Isn’t it strange how, even though we’re all spending lots of time alone, we’ve wound doing so many of the same quarantine trends? We’ve collectively tie-dyed all of our old tees; we’ve all messed up at least one at-home pink or purple hair project; and we’ve all scarfed down we-can’t-even-count how many loaves of banana bread. So, if you’ve already completed the aforementioned list, six additional summer quarantine trends we didn’t see coming but now can’t avoid.
6 Trends That Are Weirdly Blowing Up in Summer Quarantine
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Published Jul 29, 2020
Nintendo
1. ‘animal Crossing: New Horizons’
It makes sense that in times of complete chaos and pandemonium, people crave control. And what’s a better place to practice total oversight than your own little digital island inhabited by various anamorphic characters? That’s essentially the Zen-like premise of this real-time Nintendo Switch game, which sold 13.41 million copies since its 2020 release (over 11 million of those sales were made by the end of March, with no signs up letting up anytime soon). In her April 2020 review on Gamespot, Kallie Plagge writes, “I find myself turning to the game at night when I can't sleep, or during the day when I'm stressed and I need a break. More often than not, an adorable villager or even just a sense of accomplishment from finishing my chores will cheer me up.” Now, if only Nintendo Switches would stop selling out…
2. ‘what [blank] Are You?’ Instagram Accounts
Another born-out-of-stay-at-home-orders trend that addresses our most human need to look at a field of flowers and ask ourselves, “But what type of field would I be?” The “what [blank] are you?” These Instagram accounts taking over social media are somehow equally as pointless as they are more important than ever, which is apparently exactly what everybody needs right now. So, if you’ve been stuck inside wondering which cow is a Kristine, which dog is a La’Shaunae or which Britney is a Doug, fear not, Instagram has an answer for you.
3. Roller Skating
Quad skating has blown up so hard during quar —thanks to mesmerizing TikTok creators like Ana Coto, Oh.ThatsReese and KikiRolls—that snatching a pair means putting your name on a waitlist or hoping for a restock. No, seriously. If you want trendy skates, like these rose gold stunners from Impala, be prepared to wait for weeks (or even months) because the brand’s gorgeous collab with Cynthia Rowley is all sold out. Sad face. Alas, there’s always Amazon where you can snag these for $80.
Bev
4. Canned Wine Spritzers
Hmm. Last time we checked wine spritzers were peak early ‘90s sugar bombs. But we all know that trends are predictably cyclical, which explains why wine spritzers are not only back with a vengeance, but they’ve been totally reworked for our 2020 taste buds (and, OK, also our Instagram feeds). Take Bev, for example. Each flavor of the canned wine is sugar-free, celebrity-approved and actually really, really good. Don’t see them in a store near you? No worries, they ship for free.
Sofia Kraushaar
5. Foot Peels
Remember when Baby Foot was all the rage circa 2016? Well, the art of chemically removing dead skin is—just like wine spritzers—back en vogue. It makes sense when you think about it: I’d easier land on the moon myself than complete a successful at-home pedi—and getting a safe professional one is a coin toss. What’s the next best thing? Shedding excess layers of skin from our soles in an easy process (no scrubbing required) that’s simultaneously satisfying and kinda gross. We’ve heard this $10 Baby Foot dupe, Earth Therapeutics’ Soft & Smooth Gentle Peeling Foot Mask, is a miracle worker. Plus, since there’s a slow burn to the product, it gives you something to look forward to as you pine away in quarantine.
6. Cottagecore
The escapist home trend that embraces the pastoral simplicity of “way back when” with the abundance of indoor greenery can be best summed up as Little Red Riding Hood survived the wolf and became an interior decorator. And sure, the decor trend had already taken over TikTok and Instagram, but Taylor Swift’s surprise July album release, folklore, delivered cottagecore to new heights. The internet is abuzz with the record’s visual and sonic cottagecore aesthetic, and if you don’t believe us, watch Swift’s “cardigan” music video, which reeks of quaint old times mixed with a touch of magic.
7. Bread Frogs (aka Frog Bread)
Move over sourdough, our glutinous obsession has moved onto bread frogs. Another wildfire craze born of TikTok, a bread frog is a loaf of bread made to look like—you guessed it—a frog. That’s it. The more interesting thing is that there seems to be some overlap in bread frogging and cottagecore: This Redditor posted their frog bread creation in the cottagecore subreddit. Is cottagecore taking over the world? All signs point to yes…at least until the next home trend takes over.
