The Pop Culture Highs and Lows of 2016

Pop culture seems to dominate our lives these days. Celebrities and fashion moguls fascinate us and we seem to be caught up in the spectacles that are their lives. Pop culture gives us a chance to escape from the mundane and for just a few moments step into something beyond the ordinary. Here are the defining pop culture stories and trends of 2016.

Leonardo DiCaprio started out the year at the February 2016 academy awards by winning his first ever Oscar. He won the award for best actor for his part in The Revenant. DiCaprio had been nominated for the award several times but had never actually won his own.

Beyoncé released her hit album Lemonade earlier this year. The album highlighted The Black Live Matter movement, politics, art, and current pop culture. Beyoncé was recently named artist of the year by several groups in the entertainment business. Who could forget the very brief relationship between Taylor Swift and British actor Tom Hiddleston in the early months of the summer? The two split just after a few weeks.

JK Rowling kept up her queen status with two enormous projects that she launched this year. Potter fans flocked to buy copies, and even luckier ones tickets to Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. Thousands bought copies of the story and many waited anxiously to see the next bit in Harry Potter’s story. Later on in the year fans flocked to the theatres to see Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

The Mannequin Challenge swept the internet earlier this year. It consisted of the simple concept of people standing perfectly still and being filmed while the onlooker walked throughout the “set.” Many famous celebrities and everyday people took part in the challenge many trying to up their challenge ideas time after time.

Some of the top films and books of 2016 are as varied as the people that made the year unique. Captain America: Civil War, Zootopia, Deadpool, La La Land, and The Nice Guys are some featured on the list, with Rogue One: a Star Wars Story sliding in halfway through December. Top books of the year included The Underground Railroad, The Girls, and When Breath Becomes Air.

The year also saw the passing of many famous and beloved celebrities, including Lemmy Kilmister, Prince, Alan Rickman, and David Bowie, to name just a few. Tragically, Carrie Fisher and her mother Debbie Reynolds were added to this list the past week. Many will be missed for their work in both film and music. 2016 has been a year of unique entertainment and some pretty head shaking moments. While some of the latests trends may be baffling, if 2016 is any indication, it will certainly be interesting to see what 2017 has in store for us!