By DIVYA DARIPALLI, junior

Through the years, teenagers have gone through countless fads whether they be as simple as having pet rocks or as outrageous as Bieber cuts. Of course we’ve all wondered how could certain styles or fads have actually been considered in,  but before we too quickly judge cough-inducing, ozone-deteriorating amounts of hairspray, it might do us some good to look at the fads of our own generation.

‘50s Coonskins to Snapbacks

After five episodes aired in the 1950s hightailing the adventures of Davy Crockett, the American soldier-turned-hero who served in the Texas Revolution, the coonskins craze began. In just one year, over 100 million headpieces made from raccoon fur had been sold to boys all across the United States.

I doubt you’ll walk into school today and see your friends sporting the coonskin cap look, but how different is it from the Snapback craze? Originally the iconic baseball cap, today you could find a snapback with pretty much any design, ranging from “THUG LIFE” to Spongebob Squarepants.

‘60s: The Monkees vs. One Direction

It’s almost impossible not to think of Shrek when “I’m a Believer” starts playing, but this song was first written and performed by The Monkees, one of the most popular boy bands of the ‘60s. Smash Mouth’s cover has definitely been modernized to an upbeat rock vibe, but the cheesy lyrics remain the same.

You might have learned all the words to “What Makes You Beautiful” against your will, and chances are, you either ended up liking it, or just hearing the opening “dun da dun…da da da dun…” is worse than banging your head against the wall. With all the followers 1D has gained on Twitter, it wouldn’t be wise to mess with Directioners— it’ll take less than 140 characters to rally them into a world-wide uprising!

70s Pet Rocks vs. Tamagotchis

A teenager named Gary Dahl became a millionaire by selling 1.5 million of these little critters called pet rocks. It all started from a conversation his friends were having about how difficult taking care of their pets were.

Let’s be honest, those of us who did choose the Tamagotchi virtual pet life may have missed out on a little outdoor time. It’s hardly surprising that The Tamagotchi Effect is now used to describe a person’s emotional attachment to an inanimate object! With how much of our generation’s culture has become intertwined with technology these days, is the Tamagotchi to blame?

80s Hairspray vs. Bieber Cut

In the 1980s, hairspray was so hot that it could burn a hole in the ozone layer — and it did. The chlorofluorocarbons (CFC’s) in the hairspray actually had the audacity to diminish the earth’s stratospheric ozone! Fear not, for government officials swooped to the rescue, quickly banning all products containing the CFC’s. What have we learned here? Never trust a product if it has an ingredient you can’t pronounce!

This just in, there is now sufficient evidence to prove that Justin Bieber didn’t just influence teenage girls at his prime of fifteen years old — soon, salons were demanding $150 from each boy who walked in requesting “hair like Justin Bieber!”

Who knows what the next fad will be in 2050, or what crazy present-day fad it will be compared to? It’s hard to say, but we do know one thing: somewhere in the future, a JP Stevens student is scratching his head and going, “They actually went on planes to see people on the other side of the world? Didn’t they have teleportation?”