This year, it feels like the revolving door of internet trends comes and goes faster than Julia Fox could say “Uncuht Jamz” – anyone with a shorter lifespan than the Miu Miu miniskirt that swept our feeds and won us all over This low-waist piece of khaki was enough to cover up the shame of returning to Y2K trends. The online trends of 2022 had us acting like Patrick Bateman, who took us on solo dates in the name of self-care, as if we weren’t just antisocial, lonely suckers too lazy to hinge profile. Anyway, YOU GET THE POINT! These internet moments come and go and we can’t help but believe them – because what else is going to fill the endless void in our heads that reminds us we’re like Chicken Little screaming the world is ending and climate change imminent? Without further ado, here are Street’s most popular internet trends for 2022.
–Natalia Castillo, style editor
Julia Fox
Can a person be a trend? If that person is Julia Fox, it turns out the answer is yes. She billed herself as “Josh Safdie’s muse when he wrote Uncuht Jamz,” described her forthcoming book as “a masterpiece so far” (she didn’t want to give too much away), and pioneered the iconic eye makeup look , which launched Thousand Twink Halloween Costumes. Fox is a confident second coming of the old celebrities, but instead of rocking Stop Being Poor t-shirts (yes, I know, the original was Stop Being Desperate), she’s managed to remain remarkably unproblematic, by her ethical TikTok discourse to coordinating photo shoots with the paparazzi. In conversation with high nobiashe says, “I can have a photo taken that will be reblogged a few times and this designer will get their first report Fashion. Stuff like that gives me energy because it’s like, ‘I can do good with it.’” A real queen of men, I think.
–Walden Green, print editor
Avoiding fast fashion trends
Do you remember the swirly dress from House of Sunny? Or the Prada Re-Edition bag? Yes, we too… unfortunately. Along with so many other microtrends, these articles have burned themselves into the minds of everyone who has consumed TikTok content over the past year. It often feels like the platform has accelerated trends to the point where they no longer exist, replacing traditional fashion house seasons and runway shows with brief bursts of influencer advertising, followed by near-instant obsolescence. In a way, that’s a good thing — it means that personal style has started to rule over following a preset list of what to wear to be “cool.” Somehow almost every decade is in fashion at the same time – from ’90s punk to ’70s disco to glitzy Y2K – and as long as you like what you’re wearing, others will follow.
–Emily White, Editor-in-Chief
friend who stays at homes
I used to feel guilty on days when I didn’t leave my house. I saw myself as lazy, even antisocial. But not anymore — now I’m a glamorous stay-at-home friend. Whose girlfriend? Unclear, but that’s not the point. This new TikTok trend was fueled by Day in the Life videos of childless women who live with and are financially supported by their partners and spend their time doing lavish self-care and housekeeping. Overall, it’s a pretty unrealistic lifestyle and could send an anti-independence message to an impressionable audience. However, it did teach me a thing or two about fitting alone time into my routine. Rather than seeing it as an act of avoidance, I see it as an act of self-care and a necessary break with reality. The stay-at-home friend aesthetic is beautiful — just practice it in small doses, please.
–Arielle Stanger, task editor
Prominent private chefs
There’s more to the average TikTok cooking video this year. Step aside, Buzzfeed Kitchen; Home cooks catering to the Hamptons’ most luxurious elite are taking over the internet. Meredith (aka Wishbone Kitchen) and Kara Fauerbach are two New York City-based chefs who document their cooking experiences for themselves and clients. These two food geniuses and other members of the TikTok home chef community post food hauls, recipe videos, and a personal favorite, a day in the life of a home chef vlog. Blurring the lines between work and play, this new group of content creators express themselves through farm-fresh produce and the occasional eyeball of spice.
— Kate Ratner, Music Editor
“Silent” videos
In this short-form genre on TikTok and Instagram, we’ve begun to see the moving textures of life’s most ethereal and eerie moments in a sea of ”quiet” videos. From glimpses of the rushing stillness of the waves on a moonlit beach to muted depictions of rain-soaked city streets, these videos convey moments of everyday life shrouded in darkness, conveying a quiet sense of longing and yet a respite. Richly paired with ambient, atmospheric or emotional music, they challenge the viewer to beg for liminality, to look for nothing. This genre has become all the more relevant as Gen Z’s desire to find ways and “get away” has increased with each passing day, unnerved by the onslaught of technology and social media. Free from the noise of pop culture, these videos have achieved over the year what an influencer cannot: compel viewers to be more attuned to themselves and their world. When Øneheart and Reidenshi’s “Snowfall” or Patrick Watson’s “Je te laisserai des mots” immerse the viewer in the nooks and crannies of our enchanting world moments, we begin to love and see the unusual artistry of the living images before us.
— Tyler Kliem, design editor
Gentle minions
There are many events that require a suit, collared shirt or dress shoes. Weddings, graduations, fancy dinners, or 15th-round job interviews at the Wharton Club are prime examples. But cinemas? Not so much, at least until this year.
In case anyone was watching Minions: The Rise of Gru That summer, they were probably surrounded (or perhaps decked out themselves) by teenagers in formal attire. For all Gen Z minions Fans, the #GentleMinions summer trend was just as important to the movie experience as the movie itself. While the beginning of the trend doesn’t have an exact origin, we can trace back the TikTok users who started dressing smartly minions Main character and top villain: Gru.
Minions: The Rise of Gru—a movie that consists mostly of bathroom jokes and fart jokes – isn’t exactly a cinematic masterpiece. The original film in the franchise, Despicable Me, is a hallmark of Gen Z, making this new addition to the franchise an “event movie” worthy of a light-hearted trend that’s silly and fun.
— Jacob Pollack, film and television editor
The existential gourmet
Scrolling through Instagram, I come across a masterful pizza – I’ve never seen such beauty. Red sauce made from fresh San Marzano tomatoes covers a crisp, soft white canvas, and clouds of mozzarella adorn the red bed. A flawless crust is perfectly crispy — wait… what does the caption say? “Does that make me happy? No.” The stunning food photo paired with utterly existential captions has become my new religion, and I’ve shown my commitment to the faith by exclusively curating my Instagram feed to show me these ridiculously perfect posts. Food actually makes me think like, let’s say if I have no idea what I want for dinner then I will never be able to satisfy my ever growing appetite for love and I will never settle and a lonely spinner with 17 cats and an extraordinary talent for crocheting matching kitty hats. Oh, until I find a new therapist, I’ll continue with my daily dose of foodie Instagram posts laced with a healthy dose of existential angst , treat yourself.
— Natalia Castillo, style editor
solo dates
In the hustle and bustle of everyday life, it’s easy to lose sight of the simple pleasures: leafing through a book on a park bench, sipping coffee and watching strangers, scowling at a painting like a tortured genius. Head to the museum, bookstore or coffee shop on the corner this weekend. Everything is easier when you slow down and learn to enjoy your own company. I am an expert: Before I leave the house, I like to sit in front of the mirror and look lovingly at my reflection. I have all the qualities of a human.
— Irma Kiss Barath, culture editor
The “It’s corn!” kid
Seven-year-old Tariq won the hearts of millions of online fans with two words: “It’s corn!”
In a now-viral YouTube video featured on Julian Shapiro-Barnum’s internet show recession therapy This August, Tariq professed his love for the “big lump with buttons” — which, he points out, actually has “the juice.”
The clip of the so-called “CEO of Corn” quickly caught fire. #CornKid has racked up over 475 million views on Tik Tok, while Tariq’s thoughts were even turned into a remix that stuck in the minds of every teen and twenty-something on the app for months. Halfway through the interview, Tariq asks Shapiro-Barnum to take a look at the corn on the cob he’s chewing and says, “I can’t think of anything nicer.” And guess what, neither do I.
— Hannah Lonser, features editor
celebrity podcasts
Like any other human with a TikTok account, we are weary seeing a middle-aged man reviewing pizza and probably still living with his mom on a weekly podcast with an underdeveloped Justin Bieber (baby era) and a TikTok influencer partying at college weekends (I search at to you BFFs Podcast hosts David Portnoy & CO). We can’t lie though – who doesn’t love to whistle some hot celebrity gossip into their eardrums between classes? Just like our Monday morning runs to Pret, we love to complain and drag her through the mud, but we wouldn’t know what to do without our daily dose of celebrity podcasts.
— Natalia Castillo, style editor
