Nostalgia as a cure

The 2016 throwback flood signals a longing for a version of life that felt both hopeful and emotionally safe

- Saumya Dubey

A new year has begun, but the internet seems to have gone back to 2016. Indian celebrities such as Kareena Kapoor Khan, Alia Bhatt and global stars like Kylie Jenner are posting throwback pictures from that era: the flower crown and dog-ear Snapchat filters, Mannequin Challenge videos, black plastic chokers, blurry mirror selfies. People confident enough to share their “cringe” phases are having the most fun, openly laughing at and reliving versions of themselves they've long outgrown.

But this trend signals something beyond just fashion, filters, or aesthetics. The collective return to 2016 signals a longing not just for a year, but for a version of life that felt emotionally safer and more hopeful. In a time marked by burnout, economic anxiety, pandemic aftershocks, and a constant sense of global instability, looking backward becomes a form of comfort, and memory becomes a place of refuge.