Here's some examples:

- Someone considered Skins (a British live action drama series that ran from 2007 to 2013) as "early 2000s".- I've seen someone complain about how everyone in Winx Club tends to wear crop tops, and this was responded by "it was the fashion of the 2000s" - crop tops AFAIK were nowhere to be seen like from 2005 onwards.

- A game series called S.T.A.L.K.E.R. was quoted by a lecturer of mine as being from the "early 2000s" - the first game I believe came out in 2007, although I guess it was likely in development earlier on in the decade.

- Emo is considered early 2000s by some people when the happy-go-lucky aesthetic of the 90s still lingered as late as 2004 or 2005.

Things that probably capture the 2000s aesthetic better:

- The video game F.E.A.R. (if not for its AI then at least for its gritty and sombre aesthetic) - 90s games were probably more known for being more outlandish and adventurous with realism either being deemed undesirable or unattainable or both.

- The artist Boys Like Girls - compared to like 90s grunge rock, pop punk which dominated the 2000s has a rather cutesy sound to it, likely coinciding with the whole "metrosexual" thing I guess too; gender non-conformity was not something I think was a thing so much in the 90s. If not that, then another flavor of 2000s pop punk existed which I can't exactly describe. It didn't sound as cutesy but it still sounded different (I think a little more complex) compared to 90s grunge rock.


- Doctor Who from Christopher Eccleston to David Tennant - OK, this is just one TV series but I don't remember much TV and movies I have to admit at the moment. Still, it's full of 2000s aesthetic at the very least, even licensing a few 2000s pop songs too.

I do think that it's motivated in part by language. We don't have a short and catchy word for it in English that doesn't sound awkward. If not that then I guess it was a throwaway decade - people wanted to get the 2000s over with as soon as possible likely because of politics but something else too which I'm not sure about. As a result, no one bothers to try and even remember it correctly or whatever.

I think people love the 2010s at least because it's more inclusive and accepting of "weirdness" and "quirkiness". I can understand that but the rest of the 2010s aesthetic doesn't really appeal to me.


I should be a little more forgiving (a lot of what people think is 90s is actually 80s and vice versa) but the 80s and 90s were remembered fondly by people likely since the West was still in a period of political stability at the very least compared to the 2000s and perhaps the 2010s. I could wait some more years but I feel like the 30 year rule for nostalgia is holding truer than the 20 year rule - the 2010s was filled with references to 80s pop culture and aesthetics, I'll have to wait until I reach my 30s or 40s just to relive the 2000s  :( .

Join the club. I’m the same way with mistakes about the 1980s and 1990s.