The 90s Nostalgia Edition

It’s safe to say that present generations continually share a fascination with decades of the past. In my short 23 years of life I have experienced a revitalization of the 60s, 70s, 80s, and currently, the 90s. The 60s renewal was filled with child-like jumpers and vibrant hippie outfits. Mod-style short hems and flared skirts were groovy. The youth of the early millennium ran out to purchase vintage clothing and antique record players. A multitude of retailers across the country began to produce the records of current artists, capitalizing on something that had been deemed passé. Next came the obsession with outdoor music festivals and attempts to reproduce events like Woodstock. Teenage girls acquired an obsession with floral head wreaths and tiny knit dresses. The bohemian look was made chic. Then, the revival of the 80s was all about colour. Cyndi Lauper became every teenage girl’s fashion icon. Colour fishnets were a staple.

I can’t help but feel as though the revival of the 90s is a tad premature. Many of us fueling this obsession have lived through it, and are simply reimagining a rose-coloured childhood. All the nostalgia that we feel when watching 90210, listening to boy bands, or wearing scrunchies hazes over the true reality of what the 90s were really like. “As if” any of these 14-year old teenagers remember the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 (yes, communism still existed in places other than Cuba) or the controversy around Bill Clinton’s “special friend.”

The fashions of the 90s were confusing to say the least. Grunge ruled supreme. The youth wore clothing that flared, bagged and clashed. Chains, metal, and earring sales were at an all time high. Skateboarding was all the rage. And now in 2016 we’re making a conscious effort to bring back the styles once proudly adorned by the likes of Britney Spears and JT. We suck on our Push-Pops and ignore the stickiness between our fingers, while reminiscing about Blockbuster video stores and a simpler time when we could just Heely away from our problems.

Most of us that have been partaking in these blasts from the past love the way this time in history made us feel. Those of us that lived through the 90s the first time around love the feeling of remembering days that were freer and more colourful. But as much as we find pleasure in reading a list of the “Things 90s Kids Will Remember”, we’ve carefully selected the revitalizations that are the most superficial. This allows us to keep the modern conveniences of today. No one would willfully resort back to dial tone internet connection, or be able to live without their iPhone. I doubt any of us would want to revert to listening to cassettes and have to untangle the ribbon every time it got jammed. No one would want to carry around a Walkman that doesn’t fit into any reasonably–sized pocket, along with all the CDs you might want to hear throughout the day. So why is obsessive 90s nostalgia still a thing?

Featured image courtesy of Tess King