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METERAdolescence can be bookmarked by the antics of the Internet and pop culture. Puberty began with Potter Puppet Pals: The Mysterious Tick-Tock (grade 6, 2007) and ended with the Harlem Shake (grade 12, 2013).
Maybe that’s why I’ve (somewhat) made a career out of knowing the history of 2010s memes and am the go-to pop culture analyst in about five different group chats. A truly underrated job, I might add.
1. Ice runner
Starting with a YouTube classic, we have this ice racer eating it up on live television. I’m not normally one for humor where people get hurt (I was the kid crying over Dumbo and covering my eyes while watching Australia’s Funniest Home Videos), but it’s the runner’s arrogance that ensures that This video never goes out of style.
2. That’s not true, Elena
Ah, the beginning of the Elena’s fall. To hell with the pandemic. Dakota Johnson politely put Ellen in her place in November 2019 and ushered in the 2020s for me. It felt like the beginning of a new era of celebrity and a reminder to 23-year-old me that you can stand up for yourself gracefully without looking mean.
3. Fenton!
Twelve years ago, a Labrador named Fenton chased some deer through Richmond Park. Someone filmed it in great detail and my friend showed it to me about 10 years ago, with tears literally streaming down his face. Now my family and I quote him constantly.
4. Delaney Rowe’s entire TikTok account
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The way he is able to interpret the most specific stereotypes is terrifying. You shudder and at the same time you can’t look away.
5. David Guetta ends racism
2020 seems like a fever dream now, but it also seemed that way when we were in the middle of it. Martin Luther King’s disappearance in Hampsterdance is really crazy.
6. Meteorite/meatier
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Since it’s the year 2020, this Eliza Petersen sketch started my obsession with the app. It’s the end of 2020, our minds are fuzzy, and Eliza comes along with a simple pun that made me (and 22 million other people) cry with laughter. They are the eyes that come close and fill with tears. It’s even more fun when you find out that she’s actually a paleontologist.
7. Shawn Mendes calls Joe Alwyn a villain
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I have to include a video of Shawn Mendes. My personal favorite is getting caught for lying about Joe Alwyn seeming like a “sweet guy.” The awkward awkwardness – “I struggle with eyes so blue” – and the immediate regret that Taylor Swift’s people are going to kidnap him in the middle of the night. Iconic.
8. Straight versus gay in Saltburn
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The spring/summer 2023 movie had to be Saltburn, and the reactions to the bath and grave scenes had to be funnier than the movie itself. Come on, guys, sit down.
9. I’m just a winner
A recent contribution to the pop culture zeitgeist is Ryan Gosling’s bewilderment when I’m Just Ken won best song at the Critics Choice Awards. It’s a strong addition to Ryan Gosling’s gif portfolio.
10. A sign of the times
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Brittany Broski just gets it. *inhales an invisible cigarette*
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Jasmine Wallis is a writer, editor, and co-host of the pop culture podcast. Culture Club. You can find it in instagram