Close your eyes and think back to 2016 amongst the massive trends of pink drinks, YouTube, and Musically there was one that topped them all: slime.
Lately, slime has been resurfacing through platforms like TikTok and Instagram, however not everything is the same as it was in 2016.
Firstly, in 2016 making slime required a whole list of ingredients such as borax, glue, detergent, food coloring, etc. In fact, making slime became such a big trend that stores were sold out of glue and detergents, which led kids to try and find household substitutes for items that access to was limited and this within itself became a whole other trend.
Furthermore, using different ingredients created endless types of slime. For instance, a few popular slimes were cloud, butter, clear, jelly, etc.
Due to such a high demand for slime, slime businesses started to appear. Entrepreneurial kids in elementary school started to sell slime during recess at the playground. Children all across America, and the world, were hooked on slime.
Then like all trends do, it went out of fashion.
Now eight years later, slime is coming back.
There are a few differences between the two slime eras, one being that this time making slime is messier. For instance, it’s a sub trend to make slime on surfaces like the floor, tables, or countertops. This makes a mess but if the slime turns out right it cleans up its own mess.
The second difference is that the target audience of slime has shifted, it now has the audience of adults and kids. Slime is nostalgic for many people; they associate it with memories of childhood and when they could waste hours away on trivial things like slime.
Slime is just something to occupy our time, but it’s a reminder of how society creates ever changing trends that float in and out fashion. These trends define crucial periods of our lives and leave lasting impressions on us.
