Backpacks have always been a vital factor for the back-to-school season. However, this year it’s different. Our childhood characters are roaming the halls of North Hollywood High School. Seeing familiar faces such as Spiderman, Lightning McQueen, Hello Kitty, and even One Direction.
Thanks to social media platforms, specifically TikTok, this trend has emerged all over the U.S. since 2023. Although, there isn’t a specific originator that started this trend, students started following it.
Sources have speculated that there is a psychological inducement beyond this trend. Dr. Sanam Hafeez, a well-respected neuropsychologist, founder and director of “Comprehend the Mind: Comprehensive Consultation Psychological Services,” suggests that high schoolers are utilizing this trend to finalize their childhood throughout their last year being teenagers.
Dr. Hafeez states, “By wearing items associated with childhood, they could be making a statement about the pressures they feel to conform to adult expectations and responsibilities.” Adding on, “It might be a way for high schoolers to express a desire to hold onto their youth and resist the pressures and responsibilities that come with adulthood.”
Many have questioned the meaning behind this trend whether they are being worn, simply to follow the trend or if there is a deeper meaning. However, some speculate that it is their goodbye to their childhood such as Dr. Hafeez. A conclusion to their teenage years, more as an act before they enter adulthood. Senior Gladys Cuevas shares, “This backpack brings a lot of childhood memories and it represents me as an elementary kid.”
On TikTok, many high school seniors have started a trend of their own, representing a key memory of their childhood on their backpacks. But the backpacks are just part of a bigger tradition. Senior boxes, scrapbooks, shirts, and even crowns are now part of this tradition, becoming popular ways for seniors to celebrate their last year.
The most well known trend would be “senior jeans” or also known as “senior cords.” This idea sparked when two seniors wore yellow corduroy pants with their initials during the 1900’s at Purdue University. Later, it became the most popular during the 1920’s, after World War II in Indiana, but eventually died out in the 1970’s.
Now, thanks to TikTok, this trend emerged again after decades, where seniors are able to transform plain jeans into something that represents themselves. These jeans are often hand-painted or even embroidered, allowing seniors to express their personalities, through designs and favorite characters. Making this tradition a long lasting memory for the Class of 2026.
Often seniors find themselves wishing to go back to being kids again, craving the carefree days before all the pressures of growing up. On the other hand, younger kids are excited to step into the world of teenagers.
The Class of 2026, are not only saying goodbye to their childhood but also the memories that have shaped them. Concluding their infancy with their favorite characters, looking ahead into a new chapter in their lives.
