11 Trends That Have Gone Overboard in 2014

How many times do you come across something – a fashion fad, a kickstarter campaign, the latest food craze – and ask yourself, ‘Why is this a thing?’

Same.

Daily – even hourly.

And while we do fancy some of the below, sometimes seeing three or more without even loading the next seven photos on our Instagram homepage is a little much. These 11 trends have definitely gone overboard this year:

1. “Though.”
This was the year of validating unsolicited hype by ending your sentence with “though.” You’re not even making a counter-argument, but THAT THIGH GAP THOUGH.

2. Thigh Gaps & Bikini Bridges
Speaking of, the lust to acquire gaps between normally hard-to-gap body parts – hip bones and thighs, in this case – was an especially disturbing fad this year. Though these problematic trends started a few years ago, it really spiraled out of control in 2014 when Instagram decided to ban #thinspiration from its hashtag search.

3. Teatox
Self-destructive healthy living trends have been far too popular in 2014. Relying on leaves in hot water to cleanse your body and lose weight while balancing hormones and repairing damaged skin tissue is like seeing Dr. Oz for open heart surgery. These miracle teas have been called “the snake oil of the 21st Century.”

4. “It is what it is.”
Of course it is – what else would it be? Imagine the awkward silences at post-game interviews if the NHL banned the term.

5. Kickstarter Campaigns
We love the kickstarter concept, of course, but this year the crowdfunding platform reached a tipping point. We can deal with a juvenile $50,000 potato salad fundraiser every now and then, but seeing people use the site as a crutch for purposes most young professionals work and save long and hard for – like raising tuition money, peddling for funds to finance a trip around the world, etc. – leaves a bitter taste.

6. Festivals
Just because you and a group of 40 friends had a bonfire at the park last weekend doesn’t mean we have a marshmallow festival on our hands. Seriously, how many “festivals” did your city have this year? 15,000?

7. World Records
World records shouldn’t exist if obscurity is their reason for being. Is there really reason to celebrate your world record as the most people simultaneously unwrapping candy when there’s not a chance in hell 817 people have or would ever consider doing that in the first place?

8. Craft Beer
We’re betting InBev will rebrand itself as a craft beer operation by year’s end. There’s nothing craft about producing millions of litres of beer a year. Don’t get us wrong, we love the real stuff – but ‘real’ is the key world there.

9. Tapas
There’s just no sense turning a 10-oz bacon cheeseburger into a tapas-style dish. Why would anyone want to share that? Actual Spanish restaurants get a pass on this one, but there’s no reason for local diners to start launching share plate menus.

10. Crossfit
Crossfit isn’t the second coming, but members of its 10,000 affiliated gyms will fight to the death to have you believe it is. Say hello to your new dinner conversation if a close friend or relative joins the cult – for the next three Thanksgivings in a row.

11. Bourbon
While we love bourbon as much as anyone, is there really anything special about what is essentially just American whisky? It’s barrel-aged and distilled just like our beloved CC – and you don’t see trendy hipsters flocking to mixology classes because it’s the cool cocktail of the hour.

#NOTABLE

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