Respect Authority

Believe it or not, but thick plastic frames were once called “emo glasses.” This is, of course, before everyone from Bono to Kanye West to your very own mother started wearing them. Trends come and go, and in the case of atrocities like JNCO jeans, we can only hope they’ll stay gone. And while it seems like everybody was riding a fixed gear bike this year, there were actually a few other things that were popular as well, and not all of them so prone to killing their overeager adopters in traffic.

imamoron.com
I’m old enough to remember a time when the most valuable thing on the internet was a short and succinct domain name. In 2008, however, the hottest thing in marketing seemed to be registering an overly specific and disposable domain name. Eventually showmehowtosavemoneyonmycarinsurance.com and whatisthecloverfieldmonster.info became fodder for cheeky college kids (and campaign staffers), creating the easiest laughs in 2008 - ironicphrase dot com. — lou

Gladiator Sandals
Typically when I daydream about obnoxious 20-something females getting their limbs caught in high-powered escalators, there’s no real chance of my fantasies becoming reality. But when gladiator sandals hit the streets this summer, suddenly seeing a fashion-forward hipster lose their leg to heavy machinery wasn’t such a far-fetched idea. You know who actually wears gladiator sandals? Gladiators. You know who should wear gladiator sandals? No one. — kira

Voting
It was a tough decision between voting and neon colored wayfarers, since god knows everybody couldn’t get enough of those this year. Ultimately, however, voting’s sudden popularity benefited the world just a little bit more. Whether it was due to everybody simply being terrified by the hot breath of Armageddon on our necks or because, this time, Puff Daddy wasn’t threatening to kill us if we didn’t vote, we may never know. But at least one thing is for certain: the world is still very much ending. Does anybody else miss Pogs? — aaron

Well fellow patriots, that wraps up our favorites for the year. Thanks for reading… if you actually did, that is. Now, don’t forget to get good and plastered tonight, throw up all over your nice new dress, and in general make a fool out of yourself in front of everyone you know. You gotta have some fodder for those New Years resolutions, after all.