How Nostalgia is Expressed Through Gen-Z

Written by Solly Woo

When we look back at our lives, we often experience nostalgia, which is defined as a“ sentimentality for the past.” This is especially true right now: teenagers have been turning to whatever’s in season, but there’s also been a rising trend of using film cameras, making friendship bracelets and collecting small figurines. All of these activities are reminiscent of things one would do in their childhood, showing us that simplicity and familiarity often bring us more joy than the latest trend. These items are mementos that have been passed on through the years, meaning it may stay with us just a bit longer. 

Film and digital photography is one of the ways my generation has returned to the past. In her article, Why Film Photography Is The Nostalgic Trend of The Moment, Meredith Holser states that blurry low contrast films which use flash are reminiscent of pictures that Gen-Z er’s had taken of them when they were younger. Nowadays, there are even apps that replicate this look using filters so one begs the question, why is this hobby still in action when iphones are available? The answer lies in its process. The extra steps such as loading the film stock, shooting on a camera and waiting for it to be processed is much more satisfying than the instant gratification of one's smartphone (Holser, 2023). Recently, I have started watching Teo Crawford, a YouTuber, who documents his everyday life in Austria through film photography. His snapshots consist of a calming and soft color palette created from the different film stocks he uses. Perhaps this is the appeal of the medium – this method of taking photos enhances colors in everyday nature, and makes life seem more vibrant and aesthetic. 

Apart from film, small digital cameras have taken off as well. There are even people selling these cameras on Korean Instagram pages, showing how digital cameras have become highly coveted around the world. There’s a reason for this, according to Meera Navlaka who says that “ apart from the celebrities, TikTok has been the main reason for this rising trend.” She adds that the digital camera adds to the Y2K aesthetic that teens are eager to participate in. This aesthetic is again, a nod to the 90’s, indicating that this decade is somewhat timeless in the eyes of Gen-Z. 

Sylvanian families or Calico Critters, which is a collection of animal figurines, has gained traction again –  this time among teenage girls. I, myself, have two figurines, both from The Baby Seashore Friends Series, which was given to me as a present by a friend. I remember playing with these toys when I was younger so these small gifts instantly made me happy. One of the reasons for the rising demand of these toys may be attributed to Sylvanian Drama, a Tik Tok account, known for its humorous skits involving the small toys. In the interview with The Tab, Thea von Engelbrecht, the creator behind the TikTok account has said that, “ the toys remind her of Desperate Housewives.” When asked about the inspiration she gets for the skits, Engelbrecht referred to tv shows such as Gossip Girl, Pretty Little Liars and White Lotus (Elliot, 2023). The rising popularity of the toys could also be credited to the fact that figurines are cute, as well as easy to buy both in store and online.     

Jellycats are a soft toy company originating from London, England. Their smiling expressions, plush-like texture and different styles have become highly sought out by people during the years. Even celebrities such as Jisoo from Black Pink and others have been seen with the Jellycat key chains on their bags, writes Alana Kholsa, illustrating that it has garnered the love of many. The English toy company is known for their different collections such as the amuseables, animals, and bags charms, meaning there’s lots to choose from if one decides to buy a Jellycat. 

Friendship bracelet making sets have also seen a rise in sales. This can be attributed to Taylor Swift’s ERAS tour, as people give out handmade bracelets to other concert goers. The tradition of bracelet making at Swift's concerts is a nod to the lyric from her song, You're on Your Own Kid: “So make the friendship bracelets, take the moment and taste it.” Apart from the standard beaded bracelets, people have also been making more intricate ones, mostly taking inspiration from Swift’s albums and their respective color palettes. Some of the sayings in the bracelets include: “ Red,” and “ Evermore,” while others are niche references such as “ Starbucks Lovers, “ It’s me. Hi,” and “ Key Lime Green Dog,” 

The spike in their popularity is owed to the fact that “The bracelets make a nice and affordable keepsake from the biggest tour of the year.’’ According to one concert goer,“ It’s almost nicer taking a home full of friendship bracelets from friends I’ve made tonight. “ It’s a nice way for us all to stay connected,” the Eras attendee mentions as well (Fish, 2023).

With the rise of friendship bracelets, there is one trend we seem to forget. Rainbow looms can be considered a thing of the past, but were an essential part of the 2010s. My cousin had introduced them to me one summer and right after, I remember sitting on the balcony one vacation and following a tutorial of how to make rainbow loom cherries. Rainbow looms were so popular because making rubber band bracelets was easy and fairly cheap. One could produce a variety of designs when making these items which was entertaining and exciting for kids and teens alike (Parkinson, 2014).

A key reason why these items of nostalgia are making their return is because they provide an outlet to express one’s creativity. Creating friendship bracelets, collecting soft toys and animal figurines, and using vintage cameras also provide avenues for people to connect to one another and build friendships. As with all trends these activities will eventually fade in popularity, but if a small group of people continue to take part in them, this era of nostalgia will last forever. 

Works Cited

Elliot, Lydia Spencer. “Sylvanian Drama: We met the 21-year-old creator behind everyone's favorite TikTok account.” The Tab, 23 February 2023, https://thetab.com/uk/2023/02/23/sylvanian-drama-creator-tik-tok-296068. Accessed 5 July 2024.

Fish, Ryan. “Why Taylor Swift Fans Are Sharing Friendship Bracelets at Her Eras Tour.” The Hollywood Reporter, 7 August 2023, https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/music-news/taylor-swift-fans-trading-friendship-bracelets-eras-tour-explained-1235557991/. Accessed 5 July 2024.

Holser, Meredith. “Why Film Photography Is The Nostalgic Trend Of The Moment.” Brit + Co, 17 January 2023, https://www.brit.co/film-photography/. Accessed 25 June 2024.

Khosla, Alanah. “Why Millennials are going wild for Jellycat toys.” Daily Mail, 13 December 2023, https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-12850627/Millennials-going-wild-Jellycat-toys.html. Accessed 10 July 2024.

Navlakha, Meera. “TikTok is bringing back the '00s digital camera.” Mashable, 31 October 2022, https://mashable.com/article/tiktok-digital-camera-trend-2000s. Accessed 5 July 2024.t

Parkinson, Justin. “A craze for 'loom bands.'” BBC, 25 June 2014, https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-27974401. Accessed 10 July 2024.