Another year has passed, which means another set of trends have cycled through society. Fashion, media, and music are all key industries that create cultural influence on consumers. As with most trends, those created in 2024 seemed to come and go in spurts. Some were positively impactful, some were not, and some were just another silly addition to 21st century pop culture. Still, each one was incredibly influential in their own way. As a reflection, I’ve compiled a short list of the trends that stood out to me and the rest of the world in 2024.
The rise of AI
In 2024, the world really thought: why should we have to think anymore? Thinking is overrated, apparently. Generative AI, also known as artificial intelligence, made its bold entrance into educational systems and workplaces, and became more sought-after than ever. Before anyone knew it, using our brains was out and using a technological one was in. Needed an answer? Chat with a disembodied, built-in force in your device that will help you with anything. No need to be creative, problem solve, or produce authentic work; AI will do it all for you. Humans claim it to be beneficial, but AI prevents us from boosting our basic human skills. Learning and mental growth are going extinct, along with human interaction, and speaking from a bird’s eye point of view. It’s a trend and practice we might regret continuing.
The era of Eras
You guessed it: singer-songwriter Taylor Swift was a trend herself. But by creating music we could all bond over and enjoy together, the Swifties emerged. If you weren’t piling friendship bracelets up your arms, going to see The Eras Tour in three different cities, and dressing up in a DIY costume with excessive amounts of sparkles, you were not in on one of the biggest and brightest trends of 2024. Simply conversing about Swift was a natural practice. Not only that, but her Eras tour integrated the word “era” more into our regular vocabulary than ever before, and propelled a whole new meaning behind it. With Swift and her impact on music lovers alike, it’s doubtful the trends born from her tour will be forgotten as we enter 2025.
The year of sporty fashion
Some might say this one was a hot take on Sporty Spice, and others might say it was welcoming back the ritzy, country club aesthetic. The style of “tenniscore” took over fashionistas around the world last year. Could it have been that they wanted to take up playing tennis as a healthy hobby? Maybe. Mostly, it was influenced by the sporty romantic film Challengers (2024) After its release, pleated skirts, polo dresses, and white sneakers consumed the streets, and not just the tennis courts. At the same time, many exchanged their inner tennis player for the shoe of 2024: ballet flats. No matter if it was for easy on-and-off access or a secret desire to be a ballet dancer, society’s exploration of ballet fashion couldn’t get more extreme. But no fashion trend lasts forever. Going into the new year, it’s likely that tenniscore and balletcore were only taken by storm temporarily. Just like 2023’s pickleball craze, the fashion and the sport will be pushed out for another influence to be welcomed in.
The Nedoroscik meme
Anyone who watched the 2024 Paris Olympics would not have missed Stephen Nedoroscik, known as the “pommel horse guy,” who competed for the United States’ gymnastics team. His picture on the sidelines with his glasses on and eyes closed, waiting for his turn to perform the make-or-break routine for his team, went viral. His relaxed demeanor before a moment of intense pressure caught the world’s attention, and people started calling him “the Clark Kent of pommel horse.” He became a worldwide meme when he took off his glasses and effortlessly performed a stellar routine that casually won his team a medal after 16 years without. Needless to say, Nedoroscik unlocked an Olympic heroism that inspired many, curating courage and strength within them. For that, it wouldn’t hurt to keep it going in the new year.
Country cross-overs
2024 brought audiences a new version of country through many pop artists. Whether it was true country music or not, artists like Beyoncé and Post Malone topped the charts and quickly established the music business’ entrance into the country aesthetic. With Beyoncé’s “Cowboy Carter” album and song “Texas Hold ‘Em” making a statement, and Lana Del Ray’s wilderness-infused sound through a new country album, country rapidly became the new trend, and it’s likely that it’s just getting started. Listeners will continue to be influenced by it and encouraged to embrace their inner cowboy or cowgirl well into the near future, and I see no harm in it.
Veronica is a Staff Writer at The Cascade. She loves to travel and explore new places, no matter how big or small. She is in her second year at UFV, pursuing the study of Creative
Writing.
