So, if you haven’t heard – which, if you got The Bitter Lemon email newsletter, you would have heard already – I am having a 90’s celebration on Saturday (tomorrow!), right on SnapChat! There’s going to be many, many movies, even festive food, possibly terrible fashion and makeup, 90’s music, trivia, and general reminiscing about the greatest 10 years of my life: THE 90’s!
Join in the fun by following me on SnapChat @OrangeJulius7 – and then just having a 90’s night of your own! Dig out your old DVDs, your favorite tunes from the 90’s, find your cordless phone, strap on your pager, and let’s DO this!!
As I was pulling out all of my 90’s DVDs the other night, I got to thinking about why I love the 90’s as much as I do.
In 1991, I was in first grade, meaning that I lived with my parents for the entire decade, had no bills, and I also started wearing colored mascara in 4th grade, had a clear purple cordless phone, and modeled my bedroom after that of Clarissa Darling’s – minus Sam coming through my window.
In 1997, I started middle school, which I am still labeling as the most terrifying point in my life. I’d left my school friends behind over district lines, and was tossed into a world of the unknown: combination lockers, ala cart lunches, and Gap Worldwide t-shirts.
I immediately got my cartilage pierced (which is still here), traded my glasses for contacts, overloaded on Bath & Bodyworks self-tanner, and properly waxed my Doc Martins. I even wore a Limited Too two-piece suit to my first boy-girl swim party.
And then, I met a group of girls that loved Hanson. And we bought issues of Teen Bop, we had slumber parties, we wore themed pajama pants, didn’t bother with boys, conquered video games, and ate endless amounts of candy. Yeah, the 90’s were good to me.
So, what else was happening in the 90’s? Let’s take a look:
Music
The 90’s gave us TONS of amazing music, including Sir Mix-A-Lot’s “Baby Got Back”, MC Hammer’s “U Can’t Touch This”, Vanilla Ice’s “Ice Ice Baby”, Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit”, and we welcomed artists of all kinds, including Hootie & the Blowfish, Hanson, The Backstreet Boys, *NSYNC, Britney Spears, Sister Hazel, Christina Aguilera, 98 Degrees, Weezer, The Dave Matthews Band, The Goo Goo Dolls, Mariah Carey, TLC, Jewel, and Alanis Morissette, among several others.
Some of my favorite singles from the 90’s include Michael and Janet Jackson’s “Scream”, “Wonderwall” by Oasis, “Buddy Holly” by Weezer, “Killing Me Softly” by The Fugees, “Groove Is In The Heart” by Dee-Lite, “Doo-Wop (That Thing)” by Lauren Hill, and “California Love” by Snoop Dogg.
Fashion
It’s safe to say the 90’s had its own look. Grunge music definitely inspired several looks of the decade, from bold nail polish and band tees, while preppy looks from “Clueless” made their appearance, and of course, sporty looks thanks to The Spice Girls.
A group of offbeat fashion icons emerged in the early ’90s, giving girls everywhere the confidence to be themselves and wear whatever they want. Blossom Russo will forever be remembered for her hats, Clarissa Darling’s mixed prints and oversize Keith Haring t-shirts are the stuff of legends, and Kelly Kapowski could pull off a crop top like no other.
On the early seasons of Friends, Jennifer Aniston’s character Rachel Green became famous for her layered, choppy haircut, created by stylist Chris McMillan. It remains one of the most iconic hairstyles of all time, and was the most requested celebrity cut of the ’90s.
And how can we talk about 90’s fashion without mentioning “Sex & The City”, which premiered on HBO in 1998. Sure, it was a show about sex, love, friends, and New York… but, the fashion. Wow.
TV
Who can forget television in the 90’s? Shows that were popular in those years include:
- The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
- Boy Meets World
- Seinfeld
- Full House
- The Simpsons
- Saved by The Bell
- Rugrats
- The Real World
- Are You Afraid of the Dark?
- Dawson’s Creek
- Friends
- Family Matters
- Frasier
- Home Improvement
- My So-Called Life
- The Wonder Years
- The Secret World of Alex Mack
…Can we just talk about that last one? Did anyone watch “The Secret World of Alex Mack”? I definitely did, and I distinctly remember her turning into a silver puddle of whatever it was?? Here’s the show description from IMBD:
She’s Alex Mack. One minute she’s walking home…the next there’s a crash and she’s drenched in some weird chemical! Then she gets powers…
Ha!
News
As sad as it is to mention, the Oklahoma City bombing happened in 1995. I remember going to church that night, and hearing people talk about it.
On a lighter note, Bill Clinton was elected into office in 1992, and everyone (ok, so maybe not everyone) thought he was so hip and cool.
In the wake of the Rodney King verdict and accompanying riots, the verdict for the case against O.J. Simpson was as equally polarizing in the later half of the decade.
Technology
You may not believe it, but the internet launched in 1991! I remember my dad bringing home our first computer; it was such a new and cool experience, even though I mainly played solitaire on it. I do remember my dad showing me the “Santa Tracker” on Christmas Eve though, and I thought that was pretty cool.
Of course, the internet opened the doors to many new things – one of them being Napster in 1999, and an entire world of free (and eventually illegal) digital content. In 1995, eBay was founded, and three years later, we met Google.
Technology also had an effect on popular toys, including gaming systems, the Talkboy and TalkGirl, and other talking toys, such as the FURBY! And who can forget the Tamagotchi?!
Other Trends
In 1997, we were introduced to the world of Harry Potter when the first book of the series was published. The 90’s were dotted with fun little things, such as mood rings, Lip Smackers lip balm, mini backpacks and platform shoes.
Anyone remember inflatable furniture? Yep, it was popular, right along with Trapper Keepers, discmans, pagers, Bubble Tape, and Doritos 3-D.
…So, come party with me tomorrow! I originally said 6pm for the start time, but my stack of movies is pretty tall, so the chances are likely that I’ll be goofing off on SnapChat all day. Check out the trivia, and some old school music, and a large pile of Pizza Rolls. Hope to see you there!
The Bitter Lemon 