When you think about it, it’s totally fitting that millennials would resort to internet memes as a means of describing how they’ve evolved from 2016 to now. Let's face it, 2017 was a joke, and even though I would never describe the obstacles we’ve overcome as particularly funny, what better way to shed some light on an otherwise dark year than with some "me in 2016 vs me in 2017" memes that fully capture the ridiculousness of the past 12 months? Think of it this way: Somehow, you miraculously endured this mess unscathed (for the most part); you could probably use a laugh.
Sometimes when I get upset, I'll make light of the situation by cracking jokes. This is one of the most tried and trusted coping mechanisms that works for me. I do this because, if I don't laugh, I'll cry, and sometimes you just get tired of crying. Having said that, memes are an excellent way to take a crummy situation and make it a little funny.
I'd imagine I'm not the only person who is both exhausted by and tremendously disappointed with the current state of the world we live in today. Every other news segment or headline reports bad news, another sexual assault accusation, political scandals, or mean, pointless tweets coming from the head of the Oval Office. As far as I can tell, things seem pretty disastrous right about now, but a new year is almost upon us, and the best we can do is smile and endure it with a laugh or two.
In 2016, we were sipping and spilling the tea through the messy election and Beyoncé's "Lemonade" album drop. These days, I wouldn't be surprised if you're taking shots of hard liquor as a nightcap because it seems like there's something to drink to every damn day.
This superhero looks the way I'm sure many of us feel: defeated. There's definitely been a handful of instances in 2017 where the good of mankind just couldn't pull through for us. To quote Bonnie Tyler, "where have all the good men gone, and where are all the gods?"
Hell did the opposite of freeze over in 2017; that sucker thrived, scorched, and touched the earth literally and figuratively. So if your inner Heat Miser was flaring up over the past few months, hopefully things will finally cool down in 2018.
It's no wonder everyone is on their guard now, especially when you consider the large number of natural tragedies and man-made traumas that either happened or were revealed in 2017.
TBH, I don't even remember a lot of what happened in 2016 because these past 12 months gave us enough problems to sort through. Here's to looking toward the future and the tools that'll get us through it (like this shiny, lime green light saber, perhaps?).
Aria's expressions say it all. We hoped for the best, low-key expected the worst, and it's totally fine if you feel like screaming all the time now. Most of us do.
While I'm totally digging the fab to drab transition here, sorry to break it to you, Carrie Bradshaw; 2017 has officially surpassed your sitcom's level of drama.
Let's be honest, 2017 is the drama that never ends, and it's still not over yet. Sorry, millennials, but you don't get a monopoly on this one; I think it's safe to say this was the longest year of everyone's life.
In case you didn't notice, sh*t got real dark real quick in 2017. Here's to clinging to our last sliver of hope that 2018 brings happiness, light, and something to laugh about that isn't dark, ironic humor about the state of the world.
Ignoring the fact that Emma Watson looks flawless even when she's battling the Dark Lord (I dare you to find someone more angelic than this human — I'll wait), when I think about how it would look to wear the damage of 2017 as a real outfit, Hermione's appearance on the right comes pretty close.
What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, right? Take it from Kesha, who has undoubtedly been through hell and back this year. The things we've endured throughout 2017 can only make us stronger, more open-minded, more educated individuals, and that's something to carry into the new year.
2017 sucked politically, socially, ethically, and so on. However, I'm almost positive that each and every one of us, if we think hard enough, can rattle off at least one or more positive things that happened in our personal lives.
I know if you're looking point-blank at the big picture, this year was a rough one. But we owe it to ourselves to enter 2018 on a clean slate, so let's hold onto the good, let go of the bad, and try our best to start this new year on the right foot.
