The end of a year means the dawn of latest fashion trends, new favorite movies, opening of restaurants, and debuts of songs. Before you go into the new year thinking about all the futuristic things to come, take a look back on the year of 2017: The best songs, local restaurants, fashion trends, tv-shows, and movies. According to myself, Iris Yu (‘19), Jackson Deely (19’), and Vivian Keegan (‘20), here are some of the greatest trends in 2017.

Best Songs

     In 2017, there were several major songs that took over the music industry at different times. Yu believes that one of the most popular songs of this year was “8TEEN” by Khalid from his album American Teen. The album, released on March 3rd, 2017, was a massive hit during the summer months because of its upbeat and carefree vibe.  

     Another popular artist of 2017 is Camila Cabello. She left her former band, Fifth Harmony, in December of 2016, and began working on her own album, Camila. A popular hit from this album was “Havana.” Keegan says, “it’s a song that’s easy to learn the words to, making it very fun to sing with your friends.” She adds that, “it also has a good tune and it’s fun to dance to.” This song features a popular rapper, Young Thug, which allows the song to attract different types of audiences.

     “Humble” by Kendrick Lamar, from his album DAMN. COLLECTORS EDITION, rose to number eight on itunes for most popular songs listened to in 2017. “Humble” is a pump up song perfect for listening to prior to an athletic event. This song makes you confident and ready to compete. “Humble” is about Lamar’s “humble” beginning before he was famous, to his successfulness in the music industry.

Popular Local Restaurants

     I noticed that downtown Portsmouth, New Hampshire, seemed to claim the prize for the most visited restaurants by Oyster River students in 2017. I observed an increase of people throughout Oyster River High School who either became vegan or vegetarian this past year, or already were. Because of the veganism and vegetarianism spike, people were interested in the rather recent opening of the vegetarian restaurant, Green Elephant. Green Elephant has dishes with various flavors derived from Thailand, China, India, and Malaysia. In what I have seen, most are skeptical of the restaurant at first, especially those who are not vegetarian or vegan, but the spicy noodle dishes and chocolate mousse pie make up for any concern.

     Flatbread Company is another popular restaurant, serving brick fired pizza made with locally sourced ingredients.  The restaurant is rather large, making it easily accessible for larger parties and roomy for small parties.  Flatbread is located in the heart of downtown Portsmouth, which is, “a very fun place to walk around. [Flatbread] has a wide variety menu and delicious food,” said Keegan. The Jay’s Heart pizza, a classic cheesy pizza with a flat, buttery crust, is a fan favorite.

Fashion Trends

     The latest fashion trends are constantly changing, and this year in particular fashion trends from the 80’s, 90’s and early 2000’s were brought back. You can check out Abby Schmitt’s article on Oyster River High School Fads, for more insight on this topic by clicking on this link: https://mor.news/2017/11/17/oyster-river-high-school-fads/.

     Scrunchies became a trend in the late 80’s through the 90’s. Scrunchies are a great way to accessorize on the wrist or dress up a simple pony tail or half up half down hairstyle. A style that goes perfect with a scrunchie are the off the shoulder tops. According to Yu, the off the shoulder top was desired because “(the shirts) flattered all body types.”

     Another item that was brought back from the 1960’s are jean jackets. Jean jackets can be worn with almost any piece of clothing; people have even taken it to the next level by wearing jean on jean outfits. Jean jackets are a stylish way to add to a simple outfit, and a way to keep warm for both males and females.

     For males specifically, there was not a certain fashion trend that stood out to me. I did notice a significant number of males wearing the brand Polo and Nike. A popular amount of males and females favor the Nike style sneakers. According to Deely, “people seem to be veering into the lane of comfort clothing while still staying stylish.”

     Velvet is another type of style that is seen on almost an everyday basis. “Velvet skirts, sweaters, tops, and dresses have all become very popular this year. I have never worn velvet before this year, nor have my friends or the people around me,” explained Keegan. Keegan went on further to describe the feeling of the velvet material, “it’s super cute, comfortable and functional.”

Best Tv-Shows and Movies

     The top movie of 2017 according to Deely was “Star Wars-The Last Jedi.” It was released on December 14th, 2017, making it the tenth Star Wars movie created. “Star Wars is an obvious answer because it’s literally breaking box office records, but I think that it was talked about so much that it definitely made it a much bigger deal,” justified Deely. Star Wars attracted a large audience because of the spectrum of ages who follow the movie series.

     For the top tv-shows, it seemed to be a three way tie among Yu, Keegan, and Deely. “Thirteen Reasons Why”, “Stranger Things”, and “Riverdale” were their top picks. Thirteen Reasons Why caused people to talk, and the social media really brought this show to its peak. The show tackled the sensitive topic of teenage suicide, and that caused people to talk about it. It is one of the only shows directed towards teenagers that addressed this topic. Administration sent out an email to the ORHS school district recently after the show was released with their concerns about the series.

     “Stranger Things”, the second season being released in 2017, is a unique show that caught everyone’s attention because of its mystery and suspense. The show is classified as a science-fiction horror. It is based on elements in a supernatural world that a group of middle schoolers attempt to explore and save their friend who got pulled into the “upside down” as they call it. This thriller is perfect for teenagers, and even a favorite for adults.

     “Riverdale” is the next preferred show of this past year. This series is a teen drama mystery, captivating the audience of most teenagers. “Riverdale” captures the dramatic and romantic side of high school, but greatly intensified. “It’s a show with action and thrill. It creates a sense of high school drama and romance; connecting most good show genres in one,” revealed Keegan.

     2017 had some significant moments, notable fashion trends, favorite tv-shows, movies, and trending songs. As you go into the new year, remember your best moments of 2017, learn from the setbacks, and look forward to new things to come in 2018.