12 Things That Used to Be Cool in the 2000s, but Now They Just Make Us Smile

It might be difficult to believe, but the 2000s were 20 years ago. It was a remarkable time when people would spend nights at computer clubs, buy DVDs, and have their own rules of style. But it turns out that some things that we considered cool back then, now only bring a smile to our faces.

We at Bright Side feel a warm nostalgia about the ’00s and decided to tell our readers about the things that were insanely cool back then.

Similar design ideas were considered a sign of prosperity in the ’00s. It was especially chic to install a glossy stretch ceiling or a multilayered ceiling made of plasterboard in an apartment. And strip lights around the room were a must. Ceilings had different colors, from calm white to bright blue or red.

Rhinestones or thin beads were glued to a thin thread, which was then attached to the roots of the hair. If a person didn’t have enough money to go to a hairdresser, they could simply purchase hairpins at the store. And the boldest fashionistas secured rhinestones directly onto their hair with the help of special glue.

Now, hair accessories are in trend again. Thin rings adorn braids and all other kinds of hairstyles.

If you could change the back and the front panels of your phone in a couple of seconds, you were considered the coolest person around. Manufacturers used to produce several models of back panels and sell them in a set with a mobile phone. And more models were available for purchase at different marketplaces. Of course, they weren’t the best quality, but the variety of colors and patterns was breathtaking.

In the 2000s, fashionistas chose lipsticks that were either the shade of their skin color, or were a bit lighter. Nude lip-glosses, light beige, and white lipsticks were popular. And if you didn’t have enough money to buy beauty products, you could just cover your lips with your foundation to look gorgeous.

Text advertisements from viewers like, “I’m selling a garage,” that used to be broadcast at the bottom of TV screens, got replaced with SMS chats where young people communicated with each other or asked to broadcast their favorite music videos. Local channels realized that this trend was a gold mine and launched their own chats too. Guys there “were bored waiting for girls,” people sent birthday congratulations, and lonely hearts were looking for a soulmate.

You could buy DVDs with a bunch of films recorded on one disk. These DVDs might contain both classic movies and recently released films that you could still see in the movies. Of course, these were bootleg DVDs that sometimes had a poor image quality or a voiceover translation that was done by a single person. But who cares when you can buy 8 movies for the price of one movie ticket!

Put on striped knee-high socks and a pleated skirt and your fashionable look from the 2000s is ready. This trend was popularized by Avril Lavigne. And soon, young girls began to wear these socks not only on their feet, but also on their arms.

In the middle of the 2000s, this robotic singing fish was a bestseller. A similar thing was hanging on the wall in George Bush’s office and even appeared in the famous TV series The Sopranos. This device was invented by a former accountant, Joe Pellettieri. He sold more than a million copies of this thing in the year 2000 alone. You still can buy this fish nowadays.

In 2001, Apple released its first music player with 5 GB of memory that could play videos. Every middle school student dreamt of this device or of something very similar. In 2019, Apple released the 7th generation iPod.

These covers were especially popular among men who were over 35 years old. They were supposed to be fastened to the belt or to the loops in their trousers. The advantage of these covers was that a person was able to keep their phone far from their keys and coins, and always have it on hand. The disadvantage — scary stories about how mobile networks can harm men’s health.

If you weren’t a lucky PC owner, you could go to a computer club. These clubs looked like a few raw of computers connected to a local network. Pupils skipped their lessons, spent their lunch money, and lied to their parents saying that they stayed late at their friends’ house just to be able to spend time there.

Long straight blonde hair that was lighter than printer paper was in style. The most beautiful women had light lipstick and an intense fake tan. Cold blond hair, especially if the hair was dyed at home, was very harmful to their health. But who cared?

What did your 2000s look like?