upworthy

the office

Pop Culture

Why have people dressed the same for the past 20 years?

The '50s and '70s were totally different as were the '60s and '80s. Why does it still feel like 2005?

via Canva

What year is it?

In 1974, “Happy Days” debuted on TV, and it was a nostalgic look back on the 1950s when greasers wore leather jackets, listened to Bill Haley and the Comets, and drank milkshakes at the local diner. It was a stark comparison to the feeling in the country at the end of the Vietnam War era, where long hair, fringe, and polyester were all the rage. The funny thing is that those eras were only about 20 years apart, but fashion, hairstyles, and culture had changed significantly.

A similar comparison to “Happy Days” could be made to “Dazed and Confused,” a film about teens in 1976 Texas who wore puka shells, satin shirts, and Kangol hats released in 1993 when young Americans were obsessed with grunge and hip-hop styles. But what if someone in 2025 made a film about 2005? Would there be a big difference in any of the fashions or hairstyles? How long would it take to notice that the film is set in the past?


Writer Jason Pargin ("John Dies in the End") recently had a viral hit on TikTok with a video asking whether fashion has changed in the past 20 years. He did so by showing the characters in “The Office” who could walk into any building in corporate America in 2025, and no one would think they’re a time traveler. “The only signifier of which era you're in is what kind of phones they're using and how big the monitors are on their desks,” Pargin notes.

@jasonkpargin

From dec 2023, we got some interesting theories on this

Some commenters felt that Pargin chose a poor example of stagnant style because office attire changes more slowly than streetwear. "The Office is a bad example because business casual hasn’t changed much," one commenter wrote. "Suits from the '60s still look about the same today, with fit slightly changing over the years. Office wear hasn’t changed much, but casual and fashion keep evolving."

Pargin’s video sparked a passionate discussion on various social media platforms. Many people on X felt that he was right and that culture had stagnated because of the internet.


Others agreed, referencing “stuck culture,” defined as “a perceived stagnation in cultural innovation, particularly in media, where there is a notable recycling of ideas and a lack of groundbreaking content.”



Some people say that styles have changed, especially among young people, but older people haven't noticed.


Pargin’s video inspired a response from TikToker Kevin Earl, who believes that economics has played a significant role in why fashion doesn’t change as quickly as it once did. In 2025, clothing is more likely to be mass-produced than in previous decades, and manufacturers want a sure thing, so they produce cheaper clothes that appeal to everyone.

“When considering mass-produced clothes, the kind of stuff available to everyone. Think about the clothes at big box stores like Target, Walmart, Old Navy, places like that. Most of the clothes for sale there have pretty much been the same the last 20, even 30 years. A lot of cheap, basic t-shirts, jeans, tank tops, stuff like that,” Earl says. “Basically, these big stores aren't trying to design and sell clothes that are human-centric. Rather, they're trying to squeeze as much profit as they can out of a minimum viable product.”

In a way, just like Hollywood has been churning out the same predictable superhero films for the past 20 years, clothing manufacturers have been doing the same for your wardrobe.

@kevinearl93

Why have people looked the same the last 20 years? #2000sfashion #2010sfashion #2020sfashion #jasonpargin



Living in a stagnating culture is a drag. But it does open up opportunities for excitement. A stagnating culture means anyone who does something fresh and exciting is bound to capture people’s attention. If the slow pace of change bums you out, take it as an invitation to create something that stands out and captures everyone’s attention. In a world that’s gone beige, a pop of color can really grab people’s attention.

From Your Site Articles
pop culture
Most Shared

Rainn Wilson slams racism denial with a 'chilling' photo of a noose hanging in his friend's yard.


Michael Loccisano/Getty (left) Rainn Wilson/Instagram (right)

This photo should strike terror in the heart of all of us, as it symbolizes a heinous piece of American history.

Rainn Wilson, the actor best known for playing Dwight Schrute on NBC's "The Office," has taken to Instagram with a photo and a story that reminds us that racism in America is unfortunately alive and well.

The photo shows a tree in the front yard of a suburban L.A. home with a noose hanging from one of its branches.

"So my friend Jamey texted me this photo," Wilson wrote. "Looks pretty innocent at first, right? But when you learn that he and his sister are African American, the photo turns instantly chilling. This was hung in a tree in her front yard in suburban Los Angeles, to be found by her seventeen year-old daughter."

Imagine being a 17-year-old Black American, stepping out your front door, and facing this scene. Would you feel safe? Would you feel protected? Would you feel that America is a place where racism isn't allowed to thrive?

You might feel understandably threatened. You might call the police with your concerns. That's what Wilson's friend did.

"When the police were called they said, essentially, 'what's the big deal?'" Wilson shared. "Yolanda lost it. What's the big deal? Well, officer, the noose is the symbol of lynching which was used to hang thousands of African Americans, especially by the Klan. Granted, this is a pretty lame noose. Might have been made by some local kids or something. Who knows. But the fact is it is as strong a symbol of racial hatred, violence and oppression as a Swastika."

Yes, this is 2019. And we still have to explain the history of lynching in America and why a noose hanging in a Black person's yard is, in fact, a big deal.

Wilson explained that far too many Americans are in denial about racism in the U.S.

"Many folks are in denial about the extent to which racism exists in our country in 2019," Wilson continued. "Just ask a Black Person. They will tell you stories."

(For the record, asking random Black people to share their stories of racism for your own education isn't actually a great idea. Basically, that's like asking people to open their wounds so you can look inside to make sure they're actually hurt. There are countless stories of racism that people have graciously shared online and in books that you can read without asking for extra emotional labor to be done. Alternatively, try truly befriending some Black people and wait for them to feel comfortable enough with you to open up and share.)

Wilson shared another story from his friend:

"Jamey told me today that last year, while playing golf, he was looking for his ball in the brush and a white guy who wanted to play through called out 'Hey, you can hurry up, we don't have you picking cotton anymore!' Not sure if he was trying to be funny or not but literally Jamey's great grandfather was an ACTUAL SLAVE on a plantation and was regularly beaten there. That's not that long ago. Great grandfather. And, perhaps, a relative or two of Jamey's were lynched. Or saw a lynching. Or heard of a lynching. And now, his niece gets to be reminded of what hate looks like. Right in her own front yard in suburban LA."


If your first response is to assume this story is a 'hoax,' think long and hard before sharing that thought.

People who want to deny that racism is a real thing are already twisting themselves into knots trying to call this story a hoax. Here's the problem with that:

1) Hanging a noose in a Black person's yard is racist no matter which way you slice it. Even if it was set up as some silly schoolyard joke, the joke itself is racist and harmful, and obliviousness to that fact is a clear manifestation of racism in our society.

2) Assuming or implying that a Black person you don't know would set this scene up themselves to get attention is a racist assumption. If you believe that Black people make these things up more often than not, then a) You clearly aren't close to very many Black people, and b) Your mental image of Black people is racist. If your automatic presumption is that this can't be true, then you you haven't been paying attention to the last several hundred of years of American history and/or you are looking at that history through a lens of white supremacy.

The impulse to automatically question or challenge a Black person's story is a racist impulse that needs to be checked.

And checking it really isn't that complicated. It's not hard to choose to listen to thousands of similar stories and believe them. It's not hard to recognize that racism didn't just magically disappear with the Civil Rights Act, especially since large numbers of people actively opposed its passage. It's past time to shift the benefit of the doubt toward the groups who have been demonstrably abused and silenced in our country, and to speak out against racism whenever we see it rear its head.

From Your Site Articles
Related Articles Around the Web
Most Shared

John Krasinski's scary hit movie has a heartwarming backstory about inclusion.

"A Quiet Place" features a deaf actress in a central role and it's a huge hit.

The horror thriller made over $50 million during its opening weekend, which is especially impressive for a movie that's not part of a franchise or a comic book. First-time director John Krasinski (aka Jim Halpert from NBC's "The Office") has received critical acclaim, particularly for insisting on casting Millicent Simmonds, a 14-year-old deaf actress, to play his character's daughter.

"After we landed on the concept, we had to define how people interacted in that world. How do you survive without sound?" co-writer Bryan Woods said. "The most important part of the film outside of its concept is the family and its issues. In our minds, the issues pre-date the monster event."

Simmonds' role gave the film more depth but also brought greater empathy for the deaf community.

Woods and co-writer Scott Beck said that Simmonds casting changed the on-set dynamic, helping highlight the experiences and challenges a person who is deaf can have outside the larger than life confines of their script.

"We always had a deaf character in the script, but John really pushed for them to hire Millicent," Beck said. "She came to set and taught everyone sign language. It was really amazing and brought an extra depth to the film."

The casting is also an important lesson about inclusion that Hollywood can learn from.

Even in 2018, building bridges of inclusion is a struggle in Hollywood. It would have been easy for Krasinski to cast an actress who wasn't deaf. But in pushing for authenticity, he gave a perfect opportunity to an actress like Simmonds while also opening up his cast to an experience that brought greater depth to their own roles.

Other films have faced backlash for being less inclusive. The forthcoming film "Anything" was criticized for casting a cisgender man in the role of a transgender woman — even though the film's producer is transgender. While those behind the film acknowledged the criticism, it's just another example that Hollywood has a long way to go in pursuing diversity across all facets of production.

It's not about saying "no" to anyone. It's about saying "yes" to a broader spectrum of voices and talents.

Audiences are supporting more diverse films with their hearts and their wallets.

Krasinski did the right thing and should be commended for that. And his screenwriters say it was smart creatively as well. Plus, over $50 million at the box-office is hard to argue with.

If the last few years have shown us anything it's that audiences are hungry for more inclusive forms of storytelling.

After all, "Black Panther" just passed "Titanic" on the all-time box office charts. With his own film, Krasinski showed us how to be more inclusive and he can take all of that goodwill straight to the bank.

Trending Stories