"You're A Jerk!": 19 Most Iconic Characteristics Of The 2010s Jerk/Swag Era

Nothing was like the jerk/swag era of the 2010s, and nothing will ever be like that moment in pop culture for another ten years since trends only circle back every 20 years.

Between the late 2000s and the early 2010s there was a movement so large in music that it practically consumed a generation.

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Beginning as a dance trend, the jerkin' era made a huge splash after rap duo, New Boyz, released their song "You're a Jerk" in the summer of 2009. That summer, jerkin' went from a dope new hip-hop dance to an entire cultural phenomenon. The jerkin' dance became such a craze in part because of the fashion worn by the New Boyz, the hip-hop group instrumental in popularizing the swag style alongside the jerkin' dance. 

There was such an infatuation with jerkin' and the swag aesthetic, which is basically a mix of punk and hip-hop street fashion with a hint of preppy, that it became the crux of pop culture. Oh, and if you're still oblivious to what swag actually means, you can relax in knowing that the definition is individualized, however overall it just means you're extremely stylish and exhibit a certain cool factor. Below are the 19 definitive aspects of the swag era!

1. Colored Skinny Jeans

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Neon colored skinny jeans were in high demand during the jerk/swag era and were worn equally by girls and boys, young men, and women alike. The louder and tighter your skinny jeans the better since bright colors were the ultimate sign of a person having "swag" circa 2009–2014.  Anyone who was a teen or young adult during the 2010s will for sure have a picture of them in skin tight flamboyant skinny jeans somewhere buried in their Facebook photo gallery. 

2. Snapbacks/beanies

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Snapbacks were so popular during the 2010s that around that time one-hit-wonder rapper, Driicky Graham, made a whole ode to snapbacks. And tattoos. A look wasn't complete in those days without a snapback—a logoed baseball cap that has an adjustable strap in the back that snaps. Obey and YMCMB snapbacks were among some of the most popular ones during the swag/jerk era. 

Driicky Graham - Snapbacks and Tattoos

UMPG / Via youtube.com

3. Tumblr

Particle Cc: @patrickcctv

If u don’t know what this is I’m happy for u

07:03 PM - 30 Apr 2020

Twitter: @patrickcctv

Before Instagram there was Tumblr, and before memes, there were Tumblr quotes. One of the goals of people old enough to experience the jerk/swag era in totality understood the importance of having a poppin' Tumblr account. Tumblr was a stomping ground for anyone that wanted to flex their stylishness while being superficially deep. Between the late 2000s and 2010s Tumblr was the place everyone went to get quotes like these to use as Facebook statuses.

4. Checkered Vans

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Once associated with skate culture, during the jerk/swag movement checkered Vans had become a staple within the jerkin' movement. They were always worn in tandem with skinny jeans of course. 

5. Multicolored Converse

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Just like the checkered Vans, multicolored Converse were also a part of the "swag" uniform. Bright converse always pulled the entire look together and made any jerkin' outfit official.

6. Studded, Checkered, and Chain Belts

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An outfit wasn't fully swagged out unless you had on a belt. I'm not talking about your father's belt. I mean those heavily designed belts that were used to hold up, well, actually accentuate, the super tight jeans they were worn with. Ironically, the jeans the belt was worn with always had some sag to them when guys had them on.

7. The over usage of the word "swag"

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Exactly how I've used the word swag excessively in this article for emphasis is representative of how overly used the phrase was in the 2010s. Swag, swaggy, swagged-out, all of the various ways swag was utilized, was common back then, and swag itself was used as both a noun and adjective. Derived from its full name, "swagger," swag simply meant someone who was super stylish and had a cool persona.

8. Colored flannels & letterman sweaters

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Colored flannels, specifically block patches, were either outerwear or a top, and were always worn with a snapback. Like, always. If someone had on a colored flannel they also had on a snapback. This also applies to the letterman sweater. 

9. Vests

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Jean vests, bubble vests, tuxedo vests, it didn't matter. For some reason, many guys during the jerk/swag era always loved poppin' on a vest.

10. Ray-Ban glasses without lenses

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Yes, people actually walked around with Ray-Ban style glasses, WITHOUT the lenses in them.

11. Ripped jeans & khakis

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Ripped jeans, whether it was cut off at the knee or full-length skinny, were all the rage at this time. So were the tan khakis. For extra oomph, colored striped socks were often worn with knee-length khakis.

12. Graphic Tees

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The creativity of the graphic tees during the 2010s is unmatched. Since the desire for graphic tees was at an all-time high during the 2010s, most mall outlet stores had super unique graphic tees that really spoke to millennials and early Gen Z. 

13. Bright colored sunglasses & party shutter glasses

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Sunglasses with neon-colored frames or shutter frames were an accessory to every outfit and were worn in many Facebook photos for a cool effect.

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14. The pindrop dance

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This has to be one of the most complicated and dangerous moves of the 2010s. Back then it was nothing to see someone hit the jerk right before they twisted their body and dropped on one leg, twirling before they came back up.

15. The Dougie

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Smooth and rythmic, the dougie dance was many Black people's go to dance move in the 2010s. Not everyone could jerk or reject on beat, but they could hit the dougie pretty flawlessly since it was just basically a two step with some arm and shoulder rocking.

16. The reject/jerk dance

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Simple in theory, however for many this iconic dance was a challenge. However, many Millennials and early Gen Z'ers trudged on, practicing the jerk/reject constantly in order to execute it perfectly at the next dance or house party.

17. Bowties

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Bowties are usually synonymous with tuxes, however, during the 2010s they were sometimes part of an outfit. The formality of the bowtie mixed with the casualness of a swagfit was paradoxical but looked good nonetheless. 

18. Beats by Dre as a Necklace

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Beats by Dre was at peak popularity during the 2010s, especially among guys. Most of the time guys would leave their Beats by Dre headphones draped around their neck, even when they weren't listening to any music simply because it looked dope.

19. Highly saturated photos

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Heavy saturation was put on every photo during the jerk/swag era, enriching the already colorful outfits to a higher degree. Sometimes the extra saturation, which was added on top of a filter, gave a cool psychedelic effect.