Commentary
by Danielle Seideman
Before cell phones and smart TVs took over, the ’90s was an era of frosted tips, grunge music, boy bands and dial-up internet. Kids who grew up in the era are lucky to remember life before people were glued to social media and TV on demand.
The 13-year-old, junior high student me can still hear the sound of the internet loading before my mom would kick me off so she could use the corded phone. In the ’90’s, curfew was when the street lights came on. Fridays were exciting on TV because it was TGIF (Thank God, it’s Friday). Everyone was watching the same sitcoms together as a family, from the relatable life stories of being a ’90’s teen in the series, “Clarrisa Explains It All,” to Steve Urkle’s mischievous line, “Did I do that?,” from the popular show “Family Matters.” Everyone wished they could find a love like Cory and Topanga in the show “Boy Meets World,” about two highschool sweethearts who, despite all their ups and downs, knew they would always be together.
Fashion was an array of styles. You would see girls with large barrel bangs, overalls, with choker on their necks and jelly shoes. The smell of cucumber melon body mist and Adidas cologne swarmed the halls of middle school. The boys wore frosted bleach tips on their hair and you would often see them in an oversized pair of JNCO jeans and their favorite starter jackets.
Movie nights consisted of heading to Blockbuster to rent a VHS and pop it in your VCR. Young girls had their Caboodles full of Lisa Frank stickers and art supplies. The Lisa Frank collection was every young girl’s dream, known for its bright-colored school supplies, splattered notebooks and puppy-covered folders. Bedrooms were clustered full of Troll collections and Pogs. Life seemed so simple when you could just blow the dust out of your Nintendo 64 game or console to fix any technical problems.
Some of the popular music of the era consisted of Nirvana, Metallica, Mariah, Whitney and the favorite rap battle duo Biggie Smalls and Tupac Shakur. Before Miley Cyrus, Billy Ray Cyrus was singing about his “Achy Breaky Heart” while Geoge Strait tugged America’s heart strings. This is just a small list of iconic musicians from the ’90’s.
Even with questionable fashion choices, like stone washed jeans and platform shoes, the ’90’s was argumentatively one of the best eras in which to grow up. Nineties kids got to experience the world before smartphones. This nostalgic list about the decade could go on, but for now, let’s sit back and enjoy the memories.
Danielle Seideman of Lewiston is a hot mess mom of three who drinks way too much coffee. You can find her working on her computer, taking adventures in the mountains with her husband or having epic dance parties with her kids. She can be contacted at arts@inland360.com.