Y2K aesthetics and culture have made a comeback with Generation Z. Here’s how to incorporate a fresh take on retro-cool into your marketing.
“Y2K” means something different today than it did in the year 2000. What now reflects an era of bright colors, psychedelic patterns, and chrome everything, originated from a simple computer programming phrase for “year 2000.”
Although Y2K is the aesthetic of choice for many members of Generation Z, back in 1999, it inspired mass anxiety. (I, for one, remember attending a New Years Eve party as an elementary school-aged child, and being on the verge of tears, fearing the world was going to end.)
Once the new year arrived, and nothing catastrophic happened, people looked toward the new millennium with a sense of optimism.
The confidence of the early aughts is seen in today’s evolution of its design aesthetic. Often referred to as simply “Y2K” by members of Generation Z, this aesthetic embodies a look ahead at a bright future, fueled by technological advancements and gender equality.
It’s no wonder that members of Generation Z, young people born between 1995 and 2012, are soaking up everything Y2K-inspired. It speaks to their optimistic spirits and it embodies their values.
Here’s a look at how to incorporate this fresh take on the Y2K aesthetic within your marketing.
Feature Futurism
At the end of the 20th century, one movie inspired the world to look toward the future. The Matrix, which is perhaps the most influential film ever made, inspired excitement for the next millennium.
Beyond The Matrix’s groundbreaking storytelling and action sequences, the movie fueled cyberpunk subcultures and sci-fi rip-offs. Pop stars and musicians jumped on these trends, producing videos that heavily featured futuristic fashion.
This coupled with the release of the first “cool” home computer, Apple’s 1998 iMac in Bondi Blue, the Y2K era was set to ring in a new millennium full of futuristic charisma.
In 1999, the future was worth getting excited about. Images via Warner Bros/Village Roadshow Pictures/Kobal/Shutterstock, James Sheppard/Future/Shutterstock, local_doctor, Joerg Sarbach/AP/Shutterstock, zffoto, Adam Nadel/AP/Shutterstock, Philipp Tur, Everett Collection, and DMI/The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock.
Today, we see this futurism appealing to Generation Z. Young folks connect with designs full of amped-up nostalgia for a futuristic fantasy that’s never actually existed.
Still, we live in a world where much of our lives are online. Digital games and the metaverse allow people to explore alternate realities full of sci-fi-inspired aesthetics.
Photography and graphics that include sleek and metallic designs, cute avatars, and fantastical settings will appeal to younger generations’ yearning to take the next step into a brighter digital future.
Modern takes on Y2K futurism include sleek designs and chrome colors, while calling on more recent fashion and design aesthetics. Images via Rawpixel.com, Oleg Gekman, Megan Adr, ShotPrime Studio, local_doctor, and local_doctor.
Include Bold, Bright, and Nonbinary Colors
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, girl power feminism entered the mainstream with the Spice Girls. While social movements for gender equality had been happening for much longer, and in much more nuanced ways, popular culture of the early aughts embraced femininity with bright and bubblegum-inspired aesthetics.
Television shows like Sailor Moon and The Powerpuff Girls continued on this theme, showing young audiences that girls aren’t just cool, they can kick butt.
The girl power movement of the early aughts showed a generation that embracing femininity is totally acceptable. Images via Alan Davidson/Shutterstock, Ksenia Loginovskikh, Erik Pendzich/Shutterstock, Dic Enterprises/Kobal/Shutterstock, Cat Naya, Moviestore/Shutterstock, TheVector, Spellman/Shutterstock, and Shutterstock.
In 2022, the fight for gender equality continues. Beyond demanding equity across race and class, today’s feminism is intersectional. In fact, 50% of Generation Z believes that traditional gender roles and binary gender labels are outdated. Another 56% of Millennials believe the same.
Today’s reinvigorated Y2K aesthetic embraces that gender is a spectrum. Embracing the brightly-colored palettes of the early 2000s takes a step beyond the seemingly simple girl-power feminism of the past.
Generation Z is an activist generation that respects gender fluidity. Marketers need to include all genders, without limiting them to stereotypical gendered roles, in order to remain relevant with younger generations.
Color palettes need to appeal to ALL genders, not just a gender binary. Images via bansenn, Eugenia Porechenskaya, NeonShot, lena_nikolaeva, Antlii, CarlosDavid, LIOX, DCStockPhotography, and Martyshova Maria.
Images via Viktory Viktor, Colors United, Masson, and Nataliia Chubakova.
Tech is Just an Extension of You
While Generation Alpha is frequently criticized as “The iPad Generation,” Gen Z is the first generation to be truly, fully digital. Technology isn’t just an accessory or toy to play with though. Technology is a part of life. It’s a reflection of oneself.
Younger generations are reflected everywhere within the digital world—mega popular Twitch channels, computer setups, and ultra-curated yet deceptively casual Instagram feeds.
Just as Motorola Sidekicks and Nintendo Gameboys were must-have items of the Y2K era, marketers need to showcase how online life is equally important to younger audiences. Brands should embrace that virtual hangouts and digital creativity are parts of our social lives now.
Include these experiences within marketing photography, but also try connecting with people on platforms like Discord, Twitch, and TikTok, where Gen Z audiences are concentrated.
Devices are temporary, but online culture is eternal. Images via AlessandroBiascioli, raigvi, Bonki Studio, Tatiana Buzmakova, KatePilko, and AlessandroBiascioli.
Embrace Maximalism and McBling
What would the early 2000’s be without McBling? While this aesthetic is often interchangeably used with “Y2K fashion,” McBling is a style of its own. It’s flashy, glittery, and all about high-end labels.
It got its start within Black New York fashion circles, when designer Dapper Dan sold streetwear printed with haute couture labels such as Gucci, Louis Vuitton, and Fendi.
Artists like LL Cool J and Jay-Z started wearing Dapper Dan’s work, which exuded wealth and status—the trend caught on like wildfire.
McBling survived and thrived in its maximalism until the 2008 recession made consumers opt for more minimalist aesthetics.
The name”McBling” really says it all. Images via andersphoto, Mary Altaffer/AP/Shutterstock, Dennis Shore/Shutterstock, Marion Curtis/Starpix/Shutterstock, and Richard Young/Shutterstock.
Just as minimalism of the 2010’s was a reaction to McBling, a new spin on maximalism is a reaction to said minimalism. Younger generations are splashing out on colorful, garish, glitzy, and sometimes gaudy aesthetics.
After spending two years living more modestly throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, people are ready to party.
Embrace a maximalist aesthetic that calls back to the early aughts by incorporating bold patterns, bright colors, and (of course) rhinestones, and bring that party to life.
Today’s adaptations of Y2K and McBling aesthetics bring glam to the forefront. Images via Shutterstock, Norb_KM, Dragon Images, Dasha Petrenko, Mauricio Acosta Rojas, WAYHOME studio, insta_photos, Starslav, insta_photos, Jacob Lund, and Alina Boldina.
Cover image via Rawpixel.com, Mimi E, local_doctor, and MJfotografie.cz.
