Walking through the hallways of Edison High, this start of the new year felt remarkably like a glitch in the matrix. As 2026 kicks off, the student body has not just moved into a new year but collectively traveled back a decade. The 2016 nostalgia movement has arrived, reshaping everything from cafeteria conversations to gym clothes.
This digital shift has hit the school with surprising speed. On any given afternoon, one might spot students scrolling through throwback photo dumps featuring grainy filters and bright colors reminiscent of the early days of Instagram. Ironically, the 2016 look is being recreated by a generation that was only in elementary school when these aesthetics peaked.
While one half of the school is looking backward, the other half is embracing the “January Reset.” Beyond just organization and academic improvements, a wave of “slow content” has taken over many feeds. Instead of loud, fast-paced videos, students are engaging with quiet and calm clips of daily routines. This trend reflects a deep-seated desire for a less stressful digital experience as we embark on a new semester.
Adding to this calmer atmosphere, the “75 Medium” challenge has surfaced as a more realistic alternative to the notoriously difficult 2019 “75 Hard” fitness challenge. Eagles are using this to document their New Year’s goals without the crippling stress of perfection. The challenge’s format allows for mistakes and flexibility, resonating with the chaotic schedule of an EHS student.
The Cloud Dancer aesthetic has also emerged as a dominant visual theme for the start of the year. Following the announcement of this soft and airy off-white as the color of the year, the palette has quickly moved from digital mood boards to the hallways of Edison High. This style prioritizes a sense of calm and mental clarity through minimalist shades of whites, creams, and light greys.
Injecting some much-needed humor into the month, the “Red Bull Please Contact” meme has become a favorite. The meme’s premise involves students filming low-stakes or poorly executed movements, like a slow skateboard turn or a clumsy jump. The trend is a self-critical joke that mocks extreme sports sponsorships, proving to be a hit among EHS athletes and casual students alike.
Meanwhile, the Glamoratti and 80s Revival trend has introduced a maximalist energy to the hallways. This resurgence involves a return to the bold luxury and power dressing of the 1980s, embracing presence and confidence—a sharp contrast to the casual lounge wear of previous seasons.
The ways in which we interact with viral sounds have also evolved lately. Instead of doing the same dance with the same background music, there has been a push toward storytelling trends. Drake’s “Slime You Out” recap has been the go-to format for summarizing the past year, month by month. This kind of content captures shared struggles and growth, mixing regret, happiness, heartbreak, and improvement into a single scrollable timeline.
Fashion choices have also taken a practical turn. The winter utility and leather bomber looks have emerged as the standard uniform for cold weather. Many are taking inspiration from various aesthetic tags like Poetcore or Soft Academia to create outfits that feel more professional for the start of the new semester. The rows of desks in a classroom now look more like a coordinated style lookbook than a typical high school hallway.
This new year proved that social media is no longer just a distraction but a lens through which we embrace Edison High. January became an experimental lab where we blended 2016 nostalgia with 2026 ambition, proving that school culture moves faster than a high-speed fiber connection (cough, cough, Verizon outage). As the final January posts disappear into the archives, one truth is certain: many students are waiting to see what viral chaos February brings to the feed!
