Everyone’s Forgetting These Y2K Style Icons and I’ve Had Just About Enough

There’s no escaping the Y2K influence, from the return to digital camera-style photography to the body splash resurgence, the early aughts have informed every part of popular culture.

Being in my mid thirties, I’m in the sweet spot. The first time these trends came around I either didn’t have enough money to participate or I wasn’t allowed to because of either our household rules or my school dress code.

Now that the conversation of Y2K fashion is everywhere, it seems that a great deal of the muses of the time have been forgotten. Trust me, there was more than Xtina and Britney. And frankly, they didn’t really influence style in *my* corner of the world a great deal. Keep scrolling for the girls that absolutely DID shape my taste level.

Lil Mo

I wanted to do everything Lil Mo did, from her multicolor braids to the crystals in her part, I was absolutely enamored with her — particularly in the Superwoman video. There was another music video for “I Cry” with Ja Rule where she showed up to a funeral scene in a black and white outfit with black and white braids omggg, her style was perfect.

Nivea

The cover of Nivea’s self-titled album is forever engrained in my mind. She had purple, white, and royal blue highlights with flipped up ends, a swoop bang, and half-up pigtails. A masterpiece. This style was so popular that stores started selling hair extensions in 4 inch sections since girls were just adding them to their bangs and swoops. We stan a budget-friendly beauty supply.

Mya

This is an obvious one and it wasn’t just the culture-shifting jersey dress she wore in the “Best of Me” video, in “Movin' On” she had on a pair of platform sneakers that Changed. My. Life. I was able to find a knockoff pair at an outlet store and wore them tf out.

Honorable mentions go to these specific images which graced either the cover of my binder or the inside of my locker:

​Blaque for the hair accessories alone

Ciara in "Like a Boy" fostered a lifelong obsession with white tanks

This specific Beyoncé outfit in “Soldier." Sheesh!