ten years ago, a TikTok trend started the discussion on understanding whether the New Year 2026 was really just 2016, all over again. From fashion trends and aesthetics to food choices and movies, it has sent social media down a nostalgia spiral, and the fans are here for it.
Bollywood actors like Alia Bhatt, Ananya Panday, and Kareena Kapoor Khan to beauty mogul Kylie Jenner, everyone has posted a gallery of pictures for the world to see. All from the same timeline, with a hue of a ‘Retrica’ or ‘Huji’ filter, heavy makeup, magazine covers, and the seemingly ‘rare’ Tumblr aesthetic, the pictures had it all.
What started the ‘2026 is 2016’ trend?
The trend started on TikTok on January 1, as a means to evoke nostalgia and look back at the decade gone by. Calling it ‘simpler times’, it also reminded the Internet of the pre-COVID era, when even the possibility of a pandemic was unknown to the larger public.
However, it all started from Taybra Fang’s TikTok video with a video montage of her photos looking back at the decade, which seemed like 2016 relics. It was a Snapchat filter flower crown, call screenshots, Panda sneakers, bottle flip challenge, and more. Millennial influencers called it the best time to be in university, while Gen-Z today are reminded of their middle school days. The trend hit a peak with over 1.7 million videos and 200 million uses of the ‘2016 filter’ called ‘Rio’ on Instagram.
Celebrities who joined the trend
Gangubai actor Alia Bhatt shared a collage of several pictures from 2016. Captioning the post ‘2016 ki kahaani’, she shared some BTS moments from her film ‘Dear Zindagi’ and ‘Kapoor and Sons’. Ruled by the boho chic and maximalist blonde hair, beauty mogul Kylie Jenner shared pictures right out of a 2016 teenager’s Pinterest board. Dutch braids, a Kylie lip kit, mirror selfies, and full-coverage makeup, she did it all.
The Tu Meri Main Tera star Ananya Panday did not miss the mark with brand mirror selfies and Snapchat dog filters. It was ripped jeans, stripes, strappy sandals, and off-shoulder tops, as she shared a glimpse into rare and unseen photos from her younger years.
Even Huma Qureshi shared a heartfelt photograph with late Sushant Singh Rajput as she looked back at the decade. Cold-shoulder tops and shooting Jolly LLB 2 with Akshay Kumar were some of the highlights of her photo dump. In fact, Emily in Paris star Lilly Collins seemed justifiably confused as she captioned her ‘2016 post’, “I’m not sure why we decided 2016 is back…” She reminisced about her book, and fashion photo shoots, with a wardrobe dominated by denim, leather pants, and minimal minimalism. Even boAt CEO and former Shark Tank India judge Aman Gupta took to Instagram to share heartfelt moments with his wife from 2016.
Is 2016 really back?
Reviving the ‘2016’ aesthetic is a larger attempt by social media to actually step away from the curated Instagram aesthetic. From deciding the time to post to planning memories for the camera, this trend is a lookback on how social media used to be, where it was not largely controlled by ‘paid partnerships’.
However, when we look at trends, there are several fashion trends which have made a comeback. From oversized streetwear to thigh-high boots, the fashion cycle is on a comeback mission. In fact, the cow print, as quoted in a Harper’s Bazaar report, has officially become a dominant print in fashion, as the leopard, cheetah, or tiger slowly loses popularity.
Even lifestyle choices like diet culture are on a ragingly high trend. A society which is obsessively after a certain body type has also given rise to weight loss drugs like Ozempic. From acai bowls to protein supplements, 2026 has expressed itself in several ways in just seventeen days to 2026.
