Trends 2024 as ABC: Being Dubai is everything – right? What was popular this year

There was a lot going on this year. Terms like “boysober”, “demure” and “Talahon” appeared and almost everything was suddenly offered “Dubai style”. What moved people’s minds? A naturally completely incomplete lexicon of the attitude to life in 2024:

“Aura” (charisma and charisma of a person) was chosen as the youth word of the year, and “Ampel-Aus” (the end of the coalition in the federal government) was chosen as the word of the year. In English-speaking countries, the proclamations included “brain rot” (Oxford Word of the Year; roughly brain rot, meaning the effects of consuming excessive amounts of low-quality online content) and “brat” (Collins English Dictionary; stands for a self-confident and hedonistic attitude). , inspired by a Charli XCX album title).

So it translates something like “to be sober about boys”. Women (or men) consciously chose not to have a relationship or sexual partner. The goal is to become happy with yourself instead of getting lost in annoying dating.

Loose caps on certain drinks are now prohibited. This suddenly annoyed many people, even if it is not entirely new. The reason for the mandatory “tethered caps” (since July) is an EU directive. Plastic lids are considered the most common plastic waste on beaches.

A hyped version of milk chocolate filled with pistachio cream and angel hair (kadayif; sugary dough strands). Suddenly in 2024 everything seemed to be Dubai if it was covered in pistachio or possibly gold. There was pizza, crepes, kebabs, even Dubai-style currywurst. When it comes to (often) imported chocolate, studies have raised eyebrows about the quality.

The European Championships in Germany led to reporting on a country that is no longer the world champion in organization and thoroughness. International media described Germany as a republic with chaos, little customer friendliness and often poor internet and network expansion.

F for football jersey in pink

The pink away jersey of the German team at the European Football Championship became a bestseller for Adidas.

Transgender, intersex and non-binary people have been able to do so since November 1st. Easily change gender entry and first name. The new self-determination law could be abolished again under the CDU.

H for hype about a cup

The Stanley Cup, a – well – not exactly pretty and quite large reusable drinking cup, was hard to miss on social media.

I like international atmosphere

Last but not least, the US election campaign and its results showed a shift in the zeitgeist away from supposedly too high sensitivity for minorities or the oppressed. Commitment against injustice? Apparently out. The slogan now more often: “Go woke, go broke.”

Tiktok personality from the USA who used the old-fashioned and ironically popular word “demure” (modest, civilized, reserved) in a satirical video about “the right make-up” in the workplace.

K for card device and tip

Digital tipping via touchscreen: In more and more places, be it in restaurants or bakeries, card readers now have tip buttons of 7, 10, 20 or even 15, 25, 30 percent. Of course there is no obligation to tip, but the social pressure annoys many people.

A video of French pole vaulter Anthony Ammirati went viral during the Olympics because it appeared he broke the bar with his big limb while pole vaulting. A case of global penis envy.

Name of a party series that gets women dancing for three hours in the early evening in many cities. It usually ends around 11 p.m., so everyone can be in bed before midnight. Some people even see something like this as a cure for the much-vaunted death of clubs.

In 2024, some got the impression that ADHD in adults was now a fashionable diagnosis. In any case, it is interesting that all of this creates a new awareness of illness attributions. Many who identify as neurodiverse insist that they are simply “differently normal” compared to “neurotypical” people.

Men with mustaches were popular again: pop stars, film characters, young guys next door were wearing mustaches again. For example, one young guy who stood out with his upper lip fuzz was the new pop star Benson Boone.

The city of love is always possible – but in 2024 it was particularly in focus twice with the Olympics and the opening ceremony as well as the reopening of Notre Dame (and rained out both times). Unforgettable: Céline Dion sings “Hymne à l’amour” from the Eiffel Tower.

Oh, Tiktok. Many trends pop up there and cause older people to shake their heads. Mewing is said to give you a more prominent jawline (jawline) when you clench your teeth. It just destroys your tooth enamel. Ouch.

What was the local crime novel in the 1920s seems to be “romantasy” in the current 1920s, a mix of heartbreak and fantasy literature. In general, “New Adult” is very popular – thrilling, tingling, sexy literature for the Tiktok generation. At least people still read. Books!

S for sexy rodent men and soft jocks

Men with pointed faces and noticeable teeth (such as “Challengers” stars Mike Faist and Josh O’Connor) were considered hot as “rodent men.” Muscle men who are also sensitive have been given the label “soft jock”, including American football star Travis Kelce (boyfriend of Taylor Swift) and actors Jeremy Allen and Paul Mescal.

T for Tradwive and Talahon

In the online trend “Tradwives”, women present themselves as mothers and traditional housewives who like to subordinate themselves to the working man. Talahon (from Arabic Tahal lahon (come here)) is about young men who wear tracksuit bottoms, branded clothes, chains and fanny packs and like to parade around in a macho manner.

Demos, especially in Spain (“Enough! Let’s set limits on tourism”) showed that the mood against so-called overtourism can change.

The newfangled haircut, known as a mullet rather than a mullet (short at the front, long at the back), was popular again. Many younger people find it beautiful, which older people with memories of the 80s and 90s often cannot understand.

From no-go to must-have: The white sock was a style expert’s nightmare for a long time, but now it’s back, ideally worn with shorts or very wide baggy trousers.

2024 was also the year in which many people considered that they would now have to leave the former Twitter because of the X owner, billionaire and Trump fan Elon Musk, because the atmosphere there had become too rough and right-wing extremist.

Hit of the year: With “I Like The Way You Kiss Me”, the Brit Artemas (25) leads the official German annual single charts from GfK Entertainment.

Z for “Too much of a good thing”

The Berlin star restaurateur The Duc Ngo doesn’t like unpleasant smelling guests in his restaurants. Out of consideration for other guests, please use less perfume: “Sometimes it’s just too much of a good thing.”