13 HECTIC PICTURES THAT PROVE POP CULTURE WAS AT ITS BEST IN THE 2000S

The first decade of this century saw the advent of social media, the birth of cult classics… and plenty of celebrity drama.

Pop culture in the noughties was truly a sight to behold. It was the era of mega-star mania, tabloid supremacy and totally unfiltered and utterly bizarre reality TV shows for the masses to consume.

It’s hard to believe there was a time when British reality shows were in their (truly unhinged) heyday, the Kardashians were yet to make their name and Britney was releasing banger after banger.

It was the decade that brought us endlessly quotable classics like Mean Girls, The Devil Wears Prada and Freaky Friday and got the British public hooked to their TV sets with the thoroughly chaotic Big Brother.

In short, where would we be today without the naughty noughties?

As we inch further and further away from the turn of the century, 00s nostalgia has never felt so good. So sift out those low-rise baggy jeans, flip open your razor phone and come with us as we go back in time.

Kylie Minogue kicking the decade off with a bang

Picture this. It’s the year 2000, the general public has left the 1900s behind and is looking towards a bright, bright future. In comes Australian pop legend Kylie, and casually drops the ultimate feel-good anthem – Spinning Around.

The song became her first number one in a decade and she spun everyone right round like a record on the Top of the Pops (rip) stage for a crowd-pleasing live performance dressed in a glistening crop top and black pants.

The Comeback Queen.

Kate Moss at Glastonbury – that’s all

Nothing will humanise the biggest and most glamourous models in the world than shipping them off to Glastonbury musical festival to battle against the miserable British weather.

Still, back in 2005, Kate bravely rose to the occasion and somehow managed to pull off a badass ‘I don’t care’ demeanor as she traipsed through the dirt in her wellies with a lit cigarette in her mouth.

Supermodel prowess stops for no muddy bog.

Britney and Madonna’s VMA kiss

There are a handful of pop culture moments that instantly make it into the hall of fame. Britney and Madonna locking lips at the 2003 VMAs is definitely one of them.

They were the two biggest pop stars in the world at the time. Britney had broken up with Justin Timberlake. Madonna had just dropped her overlooked ninth album, American Life. They had one moment to make headlines and shock the world.

Artful mastery over tabloid gossip.

Katie Price and Peter Andre finding love on live TV

Over the course of the 2004 season of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Here, the public watched with bated breath as a new reality power couple was born: Katie Price and Peter Andre.

The former glamour model captured the Flava hitmaker’s heart as they both got cosy in the jungle. And in a plot twist seldom seen these days, merely a year later the couple tied the knot.

You just had to be there!

Lindsay Lohan just doing.. whatever she wanted

The Parent Trap actor was a mainstay of celebrity gossip in the 2000s as she made the leap from child star to fully-fledged actress.

She shot to global stardom as Cady Heron in Mean Girls in 2004 and soon saw herself flung to the very height of her fame. So naturally, when she landed the main hosting gig at the MTV VMAs she put on a hosting gig to remember.

A niche but treasured moment in Lohan-lore, this image of her breakdancing with an entourage is peak 00s-core.

Victoria Beckham freaking everyone out with a lip ring

At the turn of the century, Posh had it all. Model, WAG, beloved girl group singer with an adoring fanbase to boot. So when she climbed on stage with a massive lip ring, it sent shockwaves.

Her fashion influence had people writing think-pieces about copycat piercings and outraged groupies proclaiming it a fashion disaster. but the joke was on us in the end when it turned out it was a clip-on all along.

Brokeback Mountain saying gay rights

The brain chemistry of baby gays everywhere was irreversibly changed in 2005 when Hollywood icons Heath and Jake struck up a forbidden affair in popular Western movie Brokeback Mountain.

It was not only the film that launched a thousand memes but its place in the queer cultural corpus cannot be underestimated. A mainstream gay blockbuster, with two handsome male cowboys at the helm? What more could we ask for.

Girls Aloud being let loose in a haunted house

There are simply not enough TV shows nowadays that put celebrities into the most random scenarios and simply… see what happens. But without a doubt, 2006 TV special Ghost Hunting with Girls Aloud was the blueprint.

The episode sees girl band icons Cheryl, Nadine Coyle, Sarah Harding, Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh sent into various haunted locations to see if they can pick up on any ghostly vibes. For many, the night-cam footage is still etched into our memory.

Kim Kardashian’s days of yore

It almost feels like stepping into a parallel universe to see reality megastar and business tycoon Kim trailing on supermodel Paris Hilton’s heels. But for some of the younger Gen Z among us it’s true. There was a time when Kim K was merely second-in-command.

A snapshot of Kim’s humble beginnings is a stark reminder of just how quickly the tables can turn, and the bleak cultural capital leaked sex tapes had on the world in the early 2000s.

George Galloway’s feline tendencies

The 69-year-old media personality may be a sitting member of parliament now, but back in the day he spent his time cosplaying as a cat. Well, kind of.

In the fourth series of Celebrity Big Brother, George stunned viewers after he knelt down and started acting like a cat with fellow housmate and Coronation Street star Rula Lenska. Needless to say, it got weird.

For years, this became George’s defining moment and honestly? He still hasn’t outrun the past.

Susan Boyle uniting the nation with her glorious vocals

Reality competition shows were thriving in the late 2000s and nowhere is this proven more than with Susan Boyle’s viral audition.

The singer blew the nation away with her ethereal rendition of Les Miserables’ I Dreamed A Dream. At the time the audition totted up 120 million views, crowning it the most watched YouTube video of the year. No small feat.

This moment also saw her record-breaking album (titled I Dreamed a Dream) knock Leona Lewis out the top spot for fastest-selling debut. An unconventional success story unlikely to repeat itself today.

Kanye West interrupting Taylor Swift at the VMAs

And we’re rounding this off with a moment so ingrained in pop culture history that no one has shut up about it in 15 years. You guessed it, Kanye storming the stage at the 2009 MTV VMAs while Taylor collected her best video award.

‘Imma let you finish’ Kanye notoriously announced before turning his praise to Beyonce.

The scandal has had many repercussions, not least inspiring Taylor’s latest Tortured Poet Department album track thanK you aIMee – a not so subtle nod to Kanye’s ex-wife Kim K.

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