As the year draws to a close, let’s take a moment and hold space for the pop culture moments that defined 2024.
It’s been quite a year. At times, it seemed like the year was dragging on. But now that we’re here at the end, it’s like it just flew past. Even writing this article was a bit difficult because I had to ask myself whether some things really happened this year. But here we are, just after Christmas and ready to welcome the new year. But before we do that, let’s take a nostalgic look at the year that’s been and recount the pop culture moments that defined 2024.
From Moo Deng to a man in finance, these are the top pop culture moments of 2024
Moo Deng
True to her slippery nature, Moo Deng came out of nowhere and captured the hearts of everyone around the world. Her antics like biting the keeper’s knee despite not having teeth to her love of hose water have made her a global sensation and one of the most memorable characters on Saturday Night Live. Many have tried to match her virality. The golden tiger Ava has been eyed by some as a possible successor to her throne. Pesto the chonky penguin was also a contender. But so far, no one has overtaken Moo of the House of Deng.
Holding space for Wicked
We’re with you, Ariana Grande. We’re still not exactly sure what this means but we do seem to resonate with it. A journalist’s question to Cynthia Erivo during the Wicked press junket has become an internet sensation much like the film itself. People have since been holding space for the lyrics of “Defying Gravity” everywhere they go, whether it’s in their hearts or in restaurants. Again, we’re still not sure what it means.
Demure and Mindful
Perhaps it may have not been a very cutesy year but it was the year when everyone started saying “very demure, very mindful”. TikTok creator Jools Lebron is the one who originated the trend, and much like anything that happens on TikTok these days, it spread like wildfire. It has since overstayed its welcome and many have grown annoyed when it’s being said. You could say that saying it is not very demure or very mindful anymore.
The Dune popcorn bucket
When the design of this popcorn bucket was unleashed into the world, people thought that it must surely be a joke. It wasn’t, and it has since gone down as one of the most infamous design choices in… well, the history of design. As fun as it is to eat and share popcorn in a theater, we’re pretty sure no one wanted to do that while shoving their hands down a suspicious-looking sphincter.
The (second) fall of Bennifer
This is where I wish I could put a gif because the Tyra Banks “We were rooting for you!” gif sums up what we all feel. The news that Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez gave their relationship another go after 20 years gave many of us hope, a glimmer of light in the dark times we’re living in. That hope and light were extinguished this year when they divorced after two years of marriage. But now there’s reports that everything might be fine, but there’s also news that Ben is getting cosy with his other ex-Jen, Jennifer Garner. Seriously, what is happening?
Looking for a man in finance
Did that girl who made this declaration ever find her man in finance with a trust fund? Whether she did or didn’t, it spurred everyone to share her aspirations and to make a catchy remix of her words that everyone on TikTok danced to. Here’s hoping that some out there actually found what they were looking for—or at least decided to look into how they could start a trust fund.
Raygun
Many things happened in this year’s Olympics but all of it was overshadowed by the breaker Rachael “Raygun” Gunn. Her moves, if they can even be called that, became the, uh, talk of the town when she competed in the Olympics. She earned a whopping zero points but was still named Australia’s top breaker after the Olympics. An unsanctioned musical about her life was in the world but she put a stop to that. Shame. We could have been only a few years away from Jon Chu’s film adaptation.
The bathtub scene in Saltburn
I’m not sure if those who watched Saltburn have ever recovered after seeing it. But social media was flooded with reaction videos because of that infamous bathtub scene. Everyone showed it to their parents and got their reactions on video. We haven’t even mentioned the graveyard scene. And yes, while the movie did premiere in theatres in the US in November 0f 2023, it wasn’t until it was out on Prime Video in January of this year that everyone got access to it. Thus began the “Bathwater Slurp-O-Rama of 2024”.
That Willy Wonka experience in Glasgow
We’re bound to have some sort of Fyre Festival every few years or so. 2024 marked the infamous disaster that was the Willy Wonka Experience in Glasgow. It was definitely an experience, just not the experience advertised in its AI-generated poster.
Elmo checking in on everyone
Elmo is just checking in! How is everybody doing?
— Elmo (@elmo) January 29, 2024
The year started with an innocent tweet from a beloved Muppet, Elmo. That opened the floodgates for everyone on the Platform Formerly Known as Twitter to trauma-dump on the three-year-old red-furred monster. It wasn’t pretty. Let’s see if Elmo tweets it again in 2025. I’m sure everyone has a lot to say.
Ryan Gosling’s Oscar performance
Everyone was rooting for “I’m Just Ken” to get nominated for an Oscar. Was it necessarily so that it could win? Not really, but it was more so that Ryan Gosling would have to perform it during the ceremony. Sure enough, it did get nominated, and Ryan performed it alongside the other Kens with the sparkle and sublimeness we all were expecting.
The return of Oasis
We said maybe… but then it came true. Contentious brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher seemingly put their differences aside (for now) and announced an Oasis world tour. The question now is whether they’ll continue to be on good terms between now and the end of the tour. Anything can happen and fans are keeping their fingers crossed that Liam and Noel can at least kick off the tour first.
The (alleged) Barry Keoghan and Sabrina Carpenter break up
Guess he did prove her right. The internet swooned over Barry and Sabrina‘s lowkey yet sizzling romance so it makes sense that everyone is quite upset now that breakup rumours are swirling about. Nothing is confirmed yet but internet sleuths have been eating it all up—and not necessarily in a good way. Barry has gotten off Instagram due to the harassment he’s been getting.
Brat Summer
If you weren’t very demure and mindful this year, you might have had a Brat summer. This trend is inspired by Charli XCX’s album Brat. It hasn’t only taken over social media but even politics — we’re looking at you Kamala Harris. Collins Dictionary even made “Brat” its word of the year, defining it as “characterised by a confident, independent, and hedonistic attitude.” The word itself has a negative connotation but “Brat summer” moved away from this and instead highlighted empowerment and enjoying life fuelled by the bright green aesthetic and high-energy dance beats of Charli XCX’s album.
Which of these pop culture moments made your 2024?
[Hero image: Khao Kheow Zoo]
The information in this article is accurate as of the date of publication.
