5 Things You Could Only Get Excited About In The 2000s

If you’re the kind of person who is always looking for an excuse to flip through old photos or revive vintage styles, you’re in for an exciting treat: Turning Red, Disney and Pixar’s latest (and hilarious) animated film, will have you feeling incredibly nostalgic for the early 2000s. Turning Red tells the tale of Mei Lee, a lovable, dorky 13-year-old who is stuck in that strange spot between being a dutiful daughter to an uber-protective mother and the chaos of adolescence. As if navigating middle school and all of the changes that come with it isn’t already enough to deal with, Mei Lee has a habit of turning into a giant red panda whenever she gets too excited. (Which, as you can imagine, is quite often if you remember how passionate you were about boy bands at 13.) In honor of Mei Lee and her tendency to get extremely excited, let’s take a walk down memory lane and think about all of the things that got you pumped up enough to turn into a giant red panda in the early 2000s.

1. Handheld Digital Pets

Whether you’re currently the proud parent of a houseplant, pet, or actual human baby, you probably owe a lot of your responsibility to the first thing you had to keep alive: your handheld digital pet. When your little pixelated friend needed food or discipline, you simply had to drop whatever you were up to, but the payoff was always worth it.

2. Hearing Your Favorite Boy Band Hit On The Radio

Sure, you could carry your portable CD player around all day, but if that bad boy ran out of batteries, it was up to your local radio DJ to make sure you heard your favorite song. There was seriously nothing better than hopping in the car after school just in time to catch the beginning of a tune that had been stuck in your head all day. (Side note: Mei Lee’s favorite band is a group called 4*Town, and you’re probably going to love them, too.)

3. Seeing Your Crush Sign Onto Instant Messenger

Lovebirds have it so easy these days. You can slide into someone’s DMs 24 hours a day, seven days a week. But in a time when instant messaging platforms reigned supreme, the world truly felt like your oyster when you got a notification alerting you that your crush had signed on.

4. Slap Bracelets

Slap bracelets really took accessorizing to the next level. What other piece of jewelry doubled as a fashion statement and an activity that could potentially get you in trouble at school? Waiting for the perfect moment to slap one on a friend’s wrist was as thrilling as it could get.

5. Putting Body Glitter On For Any Occasion

Quick question: When did we stop wearing body glitter? If awkwardly swaying around a middle school gym was enough of an excuse to roll some on, there are probably tons of reasons you could wear it in your adult life. Just a thought.

For even more early aughts nostalgia, stream Disney and Pixar’s Turning Red on Disney+, available March 11!