22 Of The Biggest Pop Culture Moments Of The 2010s

This is for the Editorial Fellowship.

1. Lady Gaga's Meat Dress

Cosmopolitan / Via cosmopolitan.com

Let's bring it alllll the way back. On September 12, 2010, Lady Gaga continued serving *lewks* on the red carpet by wearing a meat dress to the VMAs. It was apparently to protest "Don't Ask, Don't Tell", but the shock factor of it understandably sparked a social media frenzy.

2. Kris Humphries and Kim Kardashian's Wedding and Divorce

Don't blame me for the amount of Kardashian news in this post. Blame our culture.

Daily Mail / Via dailymail.co.uk

On August 20, 2011, basketball player Kris Humphries tied the knot with reality star Kim Kardashian. 72 days later, they filed for divorce, becoming the butt of many a joke. Many also accused them of faking the marriage, which they have both denied.

3. Beyonce's Pregnancy Announcement

Vogue / Via vogue.com

In late August, 2018, Beyonce rolled up to the VMAs showcasing her pregnant stomach, and fans went wild. In January 2012, her and husband Jay-Z welcomed daughter Blue Ivy.

4. Miley Cyrus' VMAs Twerking

Billboard / Via billboard.com

Aaaand we're back to the VMAs. At the August 2013 awards, Miley shocked the nation with her performance of We Can't Stop/Blurred Lines with Robin Thicke, in which she twerked with the controversial singer onstage. Bye bye, Hannah Montana. Hello, Miley.

5. Justin Bieber's Arrest/Mugshot

The Guardian / Via theguardian.com

On January 23, 2014, Justin Bieber was arrested for drunk driving, resisting arrest, and driving without a valid license after being caught street racing. This signaled a definitive end to the pure teenage popstar the country had fallen for years earlier.

6. Solange and Jay Z's Elevator Fight

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The Met Gala is not usually a place for controversy - except the 2014 event, which saw Beyonce's sister Solange attack Jay-Z in an elevator before being broken up by Beyonce herself. We still don't know all the details, but Beyonce's next album gave us some clues...

7. Zayn Leaves One Direction

Business Insider / Via businessinsider.com

In March 2015, Zayn Malik left One Direction due to "stress", but about a year later he launched a solo career with "Pillowtalk". He's since spoken badly of the band, and there appears to still be bad blood.

8. Caitlyn Jenner Coming Out as Trans

E!News / Via eonline.com

On April 24, 2015, 20/20 aired a much-anticipated interview with Caitlyn Jenner and Barbara Walters, where Jenner confirmed that "for all intents and purposes, I am a woman". As a former Olympic medalist, Jenner's announcement that she was transitioning into a woman had a huge cultural impact. Not to mention her connection to the Kardashians, who aired a special regarding the announcement a few weeks later.

9. Beyonce's Surprise Release of Lemonade

On April 23, 2016, Beyonce dropped the surprise visual album Lemonade., which only gave more fuel to rumors of Jay-Z's infidelity, which he later confirmed with his own album.

10. The Death of Harambe

NBC / Via nbcnews.com

In May 2016, a 3 year old fell into the gorilla enclosure at the Cincinnati Zoo, causing zoo employees to fatally shoot Harambe, a 17 year old gorilla. This caused outrage among many animal rights activists, but also spawned quite a number of memes (including #dicksoutforharambe).

11. Kim Kardashian's Snapchats of Taylor Swift's Call

Cosmopolitan / Via cosmopolitan.com

Man, was 2016 a big year. After Kanye West released the song Famous, which included the lyric "I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex, why? I made that bitch famous", Taylor appeared to shade him. Kanye claimed to have had her permission to use the line, which Taylor denied, leading to Kim Kardashian in July releasing voice recordings over her Snapchat of Taylor approving the song in a phone call with Kanye. Taylor claimed she'd never approved the second part of the line, but the damage was already done.

12. Drake's Confession of Love for Rihanna

Youtube / Via youtube.com

Look, this was an exhausting summer, you guys. At the August 2016 VMAs, while presenting Rihanna with the Video Vanguard Award, Drake professed his love for her and attempted to kiss her. Rihanna turned it into a cheek kiss, and later said she was uncomfortable and that they weren't friends anymore. Yikes.

13. Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's Divorce Announcement

Elle / Via elle.com

Brangelina was THE Hollywood couple, so their September 2016 divorce announcement came as a huge surprise. Angelina also filed for custody of their 6 children, leadings fans to speculate what Brad might've done. However, they've since agreed on custody, though their divorce has not been finalized due to wealth splitting issues.

14. Kanye West's Psychiatric Hospitalization

Washington Post / Via washingtonpost.com

In November 2016 after increasingly erratic behavior on his tour, in which he announced support for President Donald Trump, Kanye West was hospitalized for stress and exhaustion. This led many to question his mental health, though rumors he was unhinged were denied.

15. Moonlight Winning "Best Picture" after La La Land was mistakenly announced

At the 2017 Oscars, Faye Dunaway mistakenly named expected winner La La Land as Best Picture. Once all the La La Land people were onstage, they realized the mistake and announced that Moonlight was in fact the winner, spawning dozens of memes.

16. Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's Engagement Announcement

Youtube / Via youtube.com

In November 2017, American actress Meghan Markle announced her engagement to Britain's Prince Harry. This announcement made history, as not only is Markle American, but she's biracial and divorced. The couple's announcement also marked a departure from the more formal announcement of Will and Kate's engagement.

17. Kylie Jenner's Baby Announcement

Instagram / Via variety.com

On February 1, 2018 beauty mogul and reality star Kylie Jenner gave birth to her daughter Stormi, after months of unconfirmed speculation that she was pregnant. This was surprising because of a) her age, b) the way she was able to keep it a secret, and c) the fact that sisters Khloe and Kim had babies right around the same time. The photo of her newborn announcing her birth quickly become the most-liked photo on instagram.

18. Ariana Grande and Pete Davidson's Engagement

BBC / Via bbc.com

Singer Ariana Grande and SNL star Pete Davidson began dating in May 2018, and 24 days later, they were engaged. Soon, Pete moved into Ariana's $16 million NYC apartment. But 5 months later, they had split up.

19. Demi Lovato's Overdose

USA Today / Via usatoday.com

In late July 2018, beloved popstar Demi Lovato suffered a relapse and overdosed, spending over a week in the hospital. Fans and colleagues rushed to support her, and she made an inspiring recovery.

20. Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper's "Shallow" Performance

Today / Via today.com

At the February 2019 Oscars, Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper performed hit "A Star Is Born" song "Shallow" together VERY romantically, leading to rumors that the two were an item. They've since denied the rumors, claiming that the romance was "orchestrated".

21. The Return of the Jonas Brothers

Insider / Via insider.com

On March 1, 2019, teen heartthrobs the Jonas Brothers returned from their hiatus with the single Sucker, showing that they still got it. One Direction who?

22. The Game of Thrones Finale

The Guardian / Via theguardian.com

In May 2019, epic fantasy series Game of Thrones ended, leaving many fans disappointed. There was even a change.org petition asking that the final season be refilmed that got 1.8million signatures and sparked anger from many in the cast and crew.

Here's to another decade of the Kardashians! (You know it's true.)

Note: I didn't include celebrity deaths because I felt mean choosing the "most important" ones. See here for a full list.