1. “Comfies”

Also known as the “Comfy” featured on Shark Tank, these obnoxiously large sweatshirts double as a blanket. Sure, they’re nice to wear when lounging around at home and binging Netflix. But for whatever reason, it’s become acceptable to wear these cozy monstrosities in public. Remember when Snuggies were all the rage? Remember how much we teased everyone that wore those? Comfies are those, but 10 times worse. Please don’t wear these out and about. You look like the Big Comfy Couch came to life.

2. Gauges

Yeah, these piercings are some- how still popular. It’s 2020, and some people are still putting themselves through the pain of stretching their earlobes. It’s not limited to the ears, though, sadly. If you feel like being grossed out, check out Google Images. You might be living your punk rock dream now, but if you ever decide to take them out, you’ll probably have saggy, floppy Dumbo ears. Yikes.

3. Doing dumb stuff to get on Barstool Western

This Instagram account features videos of students doing a variety of stunts. These stunts include jumping on and breaking tables, lighting things (and people) on fire and even twerking on Big Red. It’s no accident: people are actually doing these things just to get shared on the page. And, even sadder, alcohol isn’t always to blame for this stupidity. Are the views and likes really worth it? Maybe you should ask your future employer…

4. Juuling

The Juul epidemic has been at the forefront of the news recently. The products seem to be popular among teens and college students, so it’s not uncommon to see them around campus. (We’ll surely see less of them since WKU has gone tobacco free) First of all, when did it become cool to look like you’re sucking on a flash drive? Not to mention one Juul pod is the equivalent of one pack of cigarettes, according to the American Lung Association. Is this trend now really worth your health later?

5. Chunky sneakers

One of the big fashion trends right now is thick and/or chunky sneakers. FILA is among one of the most well- known brands for this. These sneakers make your feet look HUGE, as if you’re wearing the wrong size or you just have big feet. Especially if you’re a petite person, this trend is not flattering. If you’re looking to add some height, just opt for platforms. Otherwise, Ronald McDonald called, and he wants his shoes back.

6. Face tattoos

This trend has seen popularity over the last few years, especially with the rise of Soundcloud rappers and most recently, e-boys and e-girls (they are coming up next on our list). Now, I have nothing against face tattoos, unless you’re getting them just to be seen as “cool” or because you want to look like Post Malone. You will never be Posty. And that knife tattoo under your eye doesn’t make you look edgy. It shows that you know how to waste money and skin space.

7. E-Girls/E-Boys

This is a newer trend that has gained popularity through social media plat- forms like TikTok. These kids are popular simply for having a social media presence, but they’re not the same as influencers. They’re not selling products. Instead, they’re rolling their eyes, sticking their tongues out and taking photos in their bedrooms. They amass thousands and thousands of followers just for taking photos like this and editing stickers of goth-looking Hello Kitty onto them. Why is this a trend?

8. AirPods

We can’t really blame anyone but Apple for this one. I don’t know anyone who hasn’t lost an AirPod yet. They’re not cheap to replace, so people are walking around with one AirPod. Besides that, don’t we look kind of silly with them stuck in our ears anyway? I’d much rather have the ones with the wire attached. Falling for this fad will have you hating yourself later for the amount of money you wasted on the four pairs of AirPods you bought while an already broke college student.

Features reporter Kelley Holland can be reached at [email protected].