2016 called—and celebrities actually picked up

If you’ve been on the internet recently, you’ve surely been greeted by diagonally shot mirror selfies with a quirky pose in frame. What feels like time-travel is just global ubiquity for 2016-esque photography.

We’ve seen the nostalgia for Y2K pick up over the last decade, but the full-blown recall of 2016 might be nodding to a different realm of trend fatigue altogether. In an era defined by relentless trend cycles and algorithmic pressure, nostalgia functions as a counterpoint: a softer emotional register in an otherwise overstimulated present. And even celebrities agree.

The Throwback Posts That Say Everything

When a year as chaotic as 2025 passed by, with users globally echoing the same sentiment, something is refreshing about the way 2026 is unfolding so far, with less self-seriousness and hope for a fun year ahead. Across social media, creators and celebrities alike are loosening their grip on perfection.

Charlie Puth leaned fully into the bit, posting a 2016-era throwback where he’s holding a thick stack of dollar bills to his ear like a phone—peak mid-2010s internet humour. The caption doubled down on the nostalgia, reading: “2016 Charlie here to remind you that ‘beat yourself up’ is out tonight and my world tour goes on sale at 10 am local time :).” The post felt like a wink to a time when pop stars marketed new music with selfies instead of immaculate rollout grids.

Selena Gomez also made an iconic throwback post on Rare Beauty’s feed, and it looked like it could have been pulled straight from 2016 Tumblr. The image shows Gomez with long, flowing hair, cool-girl sunglasses, and a bold red lip (which is so 2016). The caption read: “We heard 2026 is the new 2016.” 

Dua Lipa, too, tapped into the 2016 revival with a carousel that felt ripped straight from her early pop-star era. The first image shows her in oversized white-framed sunglasses, an animal-print coat, and fishnet stockings—a look that instantly recalls the maximalist, unapologetic styling of the mid-2010s. Captioned, “wow these 2016 memories are making me wanna unarchive everything,” the post is full of character and mid-2010s finesse. Also, yes, Dua, please un-archive it all.

 

Closer home, Ananya Panday also joined the throwback wave with a carousel dedicated to her 2016 era. The first image is a grainy one, of her posing with the once-ubiquitous flower wreath filter, followed by more photos from the same year that feel refreshingly unpolished as compared to her grid these days. She kept the caption simple and telling: “2016 was really it, man.” We agree.

Even Gen Z creators like Muskan Rawat resurfaced similar relics from their early internet years. The message is clear: in 2026, the internet isn’t chasing perfection so much as it’s reclaiming personality.

It raises a bigger question: when did we start taking ourselves so seriously? 

In essence, this trend isn’t even entirely about 2016. It’s about wanting ease and maybe just stopping to smell the roses again.

The Return to Physical Media 

Corroborating the need for simplicity and nostalgia, across culture, there’s another subtle but telling shift underway: a move away from frictionless digital life toward something more tactile and analogue. 

2025 was the year ChatGPT cemented itself, and Nano Banana trampled the already blurred lines between what is AI-generated and what is not. The masses have burnt out and realised AI dominance truly is impending. “We’ve entered a black mirror episode”, is a sentiment many users echo online. 

This shift to go analogue would make more sense now, and explain why Canon G7x’s are on everyone’s vision board, and disposable cameras have cemented their status at parties, blurry photographs have re-surfaced curated feeds, and moments are documented less for proof than for memory. Going analogue is the mantra for the year ahead. It is balancing the scales between rejection of technology and a refusal to be constantly legible. 

It’s a sensibility that feels unmistakably Tumblr-esque. Before optimisation flattened everything into sameness, Tumblr allowed for contradiction with sad posts next to jokes, aesthetics next to diary entries, and anonymity. Revisiting that energy today has allowed people to show up unfinished, without having to explain themselves.

When Trends Slow Down, Culture Follows

How can you jump on the bandwagon? It’s not just about showcasing a carousel from that era, but also about indulging in tactile experiences, physical spaces, and leaning towards brands that echo the ethos of intentionality. On the fashion front, try building a capsule wardrobe by investing in pieces that encourage repeated wear and are less about following a trend. Emotional dressing carried the fashion diaspora in 2016.

If you’re sceptical, take it from Pernia Qureshi, fashion entrepreneur and commentator, who weighed, when asked about emotional dressing over dressing for trends, “There is always space for personal expression and personal style—always. People will always have the confidence to go against the grain, to do their own thing, to make their own look regardless of what’s happening.”

Long before “clean girl” aesthetics and algorithm-friendly minimalism dominated our feeds, beauty in 2016 was unapologetically expressive. Makeup wasn’t about subtle enhancement or optical illusion. Bold brows, unapologetic contour, matte lips in unlikely shades, and eye makeup that leaned dramatic rather than discreet all spoke to a culture less concerned with restraint and more invested in individuality. It was a moment when beauty felt personal. Zara Larsson’s bold, expressive makeup looks for her current Midnight Sun Tour are also reminiscent of 2016, and it has the internet hooked. It's just another indication that bright colours are so back, and in 2026, you can be bold and daring enough to take them on without worrying much about being perceived.

Duck faces, over-filtered sunsets, bold makeup, and blurry bathroom mirrors are all being reposted not as irony, but with affection. If 2026 is shaping up to be anything, it’s a reminder to take yourself a little less seriously. 

Lead image: Getty

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Also read: Why everyone thinks 2026 feels like 2016 all over again