‘Oldies but goodies’. The saying has always held true, but maybe never more so than these past few years. Nowadays, the young generation has been making fads and trends of old—or to use more hip terms, retro—things, be it music, movies, clothing, or anything in between.
There are many possible reasons as to why today’s generation seems to be all about revivals and regenerations of things their parents used to love. Maybe it’s the feeling of nostalgia, or maybe the younger generation is just painting an idyllic picture of trends they never experienced. Or maybe it’s as simple as the desire of today’s youth to close the generation gap between them and their parents and elder siblings.
Both the celebrities and the media seem to be jumping in on this throwback craze. Here’s a look at a few of these evident new-old styles that are once again trending.
Disney reboots
Reboots from the Disney classics have been all the rage in recent memory, with our favorite classics going live-action—look no farther than Cinderella, Maleficent, and Alice in Wonderland, or upcoming releases, The Legend of Tarzan and The Jungle Book. When we were once terrified of Maleficent’s sorcery, or frustrated by the Mad Hatter’s insufferable antics, we now find ourselves enthralled and nostalgic over them. While we are all familiar with the stories and their happy endings, the novelty of seeing Disney classics portrayed by real people, along with the addition of new twists to the story, constantly pulls us back into the whimsical lands of our childhood.
Haircuts
One of the most notable comebacks seen today is the undercut, a haircut that looks all too familiar with millennials. Every other boy you pass by on campus will be sporting the long hair on the top of their head, while the sides and back remain buzzed. What few people know is that the origins of the haircut can actually be traced back to the Edwardian era until the 1940s. What started as a haircut associated with those who could not afford skilled barber service is now being revived as a sleek look for the modern man. As for the women, the victory rolls of the 50s and the bob of the 60s (with its prominent cropped bangs) remain in fashion. Try sporting an afro, though, and that’s a different story.
Card games and board games
Before the age of technology and the emergence of video games, children and adults alike entertained themselves with board games and card games. Classic board games like Monopoly are recreated with different editions, not to mention the popular card-game-slash-friendship-breaker known as Monopoly Deal. On the other hand, the standard 52-card deck will always be a staple, but other card games are also emerging as go-to party games and activities. Cards Against Humanity has gotten a reputation as an amazingly simple yet fun drinking game, while other games like Coup and Avalon rely on complex strategy and engaging gameplay. As a result of this resurgence, board game cafes are now sprouting around the metro offering both rare and classic games for patrons to enjoy.
Classic film remakes
Cecil B. DeMille produced and directed The Ten Commandments, released in 1956, dramatizing the life of the prophet Moses on film and making a mark on the epic genre and the film industry as a whole. Fast forward to 2014, and Ridley Scott has given the age-old story a more human and more modern feel with Exodus: Gods and Kings. This is one out of countless examples of classic films being remade and rebooted over the past few years, with modern technology enhancing effects and new actors and directors taking the helm. Otherwise, classic films are getting prequels to establish their legacy with the new generation—look at Rupert Wyatt’s Rise of the Planet of the Apes, released in 2011. Whether or not these cinematic offerings are worthy sequels or prequels varies from movie to movie, but one thing’s for sure—these films had our parents reminiscing, and us digging up the classics.
Superhero films
In the 80s, film producers and directors started breathing life into the larger-than-life comic book superheroes our parents used to read about, often with colorful spandex and campy one-liners. This past decade, superhero movies seem to have gotten more popular than ever before. Marvel’s The Avengers, released in 2012, broke box office records and is the most commercially successful superhero film of all time. Since then, superhero films have been getting released in rapid succession, putting A-list celebrities into epic costumes as the rivalry between DC and Marvel rages on. Extensive knowledge of comic books would have immediately pegged you as an anti-social geek back in the old days, but now, you’d be hard pressed to find someone who doesn’t watch superhero flicks. There has never been a better time to be a geek.
90s fashion
According to the great Coco Chanel, “Fashion changes, but style endures.” Indeed, each decade had its own signature statements, from the mod of the 60s, to the bell-bottoms of the 70s, to the bright colors of the 80s, to the grunge of the 90s. Nowadays, fashion trends seem to take a cue from the past decades, most notably the latter. Choker necklaces, Doc Martens, flannel shirts, fringe accents, and denim jackets are becoming more and more common, especially among the youth.
TV show remakes, reboots, and reruns
There are some stories that are so good that it would be a waste not to re-tell them. Whether it’s a comedy or drama, we all feel a strong sense of nostalgia whenever we get a chance to watch some of the defunct series that became a part of our childhood. Well-loved shows from our youth like Powerpuff Girls, Legends of the Hidden Temple, and Full House are being rebooted; Legends of the Hidden Temple will be turned into a TV movie while Full House is creatively being rebooted as Fuller House. Last year, capitalizing on the nostalgia, Nickelodeon and Viacom created a channel called The Splat, which airs reruns of classic Nick shows from the 90s. In the local scene, teleserye classics are being remade, such as the recently concluded Pangako Sa ‘Yo and the much awaited Encantadia 2016.
Some things really stand the test of time. Not every trend is the resurgence of an old one, but the classics will always have their place in pop culture. While others will argue that the revival of trends is a result of running out of ideas, there’s still nothing like the feeling of nostalgia and rediscovering the beauty of the past—after all, as the old saying goes, “Old school is the only school.”
