For some reason, the internet has officially hit the rewind button. If your feed is currently a blur of Snapchat puppy filters, velvet chokers, and the Rio de Janeiro filter, you aren’t alone. As of January 2026, pictures and trends from 2016 have completely taken over social media, with celebrities re-posting a series of unseen images from their younger, pre-debut days.
Bollywood joins the nostalgia wave
Indian celebrities are jumping onto the trend in a big way, sharing rare archives from their pre-debut days. Ananya Panday recently broke the internet with a massive photo dump with the caption, “2016 was really it man.” Her post featured everything from the iconic flower crown filter to unseen moments with Suhana Khan, Shanaya Kapoor, and a young AbRam Khan.
Khushi Kapoor also joined the movement, posting a series of cooler 2016 photos that prompted a hilarious reaction from sister Janhvi Kapoor, who commented, “Why is everyone doing this?”
Meanwhile, Sonam Kapoor took a more sentimental route, reflecting on 2016 as the year Neerja released and she realised she was falling in love with now-husband Anand Ahuja.
Even Kareena Kapoor jumped on the trend, posting throwbacks from her 2016 pregnancy. At this point, the Indian internet is a full-blown lo-fi time capsule.
The global resurgence of 2016 posts
On the global stage, the trend is being fueled by the OGs of the 2016 aesthetic. Kylie Jenner has been leaning back into her King Kylie persona while Kendall reposted her 2016 Vogue cover on her stories.
Other high-fashion models like Karlie Kloss and singers like Khalid have posted 2016 retrospectives, celebrating their graduation years and early career milestones. The trend has even revived the Mannequin Challenge on TikTok, with creators freezing in place to Rae Sremmurd’s Black Beatles just like they did a decade ago.
Where did the trend start?
One viral clip by creator @taybrafang, posted on December 31, 2025, features a montage of iconic 2016 moments, from the Musical.ly logo and flower crown selfies to Desiigner’s hit song Panda. The post, captioned “A decade ago TONIGHT,” sparked a wave of comments from users proudly declaring their love for “2016Tok.”
Others have joined in, reviving the internet’s early viral culture with the Snapchat dog filter, bottle flip challenge, and retro fashion staples like skinny jeans and chokers. Songs such as Panda, Black Beatles, Lean On, Starboy, and Love Yourself have also made a comeback as the soundtrack for this digital throwback. It seems that in 2026, the coolest thing you can be is exactly who you were ten years ago.
