Here's to a new year that's a tamer dumpster fire than this last one
( @girlpartyshop / Instagram )
There’s a reason why Dictionary.com's People's Choice 2020 word of the year is “unprecedented.” This year has been a flood of sewer water down each step taken was a foot smushed into some new find of dogshit. Now, looking back on everything just feels like a fever dream – the year that never ends has been condensed to a blur.
So, to remind you of the craziness, here’s 19 of the weirdest, most WTF moments of the year (not in any particular order).
1. Toilet paper stockpiles
Growing up, the idea of what the nation would do if the world ended as we knew it ensued strategic conversations. Little did we know that when the country shut down, the nation would count on toilet paper to save them.
Oh, America. Gotta love our reputation.
2. Four Seasons Total Landscaping
Less than 24-hours after Joe Biden was announced as the new president-elect of the United States, President Donald Trump held a press conference at what he expected to be a luxury resort but what turned out to be at the parking lot of Four Seasons Total Landscaping.
Karma? Was that you?
3. Celebrities thought singing would save us all
Listen. I know music is powerful but who asked for this? In an effort to encourage Americans to adhere to stay-at-home advisories, Gal Gadot challenged fellow celebrities to cover John Lennon’s Imagine that simply just communicated that celebrities are as disconnected to us more than ever.
The ballad being passed around from one tone-deaf person to another just felt like an endless game of going musical chairs — going round and round and round but everyone falling.
4. Crocs became cool
Many took on a new perspective for these shoes this year. These rubber clogs became an exuberant form of expression. But I mean, hey! At least it’s a more affordable trend to spiral through the internet.
5. Murder hornets just had to show up
Of course. As 2020 could not be lethal enough, Asian giant hornets, which could puncture a painful venom into human skin, were found by scientists in the United States. Comforting.
6. Sarah Palin rapped Baby Got Back
Yes, you read that right. The former governor of Alaska, dressed in a furry, carebear-colored ensemble, rapped “I like big butts and I cannot lie” with such a growl that my ears wanted to fold into myself.
Thanks, cable television.
7. Tiger King was binge-watched
The age of Tiger King may have been one of the most purest pandemic periods. Things were great. Everyone was binge-watching this series and spiraling into Carole Baskin conspiracy theories.
Eight months later and “Carole Baskin / Killed her husband / Wacked him” still gets stuck in my head from time to time.
8. People drew fruit on Instagram
Oh, this took #MakeInstagramCasualAgain to a whole new level — like 2008 Facebook game level. Now, the threads of carrot and orange drawings just feel like a fever dream.
9. Flygate
Vice President Pence didn’t get too much airtime in the last four years. But the Internet saw a lot of him and his winged friend after his debate with Kamala Harris. Unfortunately for him, all anyone could remember from that night is his ability to attract flies. The little guy was so popular, @MikePencefly_ became a new Twitter star.
(Biden's campaign team selling a fly-swatter couldn't have helped, either.)
10. Zoom pants (or no pants)
The fresh artificial breeze flowing onto our legs was debatably one of the highlights of this pandemic. The secret knowledge of that your legs can roam free without the constrictions of pants made Zoom calls slightly less annoying.
11. Bizzare talk show audiences
As things became more safe for talk shows to shoot on location, many opted out of having an audience to prevent any risk of infection. But, some talk shows got … creative. On shows like the Wendy Williams Show, The Voice and even The Emmys, hosts stood in front of a screen projected numerous audience members from home.
While there are some points for innovation, the whole thing had a Black Mirror feel that just adds to 2020 intrigue.
12. Is it a cake?
Another saga of TikTok’s baking obsessions includes ordinary objects that are revealed to be cake. It was anxiety-inducing, watching in anticipation for knives to slice through objects to discover what really laid inside.
The trend exploded in July, when Buzzfeed Tasty posted a montage of videos of a Turkish baker slicing into crocs, toilet paper and soap, only to reveal that decedentant layers of cake were inside.
While rather impressive, this trend hurt the head.
13. AOC and Corpse crossed paths on Among Us
I uh… wasn’t expecting this one. In a reach to have casual conversations with Americans and perhaps chillax after a hard day in Congress, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez logged onto Twitch and live-streamed the multiplayer game Among Us with random users.
One of those random users included Corpse, a TikTok personality who’s infamous for his eerily yet sexy deep voice and kinky, e-boy persona. Yeah, this dude talked to AOC, and she was as surprised as the rest of us when she first heard TikTok’s favorite growl.
14. We all baked banana bread
Why we all collectively chose banana bread as our baked good of choice? No idea. I’m glad we all learned a new skill, though.
15. Fortnite concerts
After the live-music industry hit a rut amidst the pandemic, virtual concerts became the hit. Predictably, live performances have been streamed on Instagram and YouTube, but I think it’s fair to say that jamming out to Travis Scott on Fortnite was unticipated.
These unconventional concerts attracted millions of players — which is a lot more than most concert spaces could fill. Besides, the vibez can still be hot from the comfort of your bedroom.
16. Ratatouille the musical
It’s been shown that some of the craziest TikTok trends have been born in moments of chaos — which might be why the app gain as much popularity as it did in 2020. In the days before the much-anticipated presidential election, TikTok decided to make the classic tale of a rat-turned-chef into a musical.
Submissions from ordinary teenagers to unemployed Broadway stars. Things gained so much popularity, that naturally, I had to write this in Rowdy’s editorial slack channel:
17. Timothee Chalomet and Pete Davidson performed a top rap song
Oh, to see the look on the SNL writers' faces when they discovered the parody rap song they wrote had become an instant hit on the Internet.
On Dec. 12th, actor Timothee Chalomet and comedian Pete Davidson mocked the archetype of rhythmless white boy rappers. But, the power of two of the most thirsted-after white boys was too much for the girlies to handle.
Instantly, their spatted yeets, skrt's and the infamous "YOU NEVER LOVED ME MOMMM" became TikTok's newest anthem. (To their credit, the song did bring a lot of joy to the year.)
17. Camila Cabello and Shawn Mendes’s pandemic walks
Taking a walk outside has been one of the most highly suggested methods to maintain sanity during the pandemic. And PDA-affitionadoes Camila Cabello and Shawn Mendes may have been the activity’s top sponsors. For months, the couple took morning strolls in Miami, often walking eerily slow, and almost uncomfortably dishevled.
Lauren Rousseau is the Online Editor of Rowdy Magazine. When Lauren's not starring at a phone or laptop screen, she enjoys watching ridiculous reality television, stress-baking and listening to music. You can pitch her stories at rowdymagazine.submissions@gmail.com and find her on Instagram @laurenxrousseau