This Year in Pop Culture: 2009

It’s 2019 — “vape influencers” are performing juul tricks on Youtube, the President of the United States is in a Twitter Feud with Chrissy Teigen, and TikTok is still a thing. Many might yearn for a simpler time just a decade ago — a time when Lady Gaga’s meat dress was breaking news, and the greatest threat to young livelihoods was a Sims 2 addiction.

Yet beneath the noughties facade of tiger-stripe highlights and Classic Short Ugg boots lies a society still reeling from the global financial crisis in preceding years. Indeed, it is a stunning testament to the persistence of human creativity that in the same year that brought the most dramatic employment contraction since the Great Depression also blessed the canon with “Twilight” and “Party in the USA.” Could this be a coincidence? Was 2009 pop a disturbing hyper-capitalist escapist fantasy, or simply symptomatic of fragmented artistic and sociopolitical spheres? And when the bops are this good, does it matter?

Trump Sues a Reporter for Calling Him a Millionaire Instead Of A Billionaire

Remember when Donald J. Trump counted as pop culture? Even over two years into the presidency Trump’s 2009 hijinks aren’t without their novelty, with a highlight being his two-year, $5 billion defamation lawsuit (which he eventually lost) against journalist Timothy L. O'Brien, who stated in 2005 that Trump "was not close to being a billionaire.”

"My net worth fluctuates and it goes up and down with markets and with attitudes and feelings," Trump, in a deposition, remarked upon the dispute. "Even my own feelings." Truly, a man of the people.

Miley Cyrus Releases “Party in the U.S.A.” at Age 16

The Wikipedia page for Miley Cyrus’ hit 2009 single “Party in The U.S.A.” states, “The song is a pop song.” This statement is woefully inaccurate. “Party in The U.S.A.” is not a pop song — it is ‘the’ pop song, the sonic identity for all teens, past and present, who just want to “put (their) hands up.”

The dance anthem isn’t without its controversies — young Cyrus’ live performances involved pole dancing on an ice cream pushcart, to the disapproval of mothers of tweens across the land. In later years, “Party in the U.S.A.” saw a surprising resurgence in popularity following the death of Osama bin Laden, becoming an anthem in the fight against Al-Qaeda.

All of Your Friends Were Either Team Jacob or Team Edward

Remember when the “Twilight” franchise was the talk of the town — amongst Abercrombie-wearing tweenagers, at least? Whether you were a die-hard Stephanie Meyer fan or just really bought into the Taylor Lautner body transformation narrative (the man had to gain 30 pounds for “New Moon!”), it is undeniable that the cultural landmark that was “Twilight” transformed youth culture — as well as bringing back brunettes, paleness, and moss-green zip-up hoodies in a big way.

A Lot of Subpar Cinema Was Released, And We Lapped it Up

Why was “Avatar” such a big deal? As fun those reusable IMAX 3D glasses were, it is tricky to explain why millions flocked to see a generic hero-type fall in love with a 10-foot tall blue alien called Neytiri. Perhaps it was because there weren’t many other options for entertainment — also released in 2009 were “Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel,” which saw the Chipmunks enroll in American public high school and tackle bullying, as well as “Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian,” which is basically the same as the first movie except Ben Stiller is three years older. In all cases questionable content — but with a crazy-eyed earnestness that we’ve grown to love, or, in other words: peak 2009 energy.

—Staff writer Lauren V. Marshall can be reached at lauren.marshall@thecrimson.com.