Stop Playing 2020: The Magical Memes & Moments That Made Last Year Bearable

There’s a certain white knuckle relief in knowing that we’re all off the ride that is 2020. And while the uncertainty of 2021 still has us reaching for our crystals, it wouldn’t be right to send off the year without a proper look back. 

That’s why Unbothered is here with Stop Playing 2020, the ultimate year-end social series to wrap up this wild trip around the sun, so you don’t have to. Spotlighting the best Instagram memes, magic, and makers, Stop Playing is an ode to the mess that was this year, a prayer for the next to come, and a reminder that no matter what, we’re still funny as HELL. 

And, unless anyone forgot, that’s because we’ve had to be. Between dealing with a global pandemic that turned our lives upside down, metabolizing the energy of this summer’s social justice reckoning, and mourning lost members of the Black community, it’s been a year unlike any other.

But it’s also been a year of love, resilience, and good news. (No, we don’t just mean Meagan Thee Stallion’s EP, but we’re definitely counting it). We learned how to turn our living rooms into meditation sanctuaries, at-home offices and gyms. We called out Karens and the companies who need to do better (most of them). We also found joy in each other, even though we were apart (Verzuz battles, you the real MVP). So even though 2020 has been a ride that we all desperately want to get off, we wanted to take a moment to call out the creators and work that made us laugh, cry, and feel seen when we needed it most. 

Since we still don’t have all the words to describe this year, we tapped some of our favorite creators to help us out — including Alexis Feacher aka @YungBBQ, the 21-year-old social phenom who got us dancing in the streets with her on-point video reenactments; Peyton Dix, who kept us rolling on our couches with her 2020 election memes, and designer Jaraé Holieway, who brightened our timelines while reminding us of our beauty with stunning illustrations.  

Watch our interview with Yung BBQ here to hear more on leaving this year behind, getting credit as a Black creator, and her plans to re-enact classics like Keyshia Cole and Jagged Edge in 2021. Then, head over to @r29unbothered to see more from Dix, Holieway, and a rundown of our favorite memes from this year. 

Here’s to the creators, the creativity, and the culture that made 2020 bearable. We couldn’t let her go without one last laugh.