aliens are hot rn
the rise of the y2k aliens and resisting becoming a hipster about it
On the first Saturday this June, I went to my town’s pride event. My partner and I went as clowns. Upon seeing at least two other groups of friends in clownwear, my partner repeated a line their friend said on a recent phone call: “clowns are hot right now.”
As we continued walking around, I noticed an increase in aliens—in outfits and makeup, accessories, and merch. As someone always on the lookout for little alien trinkets, I haven’t always had an easy time finding them. At pride, however, little green men, UFOs, and general otherworldly vibes were popping, and I thought, “aliens are hot rn.”
I have loved aliens my whole life, and quite specifically, the cheesy kind: green or grey round heads, large black eyes, little nose slits, and a little mouth. Something about this illustration style has always left me delighted and violent with cuteness aggression. However, when I used to proselytize about the friendly shape of these silly little creatures, people around me rarely understood the gospel.
In this upswing of alien excitement, I’m glad that others understand the intrigue of extraterrestrials. However, I find myself resisting saying an age-old phrase from my zillennial upbringing: I liked them before they were popular. While toeing the line of becoming a 2025 hipster, I decided to turn to research to uncover why UFOs and aliens are back to trending after a couple of decades of lowered pop culture interest.
In Bethan Jones’ 2023 book, The Truth is Still Out There: Thirty Years of The X-Files, Jones links the 90s to the perfect time for a show based in conspiracy and potential extraterrestrial contact. Following Watergate and other governmental abuses of power, television viewers were ready for a show that fought the systems at large and leaned into the unknown as a source of truth.
However, viewership declined post-9/11. When people needed to trust their government again, the belief in rogue officials working against the people’s needs was too risky. In combination with David Duchovny’s minimal presence in the last two seasons, Jones argues that viewers quickly lost interest.
The X-Files’ 2016 revival marked a growth in government distrust in the aftermath of the first Trump presidential win. While the time period felt ripe with conspiracy material for the show to use, the theories chosen for season 10 no longer centered the same kind of underdog. Jones analyzes responses from long-time fans, who expressed disappointment with the lean toward anti-intellectualism and Alex Jones-style conspiracy politics: “One fan said they ‘felt the episodes promoted fear of government and especially government health initiatives.’” The kitschy vibe of little green men no longer fit with the “just asking questions” political landscape.
This year marks the second presidency for the Trump administration, and they’ve only escalated a reliance on fear and conspiracy. The current scapegoats for policy plans include (but are far from limited to) trans people, immigrants (especially those who are brown and/or labeled a political dissident), people of color (and anything labeled their “woke” ideas), women, people from and in Gaza, students at higher education institutions, sanctuary cities, and anyone who supports any or all of the above through any kind of protest. Our phones force us to stay connected to it all, bouncing between war and AI updates, the latter of which is ruining multiple aspects of people’s education, careers, and creative endeavors.
When times are uncertain, aliens tend to return to pop culture as a way to express and process collective fears.1 In “One of The Best 90s Sci-Fi Trends Is Making A Comeback & It's About Time” from ScreenRant, Sherlock argues that UFO movies were “ten a penny” in the 90s before dropping off in the early aughts.2 He notes that while only a couple of big box office movies have come out in recent years about UFOs, such as Jordan Peele’s Nope, both Steven Spielberg and Joseph Kosinski are working on star-studded alien movies to be released in the next couple of years.
Pixar’s recent release, Elio, is the latest UFO film release (only a month after the Lilo and Stitch live action remake), but its focus differs from past depictions of aliens in movies. Rather than abduction or invasion fears, Elio is desperate to be abducted. He has lost both of his parents, and he feels alone in the world. Unlike his life on Earth, he dreams of a planet where he can fit in. Pixar explores authenticity, escapism, and loneliness in a time where standing out can feel terrifying and connection feels fraught.
Meanwhile, the indie films from the 2025 SXSW film festival cast a darker light on alien narratives. In “At SXSW, The Aliens Are Already Here,” Bui reviews three movies from the festival that depict a lurking paranoia that aliens are already living amongst humans.3 The Infinite Husk is about an exiled alien named Vel who must jump from human body to body to watch a fellow exiled extraterrestrial. Her attachment to these human shells, called husks, grows as she navigates the loneliness of Los Angeles.
The pervasiveness of social media algorithms and AI in peoples’ lives feels like its own kind of husk. Tech companies continue to gain control of content while bots takeover platforms, leaving only the vague impression of other users. Type “AI boyfriend” into Google News, and you’ll find article after article of people falling in love with a large language model, only some of which were programmed to target people desperate to feel connection. Hop on Instagram, and you’ll see how every non-disclosed ad only creates more uncertainty in the motivations behind everything people see on their screens.
In Mina Le’s youtube video “does originality still exist anymore?”4, Le discusses nostalgia and its current hold on social media. In it, she crafts a history of nostalgia’s role in politics and marketing to the everyday consumer. Le presents work from sociologist Fred Davis, who “argues that because nostalgia is never a perfect reconstruction of the past, it actually tells us more about the present.” Psychologically, nostalgia is about escapism to a familiar, safe time without the current societal worries that ignores the past’s woes.
Le further argues that the current rise of 90s and y2k aesthetics across Tiktok and other social media is reflective of this time period’s place in millennial and gen z’s collective and individual memories. The late 90s and early 2000s are remembered as free from the stress of algorithmic social media and increasing screen time. They evoke a time before “dependency on technology took a turn for the worse.” The 90s-early aughts smells like technological optimism, third spaces, and excitement for the possibility of something out there among the stars.5
The insidious marketing that social media requires for creative relevancy has only increased the virality of this 90s and y2k fashion revival. When Sabrina Carpenter, who also kissed an alien at the 2024 VMAs, dresses as Fran Fine for a late night show, her team is building engagement off of collective yearnings and encouraging young fans to jump on the nostalgia bandwagon.
When influencers on Tiktok, who must regularly post for any chance of maintaining financial stability in an unstable economic climate, promote the newest y2k fashion and decor trends, they’re part of a much larger market. While noting there is room for a chicken and egg argument, here’s an example:
Fashion houses like Prada respond to sci-fi popularity in media by creating their 2025 Spring/Summer collection around alien-eye sunglasses and metallic skirts.6 W magazine sees Prada’s collection and reports that “Alien Invasion” is one of the top 10 Spring 2025 fashion trends. Other, non-Prada, brands bring alien themes into their products as they see aliencore becoming a more popular hashtag on tiktok. Those companies then sponsor influencer posts to promote their fresh alien-themed products.7 Trends become a numbers game based in manipulation of our very human needs and desires.
Nevertheless, I think there’s more to aliens at pride than consumerism and marketing. Aliens are, by definition, outsiders. To paint yourself green and dress as an outsider is to identify yourself as resistant to societal norms. Queerness goes hand in hand with resistance and power against all odds. When faced with a planet of unfamiliar, and sometimes hostile, faces, aliens are always, in their own way, victorious. Otherwise, humans wouldn’t need to fear them, find them, adorn themselves with them, or imagine themselves behind their big, round eyes.
notes from the field report: things that have caught my eye recently
I Told My Straight Friend I Loved Her by Amahle Dingani for Carefree Magazine
I’ve been LOVING all the msr art from eclrrtwo on tumblr
Did someone say ikea alien illustration?
I just finished Guillotine by Delilah S. Dawson, and it was SO GOOD. This is for horror fans who are okay with gore and like The Menu-type vibes.
I talk more about the history of abduction stories and the collective fears represented by the sci-fi of the time in little green men (complimentary).
Sherlock, Ben. “One of The Best 90s Sci-Fi Trends Is Making A Comeback & It's About Time.” ScreenRant. Published Feb 23, 2025. https://screenrant.com/sci-fi-1990s-ufo-movies-trend-comeback-factoid/.
Bui, Hoai-Tran. “At SXSW, The Aliens Are Already Here.” Inverse. Published March 20, 2025. https://www.inverse.com/entertainment/sxsw-sci-fi-the-astronaut-descendent-the-infinite-husk-reviews.
Le, Mina. “does originality still exist anymore?” posted April 29, 2025, by minale. YouTube, 37 min., 36 sec. url.
alien image gallery sources: left from ebay listing, center from wallpapercave.com, and right from cherrykitten.com
Pinnock, Olivia. “Castlecore, mocha mousse and aliens: The biggest fashion trends for 2025.” EuroNews. Updated January 1, 2025. https://www.euronews.com/culture/2025/01/09/castlecore-mocha-mousse-and-aliens-the-biggest-fashion-trends-for-2025.
López, Tori. “The 10 Spring 2025 Trends That Will Be Everywhere Next Year.” W Magazine. Published October 25, 2024. https://www.wmagazine.com/fashion/spring-2025-fashion-trends.