{"id":1017572,"date":"2025-12-10T13:56:00","date_gmt":"2025-12-10T10:56:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1017572"},"modified":"2025-12-10T13:56:00","modified_gmt":"2025-12-10T10:56:00","slug":"the-pop-culture-moments-that-defined-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1017572","title":{"rendered":"The pop culture moments that defined 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"
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They say that as you get older, time seems to move faster. But is it just me, or was 2025 a bit of a slog? In the UK, it was a year of headlines dominated by economic flops, the rise of the far-right and flagshagging \u2013 all things that frankly, make you want to hide under a duvet and never leave your house again.<\/span><\/p>\n

And yet, there were rare rays of light during these surreal 12 months. Whether it was<\/span>\u00a0Lily Allen baring all on <\/span>West End Girl,<\/span><\/em> or Jet2 holiday memes blowing up on TikTok, pop culture made the year feel a bit more human, giving us moments \u2013 ranging from funny, to moving, to downright weird \u2013 to rally around.<\/span><\/p>\n

So without further ado, here are this year\u2019s biggest highlights.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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NOTHING BEATS A JET2 HOLIDAY<\/h2>\n

Suitcases floating in the sea. Mice scurrying around in a hostel. A man lying on a sun lounger as the rain drenches him. We all saw those holiday-fail videos on TikTok, with the Jet2Holidays jingle playing over them (the one with Jess Glynne\u2019s Hold My Hand).<\/em>\u00a0Well, the company reported<\/a> record passenger numbers this year and credited part of its success to the viral social media trend.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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ADOLESCENCE<\/em><\/h2>\n

The award-winning four-part Netflix show followed 13-year-old Jamie (Owen Cooper<\/a>) from Merseyside, who murdered a girl in his class. Inspired by real-life cases, Adolescence <\/em>gripped the nation because it forced us to confront the terrible reality of what young boys are absorbing online, sparking much-needed conversations<\/a> about radicalisation, misogyny, and the growing influence of the manosphere on young men.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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COLDPLAY KISS-CAM<\/h2>\n

We all saw the clip. A couple wrapped around each other at a Coldplay concert, only to recoil the second they realised the camera was on them. Chris Martin even joked, \u201cEither they\u2019re having an affair, or they\u2019re just very shy.\u201d Then, and I genuinely feel for them, internet sleuths dug up their names, jobs and family lives, revealing that both were married with children. A full-blown media storm followed, and both ended up leaving their jobs. What was at first a funny viral video quickly escalated into another cautionary tale about the dangers of trial by social media.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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KATY PERRY\u2019S TRIP TO SPACE (AND ROMANCE WITH JUSTIN TRUDEAU?)<\/h2>\n

Katy Perry has certainly had a headline-making year. In April, she blasted off on Blue Origin\u2019s all-female space flight \u2013 a journey that was met with criticism (and memes<\/a>) because participating in Jeff Bezos\u2019s space programme is obviously not a win for feminism. Then, later in the summer, photos emerged of Perry on her yacht off the coast of Santa Barbara kissing none other than Justin Trudeau, Canada\u2019s former Prime Minister. The couple is still going strong and were recently spotted together in Tokyo.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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RIP POPE FRANCIS<\/h2>\n

The best pope (no offence to all the others) died this year after serving for 12 years. Pope Francis was celebrated for championing economic justice, welcoming refugees, and advocating compassion, including tolerance towards LGBTQ+ people, while repeatedly pushing for peace in Gaza until his final days. But it was the papal conclave<\/a> \u2013 the process of electing the next pope \u2013 that sparked a thousand memes<\/a>. You just had to be there.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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When do the Cardinals get to go over to Casa Amour<\/p>\n

— Mollie Goodfellow (@hansmollman) May 7, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n