What was it like to be a teen during the 2000s?

OK, so what was around in 2009 that was dissimilar to the early '10s? I recall that male fashion was not that dissimilar from the 2007-08 and 2008-09 school years. I recall browsing ESCforum.net's ''Put your picture on'' thread and I recall that every other dude still used hair gel. While 2009 was quite early '10s looking back, it still felt '00s at the time because we knew what the '00s were like, but we didn't know what the early '10s were supposed to be like. In some ways, I might as well have been 13 in 2004, in other ways, I might as well have been 13 in 2012.

My late 00’s perspective: (I still consider myself more of a 10’s teen)

AIM was still used, quite a bit through 08, but lost almost all relevance when Facebook gained mass popularity in 09. The site wasn’t quite dominating the social sphere yet, however it was common to upload massive photo albums and engage in poke wars. You expressed your likes and dislikes by becoming “a fan”. Myspace was considered outdated by 08, though customizable YouTube channels allowed for a similar page setup. Twitter was fairly common by 09. Homework remained primarily via pen and paper, though you were often expected to do research online. A few textbooks were available online, as were assignments and grades. 

Few had iPhones or touch screen phones in general, though most had “texter” style phones with a full keyboard. Cameras on phones were usable but typically low quality compared to a point-and-shoot. IPods were very commonplace. Having your earbuds in became a clear “don’t talk to me” symbol. Pirating music was still common though the gift of choice became iTunes gift cards. IPod Touch began to slowly replace the older models after 07 and served as a precursor to smartphones; teens would crowd around one to watch videos and play games. 

Rock was still somewhat relevant as a music genre, but metal was mainly the subgenre popular among teens, and it was beginning to be seen as emo music. Popular rock bands included Death Cab for Cutie, Avenged Sevenfold, Bullet For My Valentine; along with poppier stuff like All Time Low and Metro Station. However, hip hop and rap were seen as the coolest. Chris Brown, Lil Wayne, TI, Rihanna, etc. Pop songs by Britney Spears and Lady Gaga were seen as guilty pleasures you didn’t admit to liking, though many secretly did. Taylor Swift was already a favorite of many. Alt/indie was creeping in with the likes of MGMT and The Ting Tings. By this era, it was quite common for teens to complain about “today’s music” and vocally prefer older bands. It wasn’t uncommon to wear a Beatles or Pink Floyd t-shirt. Even early 00’s rock, such as Linkin Park, continued to be listened to. 

Okay the really fun stuff: Fashion. The classic social groups were beginning to dismantle, though a few of the signifiers remained. The “popular” kids were Hollister, Abercrombie, Pink, etc., though an increasing amount of the jock guys wore all Nike and athletic wear. Essentially many of the “less” cool people started wearing these clothes too and they began to have increasingly less meaning. Specifically this would refer to logo t-shirts and sweatshirts. Other sweatshirts, particularly striped ones, moved in in 09. At this point, the scene and alt kids were almost the anti-Abercrombie crew, wearing lots of black, band shirts, random other logos and sometimes odd accessories. It was still popular for everyone to wear rubber bracelets, though Livestrong ones were getting replaced. Many teens would wear paper bracelets that come from concerts, ski resorts, etc. for months on end.

Skinny jeans were somewhat normal by 08, but still served as somewhat of an alt statement until the end of the year. They didn’t quite have the high spandex content yet and therefore seldom fit well. Bootcut jeans were still the most popular right through 09, and having a cool logo/image on the back pockets was considered stylish. Sagging and visible thongs were getting tacky and outdated but could still be seen. Girls shirts were extremely thin and/or tight, which made ot difficult not to layer. Some teenage girls would wear multiple camisoles under one shirt. Guys wore baggy cargo shorts in the summer almost exclusively, apart from basketball shorts. Polo shirts were still big and madras was having a moment. Ugg boots and Old Navy flip flops were still the shoe of choice for girls, whereas most boys wore sneakers. Skater style shoes, apart from Vans, had fallen in exchange for Converse. Though they were a popular scene kid shoe, they could be seen on anybody. The North Face backpacks were the status backpack, as well as the Denali jacket. Plus a Nalgene bottle. 

Popular hairstyles undoubtedly included scene hair. This however was not relegated to exclusively scene or emo identified kids, peaking probably towards the end of 08. Many girls had what they called “side bangs” which essentially equated to chopping off the hair closet to their face at eye level. Otherwise it was very common to part long hair deep on one side. Though many boys did have short hair, the long bangs remained popular, and it was particularly desirable to flip out around the face. Preppy and emo male long hair were styled and cut in a subtly different way and therefore not linked together. The flat ironed look peaked in 08 and then finally began to ease off.  

The 2008 election was a big changing point in culture that also trickled down to teens, who would wear buttons to show their support for Obama. It started to become more typical to talk about social justice issues and make a point of recycling, etc. Though this would apply to some mainstream identifying people, it was primarily the realm of budding hipsterdom. Formerly these kids may have been known as art club nerds or something, but with some political motivation, they became a noticeable group. Otherwise self-censorship was still minimal; even if political correctness was something teens were aware of, some would vocally avoid it. Most continued to joke by calling things and each other “gay” “fag” “retard” unafraid to write it online. 

Damn writing it out like this really makes it feel like history lol. I was bored if you can’t tell.

there was still Cd buying in the early part of the 2000s, I think it depends on region and who u knew had a computer,but in Jersey I feel like everyone had LimeWire and was downloading songs. By like 2004/2005 I feel like Limewire became the standard.


I actually wanna say when Wifi went mainstream in the 2004-2005 school year when u saw even more people get computers as well as DSL instead of Dial up.
Remember those AOL free trial discs? Ughhh I never wanna have to use THOSE again lol     


......... connection..................wait.............................Online       and that whole ordeal took 4 to 6 min

We have uniforms at school, so I don't actually remember that much from real-life fashion at the time. What I remember of male fashion was from a forum of mostly gay males from Europe.