McBling Aesthetic
The 2000s – what a time to be alive! There were Von Dutch trucker hats. Ed Hardy t-shirts. Bebe bedazzled baby tees. Juicy Couture tracksuits. Victoria’s Secret PINK rhinestone-encrusted fold-over yoga pants. Baby Phat and Apple Bottom jeans. Lace-up stiletto boots paired with extravagant fur coats. (That’s what “boots with the fur” means...you’re welcome.) Every girl smelled like Love Spell, Britney Spears’s Curious perfume, or tanning lotion. People were getting Punk’d and even eating purple ketchup. It took forever to type the number 7 four times to spell out the letter ‘S’ on your phone. It cost a couple dollars for a ringtone and a ringback tone. Slamming your flip phone shut was so satisfying, especially after thinking you’d bankrupted your entire family because you accidentally clicked the ‘Internet’ button. This was back when we still went “on” the internet, as opposed to now, when we never leave. Simpler times, if you ask me.
But before you go searching “Y2K” on Depop to buy a pair of pink kitten heels to match your new favorite lip balm, we have to talk about something! When referring to the memorable trashy (endearing), tacky, very pink, blinged-out style prevalent in the 2000s, the umbrella term “Y2K” is a misnamed colloquialism for the McBling aesthetic. The term ‘McBling’ was coined by the Consumer Aesthetics Research Institute to differentiate a style and attitude shift from Y2K’s minimalist futurism to maximalist hedonism.
Y2K and McBling are in fact two different styles that emerged in the early 1990s and early 2000s, respectively. Y2K, short for "Year 2000," is a style that was heavily influenced by nascent technology, burgeoning internet culture, sci-fi movies, cyberculture, and the anticipation of the new millennium. The Y2K fashion aesthetic primarily featured blue, silver, metallic, neon, and iridescent colors; sharp, sleek, futuristic clothing silhouettes; synthetic, shiny, plasticky materials like PVC, vinyl, and nylon; space age, intergalactic, and celestial themes; Groovival-adjacent funky accessories like oval sunglasses, chunky platform shoes, and geometric handbags; and shiny, frosty, smooth, cool-toned makeup.
The McBling aesthetic, on the other hand, is a more flashy and over-the-top style. Think: unabashed aspirational luxury, ostentation, and conspicuous consumption. In the 2000s, wearing name brands had outsized cultural cachet, prestige, and recognition value. Logomania was a phenomenon! You would never
leave the house wearing a polo shirt that was not adorned with a polo player, alligator, moose, eagle, butterfly, or some other kind of status-signaling embroidery. Even the stitching on the back of Abercrombie & Fitch or Hollister jeans made a particular statement. Designer and accessible luxury handbags covered in logos became all the rage – and unfortunately, so did their counterfeit versions. The McBling aesthetic ultimately reflects a shift in American consumer behavior, depicting an extravagant and unprecedented level of mass consumption.
The McBling aesthetic is not solely about fashion though; it encompasses all parts of culture, including entertainment, music, art, and design. TV shows like MTV’s Cribs and Pimp My Ride, as well as braggadocious rap lyrics about women, fancy cars, money, expensive liquor, and other finer things in life, reflected hip hop culture’s mainstream explosion and primary influence on this aesthetic. Reality TV shows – not just about the rich and famous, but “regular” people as well – were voyeuristic yet novel, and brutally invasive paparazzi would do anything for the money shot. Vector art, Gothic fonts like Juicy Couture’s, tattoo-inspired motifs like Ed Hardy’s, and American flag-inspired clothing post-9/11 were consistent visual themes. Decor trends were opulent and Tuscan-inspired, à la Carmela Soprano’s home, or as seen in any of the Real Housewives of New Jersey’s kitchens. The housing bubble led to excessive building of oversized homes, aptly named McMansions because they were as ubiquitous as McDonald’s.
Examining aesthetics and trends of the past through a contemporary lens is complex. By understanding the cultural, social, and political factors that shaped the norms and conventions of the time, we can decide what we want to “bring back” and what we want to keep in the past. McBling’s revival today will not be the same as it was in its original 2000s form. Still, the 20-year trend cycle is always repeating itself, and like my Abercrombie & Fitch graphic tee from 2005 said, “I can’t live without my lip gloss.” I’m super excited that a beloved retro tech relic – cold, shiny, hard plastic – inspired the Nosta Beauty team to bring such a functional and fun product to life. The LIPSLIDER Lip Balm is a perfect representation of noughties nostalgia with a modern twist. Although I’m okay with leaving some trends behind (don’t talk to me about popcorn shirts) an amazing lip balm never goes out of style.
Nicole Tremaglio is a writer and cultural theorist who explores how pop culture, media, and technology impact individual and collective identity.