The day that low-rise jeans, lip gloss, and wired headphones started trending, it felt like a fever dream. For those of us who remember the 2000s, we couldn’t believe Y2K was actually back. But how wrong we were. Y2K is back with a vengeance, and we’re embracing it with open arms. And so are our Pinterest boards. And bank accounts. And there’s nowhere it’s better reflected than in the new BBC iPlayer show What It Feels Like For A Girl, which has got us all in our Y2K feels.
Inspired by the memoir of journalist Paris Lees, the show documents Paris’s formative years, exploring her sexuality and gender identity in Hucknall, Nottinghamshire - all whilst exploring sex, drugs, friendship and all-nighters for the first time. Think It’s A Sin meets My Mad Fat Diary, but with lots more eyeshadow. So if you’re ready to surrender to the Y2K siren call but don’t know where to start, don’t worry, we’ve got your back. Here are all the best Y2K trends, inspired by What It Feels Like For A Girl.
Frosted everything
Baby pink eyeshadow. Super highlighted cheeks. Sparkly everything. In What It Feels Like For A Girl that’s embodied by no one better than Sasha. Sasha’s makeup look reminds us that shimmer never went out of style; we just forgot about it. For those of us who fell victim to the 2010s matte-everything era, Sasha’s looks will change you.
Thin eyebrows
We know, we know. The 2010s had you filling yours out, and all of a sudden, thin eyebrows are back in. Your mother despairs (ours too). But we can’t deny, they are unbelievably chic. And that’s summed up by no one better than Lady Die, who has us eyeing up our razor more often than we’d like to admit.
BIG hoops
We can’t tell you why we gave up on hoops. Somewhere along the line, we fell victim to clean girl propaganda and started to believe small, discrete, gold hoops were the only way. And then we saw Sasha and Lady Die’s hoops, and we knew, Y2K is back.
Metallic glam
Our shopping baskets have been full of metallic coated tops since we saw Byron wearing their incredible red printed vest in episode three (no spoilers, we promise!) Y2K is all about details everywhere. Match your jewellery to your tops, more is more.
Blonde is back, baby
The Y2K blonde OG’s were Britney, Lindsay, and Paris. Sasha is the new generation’s blonde inspo. Her glorious platinum blonde hair has us reaching for the bleach. The best part? Y2K loves dark roots! It gives that dishevelled, I-just-got-back-from-a-party, rockstar vibe that we can’t get enough of. And it’ll save us money at the hairdressers - thanks, Sasha!
Chunky tech
Flip phones, wired headphones, and everything is clunky. But that was the vibe. And every time one of the characters picks up their Nokia, we feel that Y2K nostalgia burning through our bones. We look at our smartphones and groan, it was a simpler time. And so much more fashionable. No, you hang up!
For all the Y2K realness, watch all episodes of What It Feels Like For A Girl on BBC iPlayer now