THE YEAR THAT GAVE US HOPE

2008 is almost over and not to be dramatic

But this year cracked the world wide open.

The economy? Crashing. 📉

Our playlists? Immaculate. 🎶

We were broke, emotionally unstable, deeply online—and somehow thriving ✨

THE YEAR WE BECAME EMO 

Fashion this year was all about looking effortlessly emotional ⛓️ 🖤

Oversized cardigans. Layered flannels.

Ballet flats even when it was snowing ❄️

Forever 21 became the uniform.

$12 tanks and crushed dreams 

Emo kids and indie kids merged into one Tumblr-coded blur

Leather jackets over band tees. Ripped jeans.

Eyeliner that said “I cry to Death Cab for Cutie.”

Style wasn’t about standing out—it was about fitting perfectly into a reblogged aesthetic 

And yes… we all tried to wear a beanie like it meant something 🙄

THE YEAR VAMPIRES WERE HOT 

Twilight dropped and the world went feral 

Edward Cullen looked like he hadn’t slept since 1918 and we were obsessed 

People were literally biting each other in theaters. 

This wasn’t a movie—it was a lifestyle 🩸

Meanwhile, Iron Man launched the Marvel Cinematic Universe and no one realized it yet 

Robert Downey Jr. came in with the sunglasses and sass and changed superhero energy forever 

And Wall-E?? Made us cry over a literal trash robot 💔

Zero dialogue. Just beeps and heartbreak

THE YEAR GAGA ARRIVED 

Beyoncé said “I AM SASHA FIERCE” and the rest of us just said “yes ma’am” 🙇

She told us to put a ring on it—and if we didn’t have one? We faked it with confidence and hoop earrings. 💍

Lady Gaga appeared out of the glitter smoke with Just Dance and nothing’s been the same since 

Bow hair. Lightning bolts. The sunglasses. The drama. 🎭 

Meanwhile, Kid Cudi, MGMT, and Passion Pit were turning mental health into vibes.

We were sad, sparkly, and soundtracking it all through LimeWire rips and iPod shuffles.

THE YEAR OF HOPE 

Obama won. 

And for a second—just a second—it felt like maybe the world was getting better 🌍

Hope posters on every wall

Campaign videos on every blog

“Yes We Can” echoing through every classroom

But the recession hit too 💔

Parents got laid off. Stores shut down. Money got tight. 📉

So we escaped—into fandoms, into fashion, into HTML-coded blogs about nothing and everything

Tumblr was rising 📈

Soft grunge. Vaporwave. Reblog chains that felt like poetry

We weren’t just posting—we were coping

THE YEAR OF COLLAPSE 

We were dancing through collapse. Crying in vintage tees 

Writing emotional captions like our lives depended on it ⛓️ 🖤

And somewhere between Twilight fan edits and economic despair—we found each other. 

Tomorrow is 2009 🪩🕺

And if 2008 cracked the decade open? 

Next year’s the grand finale.

THE SONGS THAT GAVE US HOPE