The 2016 Trends We’ll All Look Back At and Cringe
As far as trends go, 2016 could be way worse — our style will age way better than a ’00s Von Dutch trucker hat or an ‘80s prom dress.
Festival clothes and crop tops like the ones pictured above, btw, aren’t on the list. We just picked that photo because we knew Coachella haters would click. Sorry! Boho chic is forever.
Anyway, there are a handful of other 2016 lewks that are hot right now but will seem tragic in about 10 years. Let’s discuss.
1. Overdone Eyebrows
Back in the late 90s and early 2000s, super-skinny drawn-on rainbow eyebrows were the coolest, but you wouldn’t be caught dead with them now.
Welp, overly sculpted brows are going to look just as unfortunate in the next decade. The Unfortunate Trend Brows of 2016 have a super sharp border in the middle, making them look like they were literally shaded in with a one-size-fits-all stencil. Sometimes they also have a bonus ombré effect, as seen above.
For all the effort that goes into making these brows look realistically shaded and three-dimensional, they look just as fake as the rainbow jawns of Pam Anderson’s heyday! You don’t want people to look at your brows and immediately picture the pencil you used to draw them on. To make them look more natural and just a tad less 2016, smudge them out with your finger a tiny bit right after you’ve drawn them on. When you’re scrolling back through your Instagram feed in 2026, you won’t regret it.
2. Teva-Like Footwear
These close cousins of the Croc have been encroaching for a while now, and sadly they haven’t gone away yet.
Tevas are the sandals of dads who buy their T-shirts at museum gift shops. Tevas are the sandals of guys in Christian rock bands. Tevas are the sandals of people with toe hair. But for some reason, for the last few years, they’ve been showing up on the feet of otherwise stylish young girls. I honestly thought I’d never see this day come.
If you have to wear clunky sandals, fine, but stick to pool slides and maybe Birkenstocks. The Teva thing needs to stop now. Do it for the sake of your future children! Because if you keep wearing Tevas, no one will ever want to impregnate you.
3. Ombré
Technically this isn’t even a 2016 trend, it’s like a 2011 trend. But for some reason, it’s still kicking around — even in otherwise cool places like New York and LA! Let’s face it though: ombré hair is the Kelly Clarkson skunk highlight of our generation. Let’s finally kick it to the curb, shall we?
4. Cropped Flares
I’m not gonna lie, this look is growing on me. In fact, I find it pretty adorable at this point.
But that doesn’t make it flattering, and it doesn’t mean that we all won’t look back and wonder what the hell we were thinking leaving the house in these glorified gauchos. Yes, anyone who’s anyone is going to be wearing cropped flares this spring and summer — myself included. But I’m still going to regret it later on, just like I regret the spandex capris I wore under going-out tops all through 2004. Some looks just don’t age well and this is one of them.
5. That Whole Instagram Bratz Doll Look
Juvederm lips? Check. Waist trainer and/or Photoshopped hourglass shape? Check. Long, luxurious weave? Check. Lack of discernible nose? Check.
If you’ve noticed that half the selfies on Instagram look like they belong to real-life Bratz dolls, you’re not alone. Looking like a cartoon version of a woman is very 2016.
No shade for now, though. Optical illusions are fun!
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