So many trends come and go within a year, you may not even notice they have been left in the past! This is Groves High School’s 2023 year in review, our “2023 Wrapped”. In the past year, we have gone through many different crazes. Some only lasted a few weeks, some lasted all year, and some Groves students predict will continue into 2024!
The 2023 year started strong with Taylor Swift everything. She was one of the most popular stars of 2023. Even though it feels as if she has been booming for years, her Eras Tour only began in March of last year. The concert sold 11.5 million tickets! It was made into a movie called “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” so that those who couldn’t get tickets to see it in person could still enjoy it, and those who did see it could relive it forever.
One such person who viewed the Eras Tour Movie was Groves student Lana O’Rourke.
“One of my favorite movie trends of 2023 was the Eras Tour movie, because it was really fun to see all those people together just for Taylor Swift.,” O’Rourke said. One way many fans connected was through Taylor Swift themed outfits and friendship bracelets, uniting them for the movie and concerts.
This past summer brought the height of the 2023 movie production with the two hottest films of the year: “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer”. Releasing on the same date, seeing both in one sitting- nicknamed Barbenheimer- was a hot trend this year.
“Barbie” not only became the highest grossing female-directed movie of the year, but also world-wide and the highest grossing movie in Warner Bros. history. This notoriety resulted from its innovative take on the childrens’ doll, drawing people to the theaters. “Oppenheimer” similarly became a gripping sensation, telling a historical story of the creation of the atomic bomb and the man who invented it.
Two of the top iconic movies and TV shows that came out in 2023 were “The Last of Us” in January with Pedro Pascal, and the “Five Nights at Freddy’s” movie, a readaptation of the “classic” video game.
Speaking of video games, who else thought “Fortnite” was a thing of the past? The return of the original map and the addition of “Lego Fortnite” created nostalgia and a resurgence of love for the game.
“OG ‘Fortnite’ came back. I played on the original map with one of my close friends,” Logan Albritton said. He is an avid lover of video games and enjoyed being able to talk to friends while playing, encouraging his excitement around the franchise.
Entertainment was not the only thing that Groves students were talking about; clothing and beauty trends stole their attention, too!
Some of the biggest fashion crazes to fill our halls included UGG slippers— which we don’t predict will be leaving anytime soon— Stanley water bottles and cargo pants. Sophomore Baity Wagner had her own opinions on clothing trends.
“Clothing trends come back into fashion like 90’s and 2000’s trends such as flare or low-rise jeans,” Wagner said. We have seen how fashion cycles throughout the past, especially this year with the resurgence of Y2K clothing that many students claimed were a hit or miss, such as the commonly unloved low-rise jeans.
Beauty and skincare was also a large focus this past year, with the introduction of the “clean girl aesthetic” prioritizing simplicity, cleanliness and natural beauty.
“Clean girl aesthetic will be staying for another year in 2024. It is all about taking care of yourself and self-care,” Wagner said.
With this trend, people focused on bettering or reinventing themselves which easily goes along with many 2024 New Year’s resolutions we are seeing as we look back on 2023.
“All that stuff’s gonna stay because I think as we enter the new year people want to reinvent themselves so I think [fashion and aesthetic trends] are gonna stick around, just getting in another era of yourself.,” O’Rourke said. All of this aligns with the ideas of bettering yourself. From the people we interviewed, we can say that 2024 will carry this trend on and many others; connecting people with trends they know and love and joining smiles in person and on screens as popular trends rise.
From new music, movies and TV shows, to aesthetics and beauty brands, 2023 has been a very memorable year for trends. 2023 will be hard to beat, but as the new year starts strong, you will be sure to see waves of appreciation for crazes that will bring joy to many, and the Groves Scriptor is excited to see where it takes us next.
