25 2021 Trend Predictions vs. Reality

2021 Trend Predictions

By: Staff

With 2020 turning our world completely upside down, predictions for 2021 were either random or completely COVID-19 based. We’ll be taking a look at which predictions reigned true and which ones were completely far-fetched.

As the majority of the world switched to working from home (including students), keeping up on physical fitness became a bit of a challenge. Gyms closed or restricted their times and capacity, which proved to be a decline in motivation for many. Classes for school moved online and left students sitting or lounging at home. From walking to and from classes to sports and lifting for athletes, no in-person school meant little to no movement.

Popsugar wrote in the beginning of the year predicting that people would be switching to low-impact cardio, yoga, quick runs outside, stretches and light free weights to compensate for their “6 am boot camps and sweaty Spin classes.”

According to www.runrepeat.com, “..from 4,583 adults surveyed from 122 countries in August this year, over half of them now prefer to complete some sort of exercise activity outdoors instead of doing a gym sesh.” Is this because of a new love for “quarantine walks” and at-home workouts?

Activities like hiking, running or even a simple outdoor walk were popular to 60% of the adults surveyed. Up to 49.6% also improved their indoor fitness equipment. Popsugar was half right with their prediction as many adults did switch to outdoor or at-home exercises. However, the intensity of their exercises did not exactly change, which Popsugar did not see coming. 2021 offered new fitness opportunities and routines that proved to be more accommodating to anyone’s lifestyle!

Popsugar also made their predictions for the entertainment industry within the same article. TikTok, as they predicted, is now one of the biggest social media platforms with an ability to reach millions of users at once with the same “sound.” As written by www.inputmag.com in September, “Americans are now spending more time watching TikToks than Youtube videos.” This may be because of TikTok’s video timing being between one and three minutes, compared to longer videos on YouTube. 2021 audiences do not want to waste time, and TikTok satisfies a short attention span. University of St. Francis junior, Jessica Scroppo, states, “Tik Tok is perfect for when I want to relax. I only have to watch a video for a few seconds or minutes. It’s passive entertainment.”

Additionally, TikTok seems to have the advantage of recommending videos specifically for their users’ tastes. The app is famous for their “For You Page” (fyp). Viewers are fed videos of content curated to their liking based on their follows and interactions within the app. DIYs, funny videos or product reviews are at your fingertips, just “for you.” The new platform has proven to be effective; According to a report from www.appannie.com, Americans, on average, now spend 24 hours on TikTok a month, compared to 22 hours on YouTube. TikTok is whatever you want it to be- entertainment, a distraction, a laugh or even self-care.

Beauty trends continued throughout 2021 in a climate that was seeking self improvement. In the beginning of the year, Forbes released an article that interviewed beauty experts on what they thought would dominate the beauty industry.

2021 Trend Predictions

vs. Reality

All experts agreed on one thing: skincare would rule the year.

An increase in tailored skincare products and less consumption of makeup products to “cover up” became the popular opinion of most beauty influencers. Preventative skincare, like sunscreen or retinol, have been pushed in the consumer market. According to Dr. Dendy Engelmen for www. wellandgood.com, “..many have accumulated enough sun or environmental damage to trigger visible signs of aging, and how you treat your skin—either by furthering damage or preventing it—sets the stage for how you age.” Using these anti-aging, protective products can help prolong inevitable aging.

Let’s not forget the TikTok skin care trends of the year that sold out shelves of popular brands. According to www. cbinsights.com, “CeraVe, e.l.f. Cosmetics, and The Ordinary have moved up in the rankings, becoming some of the top skincare brands for teens over the past year, largely thanks to influencers on the platform. Meanwhile, Peace Out Skincare saw sales for its pore strips quadruple in just 24 hours after it was endorsed by TikTok “skinfluencer” Hyram Yarbro, while another teenager’s viral video drove nearly $850K in sales for The Ordinary.” University of St. Francis senior, Elizabeth Ponce, shares, “I absolutely love my new skincare routine. Half of the products I use I found thanks to TikTok!”

Due to increased usage of masks, “maskne” (acne from wearing masks for a prolonged time) became a popular skin problem that many had to face. The stresses of the year wreaked havoc on many faces. However, the daily habit of using a skincare routine has many people leaving 2021 with great skin and better attitudes.

2021 has been relatively predictable through trends. One thing that won’t stay in 2021 is how these trends affect our lives and our ability to improve throughout each year.