Britney’s going off the rails, your crush just messaged you on MSN, and you can’t find your Impulse body spray anywhere. Buckle up – it’s 2006!
WHAT TO WEAR: Jane Norman
If you weren’t rocking a Jane Norman bodycon dress, were you even going out? A staple of 2006, these dresses were what all the girls in the club were wearing. Pair it with chunky wedge heels and Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse, applied in thick layers (because looking orange was the goal). Don’t forget the voluminous clip-in hair extensions – the bigger, the better. Bonus points if you kept the iconic Jane Norman plastic bag afterwards, ready for your sister to reuse as her P.E. kit bag. A true teenage rite of passage.
WHAT TO LISTEN TO: Indie Sleaze Downloads
2006 was a golden year for music. For a universal classic, Lily Allen’s Alright Still was the perfect album to blast on repeat. But if you were feeling extra indie sleaze, you were in luck – this was also the year Arctic Monkeys dropped their debut, Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not. On the emo side of things, Welcome to the Black Parade by My Chemical Romance was essential listening for every cool, edgy MySpace emo. Download the MP3s for your iPod Nano from Limewire and accidentally give your family computer a virus. Worth it.
WHAT TO WATCH: Trashy Telly
British television thrived in 2006. First things first – clear your Thursday nights for the debut season of Waterloo Road. You won’t be bored. Every episode delivered at least five major events, from secret affairs to teen pregnancies to dramatic car crashes. This was also the year Big Brother gifted us the unforgettable Nikki Grahame and her iconic meltdowns -moments still quoted to this day. “WHO IS SHE?!” And if screaming wasn’t your thing, maybe singing was – this was the season that introduced the world to the legendary Leona Lewis on X Factor. A true star in the making.
WHAT TO DO: Make Your Own Ringtone
In 2006, social media was just beginning to take off, but smartphones? Nowhere in sight. The most exciting and high-tech feature of your phone? Crafting your own ringtone.
Sure, it was fiddly – but you could find RTTTL codes online, type them in manually, and voilà: a custom ringtone of your favourite song, all for free. No need to pay for overpriced downloads or dodgy Jamster subscriptions.
WHAT TO SAY: “I’ll remove you from my Top eight friends on MySpace!”
This was the biggest threat of the year. Back then, your Top 8 wasn’t just a friend list – it was a public ranking of your entire social life. One day, you were someone’s #1. The next, you’d been bumped for their new crush. That petty thrill of axing someone from your Top eight after they annoyed you – even slightly – was unmatched. Passive-aggressive wars were waged through strategic placements. Nothing stung quite like seeing yourself replaced. True friendships were tested. Relationships ended. Enemies made.