The smell of freshly baked madeleines in the air. A crackling commercial of the Mopiko ointment. Driving past your old school you used to loathe as a child. That slightly melted plastic toy sitting in the drawer of your top cabinet. Nostalgia can be a wonderful thing—if not a sobering reminder of time’s relentless march. The feeling comes when a memory—long tucked away in the recess of your brain—suddenly blooms uncontrollably, a wistful warmth enveloping your mind (and sometimes your heart). It’s comforting, until the yearning morphs into an ache that lulls and lingers once the harsh reality of passing time sets in. Nostalgia is one hell of a drug.
Now imagine having these feelings for a time you were never in, an era that existed before you were even born. Is it even possible? As someone who’s experienced this phenomenon (deeply), I’m here to tell you, yeah, it is.
As a teenager, The Breakfast Club made me hang up an unnecessarily large poster of the movie in the middle of my room (it’s still there) and buy a pair of Converse high-tops (Allison best girl). The Cure had me scouring the web for overpriced band tees (eventually settling for low-quality Hanes re-prints on eBay). All this, mind you, in a desperate attempt to taste the sweet, sweet nectar of 80s life. Spoiler alert: I was born in 2000.
Otherwise known as “Fauxstalgia”, this phenomenon occurs when an individual falls victim to a romanticised, idealised version of a previous time. It’s often perpetuated by the media through movies, television shows, music, and advertising that shape social perceptions of the past.
Shows like Stranger Things portrayed the coming out experience of a queer individual (Robin) during the height of the AIDS crisis as relatively smooth, while Bridgerton’s diverse casting creates a world where race doesn't seem to impact social status as much as it should during an era where slavery was still legal. Glossing over the complexities and uncomfortable aspects of the times presents a sanitised version of history that erases the crimes and wrongdoings of the institutions in power. Great shows, don’t get me wrong, I'd watch Steve Harrington babysit a cactus, but is it too much to ask for a more nuanced portrayal of history?
It doesn’t help that content like this is embraced by consumers who yearn for a simpler, more authentic time. A study by the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology revealed that people tend to remember past events more positively than they experienced them at the time, creating a cognitive bias that contributes to the appeal of the past.
Here’s the kicker: corporations know this, and have converted this into a marketing tool, frequently tapping into this yearning to sell products and services. When is the last time you’ve heard a remake of a classic film get rave reviews? Remember The Lion King (2019)? All the CGI in the world couldn't bring Mufasa back to life. Fantastic Four (2015) flopped beyond anyone’s expectations, and don’t get me started on Aladdin (2019). It makes sense that fauxstalgia function as part of a wider neoliberal capitalist strategy to repackage and resell perfectly functional products under the guise of nostalgia. It’s just safer and more profitable.
Don’t take it from me, though. Take it from one of the biggest capitalists in the world, a certain orange-hued former president who built an entire campaign on this phenomenon. "Make America Great Again," he said. But remind me, when exactly was this golden age? Was it the Trail of Tears? The enslavement of Africans and their descendants? Or perhaps the discrimination against LGBTQ+ and immigrant folks. I’ll spare you the history lesson, but was America ever truly that great?
Look, I get it, there’s nothing wrong with consuming and enjoying the media’s portrayal of the history. I'm as excited as the next guy to see Paul Mescal strut his stuff as a young Paul McCartney. But maybe it's time we took off the rose-tinted glasses and faced reality. The good old days? They weren't always that good. Recognising the difference between genuine historical appreciation and manufactured nostalgia can help us engage more authentically with both our past and our present. Because let's face it, the only thing worse than living through difficult times is pretending they never happened.
Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be retreating into my bed under my Breakfast Club poster and listen to Abba on vinyl. What? I never said I was immune to fauxstalgia's charms.
