9 Things People Think Are Cool Now That They’ll Probably End Up Regretting In 10 - 15 Years
It only takes a decade to go from cool to cringe.
Unnati Sharma | Pexels Every generation has trends that don’t age well. Timeless and cool don't always coexist, unfortunately. What's awesome in the moment might become a joke to the generation that follows, and while millennials will cling to their skinny jeans with every fiber of their souls, it might be a while before the trend has a resurgence, if ever.
For example, remember when every guy wanted to be like Eminem in the early 2000s and got the Slim Shady bleach-blonde buzzcut? How about those super-thin eyebrows of the '90s? At the time, these trends were "hawt" as Paris Hilton would say, now, Gen Z would laugh you out of a room. Here's the thing with making fun of old trends, however: You have to be prepared to face the wrath that will come down on you in another 10 to 15 years. That's just how it works! Point your fingers now, because soon you will be the punchline. Here are nine examples of things that seem cool now, but likely won't age well in the next decade.
Here are 9 trends people think are cool now that probably won't be in another 10-15 years:
1. Dating apps
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Okay, starting off on a bit of a controversial note with this one because the hate for these apps has already started. However, swiping is still the only game in town unless you're willing to brave the real world and try dating in person. Most young people would rather not. In fact, data from the Pew Research Center found that a whopping 50% of single people are not interested in dating at all.
That number is likely significantly influenced by the fact that single people are getting more and more discouraged with online dating apps as they exist at this point in time. It's been proven, sadly, that dating apps are basically in the business of keeping their users single. I mean, that's literally how they make their money. It's exploitive and disheartening, but if you find true love, you aren't paying for an app. It's as simple as that.
As Time Magazine noted, "dating apps are losing their appeal." And this is especially prevalent with Gen Z users. In fact, a Statista survey found that only 29% of dating app users are Gen Zers, whereas nearly 70% are millennials. All this to say, dating apps are dying, and if Gen Z has anything to say about it, they are not going to be how people find relationships in another decade or so. Honestly, that might be a good thing.
2. Dubai chocolate
There’s no way people won't regret paying $30 for a bar of chocolate. The ones you find in stores barely have any real pistachio cream, if any at all. And if you think about it, this is something people are probably already regretting. They don’t even need years to realize it wasn’t a good idea.
Side note: This is not to say that Dubai chocolate isn't delicious. The problem is that the trendiness of it has made the price in the U.S. skyrocket, and buying it for the sole reason of sharing the trend on socials is not going to age well.
3. Overusing TikTok sounds
If you're trying to have a chill moment in your day but you keep hearing, "Nothing beats a Jet2 holiday," you might have to put TikTok down. Some sounds are just so overused.
These creators will have to, for lack of a better term, get more creative in the next decade or so. There's no way people won’t look back 10 years from now and cringe at the videos they made dancing to "Corvette Corvette."
4. Oversharing on socials
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Facebook selfies could be a part of this list, but they have been around for so long, and they just won't go away! Who knows, we might be seeing duck face again in another decade or so.
Instagram stories, TikToks, Reels — all these short-form videos have taken over. People will really share anything. It's as if TMI (too much information) didn't exist. They'll probably end up regretting some of it. Oversharing for many young people seems to be normal operating procedure nowadays, but as one Reddit commenter noted, "What’s particularly disturbing to me is the 'sharenting' — which, as I understand it, is the term for parents (usually moms) posting endless pictures of their children’s accomplishments. Those kids had no say in what got posted when they were 5, 7, and God forbid in their awkward tween/middle school years. But those pics will likely be 'findable' by others forever."
5. Gambling
This is not news. People have been gambling and regretting it for a long time. But there's a new deal: online gambling. It makes the activity almost too easy and too accessible, especially when it comes to online sports betting.
According to the American Psychiatric Association, more than a quarter of Americans gamble online daily. It's become easy to do it from your phone, and it will most likely be a source of regret.
6. Overrelying on AI
Using technology to make life easier is a good thing. AI is here to help in many ways. But as the saying goes, too much of a good thing can be disastrous.
Eugenia Rho, Assistant Professor, Department of Computer Science at Virginia Tech, explained, “With the power of LLMs comes the inherent challenge of managing our reliance on them. There is a potential risk of diminishing critical thinking skills if users depend too heavily on AI-generated content without scrutiny. Also, as these models are trained on vast amounts of internet text, they might unknowingly propagate biases present in their training data. Therefore, it is imperative that we approach the adoption of LLMs with a balanced perspective, understanding their subsumed biases and risks and ensuring that they complement human intelligence rather than replace it.”
7. Facial and body procedures
Plastic surgery is nothing new, and it isn't going anywhere, but the issue today is that social media is influencing beauty standards in a way it never has before. Remember when BBLs were all the rage? Now ultra-thin bodies are back. The problem with these trends coming and going is that extreme surgeries are dangerous and often not easily reversible. In fact, recent research has rocked the beauty space, arguing that even fillers that were thought to dissolve over time never actually fully do.
If you truly want to undergo a procedure and have thought it through, go for it. But if you're doing it out of spontaneity, you might regret it.
8. Veneers
If you had problems with your teeth to start with and then got veneers, you probably won't regret it. But if you grind down good, healthy teeth and glue fake ones on just to follow online trends, those super white chompers might not be as appealing 15 years from now, especially since veneers have to be replaced in about that same amount of time.
You know what's always in style? Taking good care of the teeth you have to ensure they last you a lifetime.
9. Perms
Many hoped this trend died after the big hair days of the '80s, but perms have made a major comeback. In fact, the recent trend is for boys to shave the sides of their heads and get a perm to make the top puffy. Although it may look cool to some, it might be a trend that leads to regret later on. Okay, it's only hair, and it will grow back, but the perming process still involves harsh chemicals that could result in negative reactions in some people. Sure, that's an outlier situation. Maybe the bigger issue is photos of your alpaca-looking head following you around for the rest of your life!
Look, if what makes you happy today is getting a Dubai chocolate bar because you want to try it and not miss the trend, go for it. Millennials are still wearing their skinny jeans and loving them after all.
Matt Machado is a writer studying journalism at the University of Central Florida. He covers relationships, psychology, celebrities, pop culture, and human interest topics.
