Child Of The 90s

           I recently found myself at a dinner party surrounded by a group of other like-minded mid-twenty-somethings, when the topic of 90s nostalgia came up. With each new bottle of wine, we covered everything from Pogs to Pokemon, Backstreet Boys to Britney. We talked fads and fashion, music and movies, and came to one general conclusion: The 90s were Awesome. Not awesome in the way that the Beatles or Casablanca are, but awesome in the unique way that it can produce something like Good Burger.  

           It was an eventful decade for news and entertainment alike. Pierce Brosnan was James Bond, OJ was driving the Bronco, Leo was saving Kate, Michael Jordan was quitting and resuming basketball (and baseball), Johnny Carson said goodnight, Ross and Rachel were hooking up, and despite the sex scandal, Clinton's approval ratings were at a presidential all-time high.  
           While I may not have been aware of all of that at the time, MY 90s ruled. MY 90s were one of Nickelodeon and Sunny-D and boy bands and Lip Smackers. 
           I vividly remember visiting my best friends' house and jumping back and forth between her and her sister's beds WAILING to No Doubt's "Tragic Kingom" album (Spiderwebs was my big number) and choreographing full-fledged musical performances to Aqua and Spice Girls and T.L.C. I would douse myself in body glitter, stuff my hair with butterfly clips and screw-in jewels, and throw on my overalls and jelly shoes, ready to conquer the world. If I was feeling really fancy I would fill up my triple-pierced ears, add a ball-chain necklace and a smiley face slap bracelet, and hook on my fanny pack. Ahh, the good ol days.

           We were sustained on pizza Lunchables, pop-tarts, ninja turtle ice cream bars with bubble gum eyes, and Capri-Sun. Between that and the HOURS spent playing Oregon Trail, it's amazing that any of us maintain functioning cholesterol levels. At least we had Clinton's Presidential Fitness Test in PE to keep us fit (or in my case humiliated and terrified...). 
           It was a fantastic time to be between the ages of 4 - 14. Lime colored leggings were socially acceptable, the Macarena was taught at school, and most importantly: Nickelodeon ruled all.

           Every single Saturday night I would grab popcorn, a bag of Butterfinger BBs and glass of Crystal Pepsi and curl up with gleeful anticipation for Snick. I COULDN'T WAIT to see what the gang on All That were gonna be up to, how much orange soda Kel would drink, what scrapes Alex Mack and the Rugrats would get into, and have Clarissa to explain it all to me (Thank you, Melissa Joan Hart). And DOUG! I loved Doug above all. I wanted to attend a Beets concert, to meet for lunch at honkerburger, to go to Judy's art school. And THAT'S just one night a week! Afternoons were spent with Nicktoons like Hey Arnold along with Legends of the Hidden Temple and Double Dare. Nick: I love you. I even had a subscription to Nickelodeon magazine (remember THIS?!)

           Its amazing that with all that rad television that we had extra time, but somehow we found it. With the insane cornucopia of toys and products, there wasn't a second to spare! Beanie Babies trading, Polly Pocket adventures, Giga-pets to sustain, American Girl Dolls to dress, quality Furby time, Tetris marathons, Lisa Frank sticker collections, pokemon to battle, treasure trolls to collect, GAK!!! 

WE HAD S**T. TO. DO!

          As the decade wore on, my tastes developed while still exposing myself to pure 90s greatness. Ahh! Real Monsters was replaced with Daria. Boy Meets World was cast aside for Friends. Friends. To this day I still find it one of the best things ever (I own every single season on dvd and watch the whole series at least once a year. Still freaking hilarious.) Clarissa Darling turned into Sabrina the Teenage Witch, and JTT made me aware of my increasing hormones...

           There is so much more of the 90s that I haven't even touched on. I have merely skimmed the surface of the stringy-banged, platform shoed iceberg. 
          The 90s have had a lasting impact on me. Spice Girls instilled me with Girl Power. My general scientific understanding comes from Bill Nye the Science Guy, and my basketball knowledge from Space Jam. While I was drinking big gulps and getting Glamour Shots (seriously.) at the mall, I was really developing my tastes and pop culture filter and radar. Thank you, 90s. 

Xoxo,

Tarreyn

If this post didn't fulfill your longing for all things 90s, fear not! Below I have lists of some 90s nostalgia blogs and websites ANNNDDDD a FIVE HOUR 90's playlist on Spotify courtesy of yours truly! Go Forth and Get Your 90s On!


* Things 90s Kids Realize
* Children of the 90s
* 90s Nostalgia on Pinterest

90s Playlist on Spotify!