Deja Tolentino
👤 SpeakerAppearances Over Time
Podcast Appearances
I am an internet culture reporter, previously of NBC News, and I currently write a newsletter called Yap Year.
It's been building up since last year, especially on TikTok.
People have been slowly bringing back 2016 trends, whether that's the mannequin challenge with, you know, the Black Beatles song.
or pink wall aesthetics and these really warm, hazy Instagram filters.
People have been kind of romanticizing this time since earlier last year in 2025.
And when we entered the new year in 2026, there were a lot of TikToks saying that 2026 was going to be like 2016.
2026 it's like 2016 all over again it's giving 2016 vibes now that it's 2026 that means 2016 is back which i was curious about because it's kind of like what does that even mean yeah i don't actually think people know what that means at all um then you know a couple weeks ago you see a lot of people on instagram especially like peak instagram influencers posting
Themselves at their peak, really, in 2016.
Which inspired then everybody to post their own 2016 photos.
When I look at 2016, you see makeup gurus on YouTube blow up at this time.
Hey guys, welcome to today's video.
We are gonna be chatting about.
Hi guys, this is James Charles.
Welcome back to my YouTube channel.
Hi guys, welcome back to my channel.
It's your girl Jackie Aina.
And the makeup at the time is extremely maximalist.
It's very full glam, full beat.
very matte, very colorful, some neon wigs.