Everything turning 25 in ’25

Including the London Eye, apparently

As I sat in front of the telly on New Year’s Eve, half asleep and ready to go to bed after the obligatory London fireworks, I was oddly impressed by this year’s display. Our serenity song, a cutesy Paddington cameo and a Brat reference– which intern do we have to thank?

The only thing more bizarre than seeing the London Eye illuminated in Brat green, was the surprising celebration of the wheel itself, which turned 25 that very evening. As a (clearly very unobservant) Londoner, I was blindsided. What do you mean, the London Eye is the ripe age of twenty-five? I have friends who are older.

For the entirety of my life, I assumed the landmark had existed forever, surrounded by bustling tourists, its pods peeking through skyscrapers and adding to the faded city skyline behind Primrose Hill. I was no longer half asleep after this revelation.

If anything, it got me questioning what else was turning 25 this year. I’m a sucker for throwback posts, anniversary editions and documentary specials, so I did some more digging. And, as it turns out, the year 2000 wasn’t just the start of a new millennium—it was a cultural reset.

As a 2003 baby, anything turning 25 this year would be three years my senior. Nevertheless, every single moment on this list has made its own mark on pop culture, inspiring the references and cultural comforts that raised me.

1. JLo’s Versace gown

It’s only appropriate to kick off this list with the fashion moment that singlehandedly kickstarted Google Images. JLo’s green Versace dress–with its plunging neckline and palm-printed chiffon– went internet viral before we knew what that meant, after she hit the Grammy’s red carpet in February 2000. Whether the look had you in a chokehold 25 years ago, or you’ve encountered it through countless reinterpretations in pop culture—celebrity Halloween costumes, RuPaul’s Drag Race, SNL sketches—it’s a ‘familiar face’ in fashion that we always welcome back. And if you don’t know, get to know.

from Pinterest

2. Oops!… I Did it Again

The single, the studio album and the space-age music video are all turning 25 this year, marking over two decades of iconic music and fashion inspiration from our noughties pop princess. With her famous red latex bodysuit and celestial makeup, Britney’s look was not only revolutionary, it gave me the confidence to try frosty eyeshadow as a kid (big mistake, oops). Side note: does anyone else absolutely love the dialogue with the astronaut before the final bridge in the song? I have to rewind it at least twice per listen.

3. Say My Name music video

Still riding high on the music wave, Destiny’s Child blessed us with one of the catchiest singles ever in ’99—but the music video for Say My Name didn’t drop until February 2000. Even 25 years later, the colour coordination in the video scratches an itch in my brain, and the trio remains my ultimate inspiration for going-out tops and low-rise jeans (lets be real, they basically invented the combo).

from Pinterest

4. Gilmore Girls

If there’s one thing to thank the year 2000 for, it’s the pilot episode of Gilmore Girls, which aired in October of that year. I imagine no autumn was ever the same again. Can you even imagine a bad day, or an October afternoon without an episode of Gilmore Girls? A Pinterest feed devoid of Rory Gilmore studying, or a fyp without edits of Jess Mariano? Unfathomable.

from Pinterest

5. Friends: The One with the Proposal

When we think of Friends, we often think 90s, yet the four noughties years leading up to its final episode in 2004 were no less iconic. After all, season 6 (which aired sometime in 2000) brought us the sweetly emotional two-part special: The One with the Proposal. In the two episodes, we witness the Friends eat Monica’s engagement ring, a surprise appearance from Richard, and not one, but two proposals.

It makes my heart happy to know that, in Friends-land, Monica and Chandler would be celebrating their silver anniversary this year.

from Pinterest (this scene makes me sob so hard)

6. Bring It On

It’s hard to believe that the iconic cheerleader flick starring Kirsten Dunst and Gabrielle Union is turning 25—perhaps because of its endless sequels and spin-offs. While all six sequels (including the Halloween TV special) have failed to include the original it-girls, both Union and Dunst have recently revealed that they’re down for a reboot. And honestly, what better way to celebrate its 25th birthday than with a fresh round of spirit fingers?

7. The Sims

The life-simulation game that defined a generation debuted in February 2000, letting us create and live vicariously through virtual lives. In honour of this momentous occasion, I want to see a lot more green diamond headbands in 2025.

8. Bridgerton books

Thanks to Netflix, we’ve been well-acquainted with Bridgerton since 2020. But OG fans of the books know that the first two novels in the series (The Duke and I and The Viscount Who Loved Me) are actually a quarter of a century old. Not only were the OGs decades early to the Anthony Bridgerton fan club, they could enjoy the paperbacks way before they were Netflix-fied with modern covers and fake stickers.

me when my books have fake stickers

9. The Grinch (live action)

This movie has never really landed with me, yet it felt right to include now we’re feeling the post-Christmas blues. The film starring Jim Carrey and Taylor Momsen (aka little Jenny Humphrey from Gossip Girl) debuted in 2000 and became an instant holiday classic thanks to Carrey’s eccentric magic. That said, there’s still some time before we hit this milestone.