This Gen Z'er Is Going Viral For Comparing 2008 To 2020, And TBH, I'd Like A Time Machine ASAP

    Take me back, please.

    Shelby Heinrich
    by Shelby Heinrich

    BuzzFeed Staff

    If you were lucky enough to be a tween or teen in 2008, you know that it was truly a time to be alive™.

    Fueled by Ramen / Island Records

    Our eyeliner was heavy, our hearts were emo, and nothing hurt.

    So imagine my shock and delight when I was scrolling through TikTok in hellscape 2020 and I came across this:

    Bailey Spurlock, a musician and YouTuber living in southern West Virginia, shared her first TikTok about "waking up" in 2008 earlier this month, and it's already received over 3.2 million views. It also gave me whiplash from how specific and accurate it is!

    Bailey leaning on a skateboard outside
    @baileyspurlockmusic / Via tiktok.com

    The bright-pink tips:

    The bright-pink tips of her hair
    @baileyspurlockmusic / Via tiktok.com

    The checkered Vans:

    @baileyspurlockmusic / Via tiktok.com

    The skateboard:

    @baileyspurlockmusic / Via tiktok.com

    The Invader Zim sweatshirt:

    Bailey holds an Invader Zim sweatshirt in her hand
    @baileyspurlockmusic / Via tiktok.com

    The swoopy side bangs that cover her entire forehead that she's constantly pushing back!!!

    @baileyspurlockmusic / Via tiktok.com

    As someone who was in her teens in 2008 and lived to tell the tale, I felt incredibly ✨cozy✨ watching this, and according to the comments, I'm not the only one.

    An example of the comments on Bailey's Tik Tok include, 'I found this comforting lol'
    @baileyspurlockmusic / Via tiktok.com

    Bailey told BuzzFeed that she had no idea her 2008 video would blow up the way it did, and decided to turn it into a series because people enjoyed it so much. Believe me when I say that each installment is also painfully accurate:

    @baileyspurlockmusic

    pov: you woke up in 2008 pt. 3 (i know the music playing isn’t owl city lol it’s just random 2000s throwbacks for nostalgia) #Levitating #fypシ #alt

    ♬ original sound - Garrett Marcinkiewicz

    Oh, to be young and talking about seeing Twilight in theaters while listening to Owl City on an iPod Nano and wearing literal cat makeup:

    cc: its called twilight, I mean it looks kinds dumb, but like, do you wanna go see it
    @baileyspurlockmusic / Via tiktok.com

    (If you know, you know.)

    Why can't life these days be as simple as playing Club Penguin after a My Chemical Romance concert?

    Bailey told BuzzFeed: "I actually almost never see mean comments on my TikToks, and most people tell me that the 2008 videos make them feel safe and remind them of happier times. Even the people who were too young to remember that time enjoy the videos because they can see a glimpse of what it was like."

    cc: lets just go get on club penguin
    @baileyspurlockmusic / Via tiktok.com

    She also said that she actually lives her life pretty similarly to how she did in 2008, although she was a little young at the time to do the emo hair and makeup. "I still do a lot of the things people consider 'nostalgic,' like watching 2000s cartoons, wearing the emo/scene style, and playing games like Webkinz and Kingdom Hearts, because it’s what I enjoy doing. I always joke about how everyone else changed in the last decade, but I stayed the same!" Bailey said.

    "I think a lot of my fans on TikTok have a bit of their childhood still inside them and feel comforted by my nostalgic videos because of that," she added.

    @baileyspurlockmusic

    POV: You woke up in 2008 and you’re still stuck there but now you’re just vibing in ‘08 #greenscreen #RhymePOV #FootlongShuffle #GhostMode

    ♬ when she loved me - Bailey Spurlock

    "People sometimes say that I’m cringe for doing the scene kid–2008 thing, but honestly, it doesn’t bother me at all because I’m sort of reliving a lot of people’s awkward phase, so if people find it cringey, I guess I’m doing it right!"

    "I hope that my series can help people get away from the stress of the current world. There were definitely bad things in 2008, too, and I know that, but I try to talk about positive topics in these videos because I know how important it is to take a break and think about calm, happy things every now and then."

    You can follow Bailey on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube for more killer 2008 content. Also check out her music on Spotify.