Fashion is a pendulum. 

Grunge, Y2K, ‘70s, ‘60s; the list goes on and on. Pulling pieces from parents’ closets, brands emulating vintage clothes and ravaging thrift stores. Trends never die. The pendulum swings back and forth—old styles come back with full force. 

However, lately, a decade hasn’t come back but one item has: over-the-ear headphones. These aren’t just for listening to music but are a fashion statement. Headphones have become an accessory and a crucial part of an outfit. AirPods Max, Beats and Porta Pros have all become popular and elicit different aesthetics. 

In the 2000s and into the early 2010s, headphones were a statement piece, and the bigger the better. Beats ruled the market, with celebrities and top athletes wearing the headphones. At the time, this was peak product marketing before the rise of social media. Now, people are digging out their old beats to wear once again. 

In 2016, Apple released AirPods and ushered in a new era of sleek and hidden designs. AirPods offered a subtle show of wealth and trendiness. They became a common accessory and wired headphones faded into obscurity; something only used if you couldn’t find your AirPods. Twitter and Instagram memes fueled the rise of AirPods and society shifted to a wireless universe. Wired earbuds and over-the-ear headphones were out of the spotlight, but as the fashion cycle goes, they were waiting for the pendulum to shift into motion.  

Relentlessly, headphones prevailed. AirPods became a microtrend, and people realized they were easy to lose, low-quality and expensive. Wired headphones offered a better sound and were equipped with noise-canceling abilities. Then in 2020, Apple released the AirPods Max into an empty market. The chunky headphones were dragged for their design and price. Still, they became popular and the inadvertent advertising worked. Major celebrities like Kylie Jenner and Bella Hadid were seen out in AirPods Max and cemented the aesthetic of luxury and style. The headphones are another way of achieving a vintage aesthetic.

Headphones prevailed yet again, becoming statement pieces and more of an accessory than just a device. The rise of over-the-ear headphones adds a level of personalization to technology and is becoming a way to accessorize. AirPods Max have different covers, and users have shown their creativity by crocheting decorations for the headphones. With swift acceleration, the pendulum swings toward the over-the-ear headphones, resurging an iconic and nostalgic piece of technology, but this time to make a fashion statement.    

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Hi! I’m Annie Gleydura, A Magazine’s editor-in-chief. My staff and I are committed to bringing you the most important and entertaining news from the realms of fashion, beauty and culture. We are full-time students and hard-working journalists. While we get support from the student media fee and earned revenue such as advertising, both of those continue to decline. Your generous gift of any amount will help enhance our student experience as we grow into working professionals. Please go here to donate to A Magazine.