This image released by Marvel Studios shows, front row from left, Danai Gurira, Chadwick Boseman, Chris Evans, Scarlet Johansson and Sebastian Stan in a scene from “Avengers: Infinity War.” (Chuck Zlotnick/Marvel Studios via AP)
College goes by very quickly, a feeling our seniors know all too well. When the Class of 2018 were freshmen, pop culture was not too dissimilar from today. So instead of looking at the future, take a second to look back to a simpler time—2014.
2014 was a big year for movies. Marvel films like “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” and “Guardians of the Galaxy” came out in the spring and summer of 2014. Four years later, Marvel is still pumping out films, most notably last week’s release of “Avengers: Infinity War.” Other superhero movies like “The Amazing Spider-Man 2” were released during this time, but sadly the film ended up not being quite as amazing as everyone had hoped. Now, in 2018, we have moved on from Andrew Garfield to Tom Holland, who took up the role of the titular character in “Spider-Man: Homecoming” about one year ago.
“Rude” by MAGIC! and Pharrell Williams’ “Happy” could often be heard pumping through the radio in 2014. Taylor Swift released her album “1989” towards the end of the year, marking her first departure from country music. In 2018, Swift seems to be channeling her pre-2014 self, collaborating on the country song “Babe” with Sugarland.
In a similar vein, 2014 saw the release of many memorable music videos. Sia’s “Chandelier,” Meghan Trainor’s “All About That Bass” and Iggy Azalea’s “Fancy” had become popular at the time, racking in a large number of views on each artists’ YouTube page. Of course, it would be impossible to talk about music videos in 2014 without discussing Nicki Minaj’s video for “Anaconda.” Several of these artists are still popular in 2018, but have not released any music videos that are quite as memorable.
While 2018 may have been a big year for Kylie Jenner and Khloe Kardashian, Kim Kardashian took the spotlight with her May 24 marriage to Kanye West and infamous “Break the Internet” cover for Paper Magazine. Four years later, the Kardashians are still one of the most famous families in the United States.
When the Class of 2018 were freshmen, jumpsuits, crop tops and overalls had recently come back into fashion. While you don’t see nearly as many jumpsuits nowadays, a lot of 2014 fashion is still prevalent four years later. One of the most significant fashion trends of 2014 was the emergence of athleisure, which might just be the most popular style on college campuses.
2014 was a simpler time—Iggy Azalea was still relevant, the Marvel Cinematic Universe had only released 10 movies and Pharrell Williams’ “Happy” could put just about anyone in a good mood. The UConn class of 2018 were still freshmen, excited and nervous for their first day of college. Four years later, these students are again nervous for whatever the future may hold. Even though 2018 is uncertain, we can all find some solace in the fact that athleisure might be here to stay.
Lauren Brown is a staff writer for The Daily Campus. She can be reached via email at lauren.brown@uconn.edu.
