Okay so last night I was scrolling through Instagram, right? Saw all these throwback pics of Ben Affleck and * popping up everywhere – that early 2000s glow, the over-the-top PDA, the whole “Bennifer” frenzy. Man, it hit me right in the nostalgia feels. Felt like time traveling.
Got me thinking: how hard would it be to kinda… recapture that vibe? Like, not actually becoming a Hollywood power couple (obviously!), but just getting a tiny sliver of that iconic early Bennifer energy. Figured why not try something fun?
Setting the Scene (aka Raiding My Own Closet)
First things first: needed the look. * circa 2002 was all about tiny tops, low-rise jeans (oh god), and that honey-blonde hair with caramel streaks. Grabbed this ancient, barely-there sequined tank top from the back of my closet. Still fit, somehow! Thank you, questionable fashion hoarding tendencies. Paired it with the lowest-rise jeans I could find without flashing everyone – a genuine miracle those buttons held. Hair? Dug out a dusty box dye kit labelled “Golden Honey” from like 2018. Took ages mixing it and slapping it on. Spilled some on the bathroom counter, swore a lot. Typical.
For the Ben part? Convinced my ever-patient partner to participate. Needed that broody, slightly awkward but handsome vibe. Hunted through his stuff and found a dark gray hoodie (classic Ben) and this one slightly-too-big, kinda cheap-looking leather jacket he never wears. Perfect. “Just look intense and vaguely confused,” I told him. He nailed the confused part immediately.
The “Glamorous” Shoot Attempt
Location: My slightly cluttered living room. Professional? No. Authentic? Kinda. Figured their paparazzi pics often looked messy anyway. Cleared some space near the window for some “natural light.”
- Step 1: Posed dramatically leaning against the wall. Partner stood beside me, trying to look smoldering but mostly looked like he needed coffee. Took selfies with my phone timer. Awkward angles, weird shadows. Not quite working.
- Step 2: Remembered the PDA. Tried replicating that famous red carpet moment where Ben like… practically carries her. Got my partner to try picking me up. Barely managed it before we both started laughing, almost dropped my phone. Safety first!
- Step 3: Tried the “intense staring into each other’s eyes” shot. Held the pose. After about 10 seconds it just felt deeply weird and we both cracked up again. Tears streaming.
Got maybe one photo that wasn’t hilariously blurry or featuring someone mid-giggle.
Adding the “Vintage” Touch
Got the best photo onto my laptop. Opened up my basic photo editor. Needed that early 2000s grainy look.
- Turned down the sharpness way down. Added a ton of warm-toned filter – everything needed to look slightly orangey-yellow.
- Pumped up the contrast way too high. Details? Who needs ’em!
- Added a subtle vignette to make it look like an old photo scanned poorly.
- Found a terrible pixelated frame overlay online. Slapped it on. Now it looked genuinely low-res and dated. Mission accomplished.
The Final Result… And Reality
Posted it to my usual socials with something like: “Feeling nostalgic? Tried channeling peak Bennifer vibes in my living room this afternoon. Spoiler: low-rise jeans are actually evil, partner is a saint, and we cannot keep a straight face to save our lives. Throwbacks are HARD! #BenniferThrowback #LivingRoomGlam #FashionRegret.”
Honest truth? The dye made my hair feel like straw. Those jeans cut off my circulation. My partner still ribs me about the attempted lift. And the photos? Mostly ridiculous. But damn, it was a laugh. Made me appreciate just how much that whole circus dominated back then, and how impossible it is to recreate that specific lightning in a bottle, even badly in your own home. Fun experiment though! Probably won’t repeat the hair dye.
