How Millennials are Making a Major Trend of Their Own Childhoods
From mood rings, boy bands, and Blockbuster, to colorful windbreakers and grunge, the 90’s and early 2000’s were an iconic era for entertainment and fashion. Not only did this era give us musical masterpieces like “Bye Bye Bye,” “Hot in Herre,” and The Spice Girls’ “Wannabe,” it also gave us- well, us!
If you were born between the years 1985 and 2000, guess what: you’re a “90’s kid!” While this term is a bit misleading considering most current college students were only celebrating their first couple birthdays during this beloved decade, there still seems to be an ongoing monologue about just how great the 90’s were. Think of it like the modern version of two old guys sitting at a bar talking about “the good old days: when gas was 50 cents and ‘tablets’ were only used to carve love letters into,” or something else two old guys would say. Essentially, it has become very common–and popular, even–for young adults to be nostalgic. But why?
Fashion fanatics know that trends come, go, and come again in an ongoing cycle. Fashion from the 60’s, 70’s, and even the 20’s has been resurfacing in the past couple years, so it’s no surprise that trends like choker necklaces, combat boots and floral skater sun dresses are making a huge comeback among teens.
The most important aspect of the nostalgia trend, however, is recreating merchandise that reminds us of the 90’s. Even the games and shows that weren’t able to stay on-air or in big stores after the arrival of the high-tech 2010’s have found a way to stay relevant. Old-school Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network shows can be found on DVD, Nintendo 64 and Gamecube games are being sold at vintage video game shops and revamped on newer gaming systems, classic childhood computer games like The Oregon Trail and Rollercoaster Tycoon received smart phone makeovers, and TV shows like “Full House” and “The Powerpuff Girls” are making major comebacks on Netflix reboot projects.
Likewise, vintage and vintage-themed decal T-shirts featuring any 90’s character or icon you can think of are stocked in every store imaginable in increasingly large quantities. Even seemingly “niche audience” or “fandom” trends have been revamped and made mainstream again, like the ‘Pokémon Go’ app and the upcoming Harry Potter-themed equivalent, ‘Harry Potter Go.’
As we all know, the entire summer of 2016 consisted of dedicated fans and clueless bandwagoners alike leaving their couches for the first time in years to blindly wander the streets and duel perfect strangers while trying to avoid being violently struck by oncoming traffic. Meanwhile, various stores, coffee shops and even zoos threw their dignity away in an attempt to stay hip and relevant in the hopes that they, too, could “catch ’em all”… meaning they literally used the prospect of attaining a fictitious virtual creature in a fictitious virtual game to lure kids to their businesses so that they could make more money- and it worked. Except when churches did it, that was just weird…
But I digress…
“Thrifting” is yet another fad on the rise in recent years. This trendy pastime allows nostalgic “90’s kids” to reach back into the past and physically grab the 90’s by the collar (if they can find it amongst the personalized school uniforms and 3 full racks of “I pooped today” t-shirts, of course). In any case, thrift stores are truly a gold mine for trendy nostalgia. So whether you’re trying to replicate the looks of 90’s TV show idols, keep up with mainstream fashion patterns, or just really like aliens, the 90’s nostalgia trend has you covered.
So why exactly are “90’s kids” so nostalgic about their childhoods, you may ask? Well, the answer is actually two-fold. On the base level, Millennials are nostalgic because they are just now getting to the age where they are transitioning into adulthood and, therefore, having to “adult,” meaning they have to take on adult responsibilities. However, as they carry out these responsibilities, there’s a deep, profound realization that they come to, one so complex it can befoul the very fibers of your being. And that epiphany is this…
Being an adult SUCKS!
That’s right folks, this is the age when blossoming grown ups start realizing just how good they had it when they were 12 and didn’t have to worry about a whole slew of problems. For example, who the President was, or how to do their taxes, or needing to save to buy into a mortgage system that imprisons them for life, or whether or not they’d be insured when they break their arm trying to replicate an Olympic gymnastics routine for a bet… In other words, ignorance is bliss + the 90’s reminds us of that ignorance = The 90’s must be the source of the bliss! It’s classic 3rd grade math.
The second part to the answer is that businesses- whether you like it or not- are not stupid. It’s their job to pick up on these things, and to do whatever is necessary to stay relevant and make a profit. So naturally, what did t-shirt companies, social media platforms, and TV stations do? They jumped on the nostalgia bandwagon, of course! What better way to make a profit than to commodify the collective fond memories of an entire generation as they come of age as independent consumers? Thus, a super successful, super popular, super trendy trend is born!
Now personally, I completely agree that nostalgia is a comforting escape from reality, and have fallen victim to its sweet caress many a time myself. But now, more than ever, Millennials need a game plan for their future “adulting.” Arriving at the conclusion that being an adult sucks can inspire many feelings that young adults need to navigate through maturely and safely- feelings like despair, anger, “I don’t wanna,” “ugh,” and the overall panic and flailing of limbs. But when we do experience these delicate chemical reactions, it’s important to weigh all the options, including:
1.Get depressed and discouraged and just give up on everything. (not highly recommended
2. Get all fired up about it and dedicate every waking moment to “sticking it to the man” via angry Facebook posts that end up getting a solid three likes and a disapproving comment from your judgmental Aunt Sue.
3.Scroll through Buzzfeed posts about how DunkAroos, and Tamagotchis, and the Oregon Trail computer game made our childhoods the best of any generation’s while sobbing through the “Lion King” death scene and eating dinosaur-shaped chicken nuggets.
OR
4. Buy a dang planner, organize your assignments, appointments and other responsibilities, stick to a schedule, set aside time to study, communicate with your teachers if you’re struggling, get a tutor if you need to (it’s okay to be a weenie in college, it’s the only way to succeed at this point so swallow your “high school punk phase” pride), call your parents every once in awhile so they know you’re not dead, and if you really want to know how to do something “adult-y,” just ASK a fellow adult- I know. It’s crazy. It’s pure insanity, but it works.
So listen, “90’s kids,” I will admit that being an adult does absolutely suck, and having to worry about real world stuff is absolutely stressful. But the hard truth is that you can’t turn the clock backwards and truly relive the 90’s. You just can’t. The only available direction is forward, into the ominous abyss of the 2020’s. But we can survive it, I promise. We just have to learn to balance our nostalgia with our real-world responsibilities. Yes, businesses are totally taking advantage of our situation and profiting off our reluctance to abandon our inner-child. Yes, Netflix is preying on our weakness for #relatable 90’s sitcoms that transcend time and space and make you believe in the power of high-waisted acid wash jeans to deliver the world from evil, and it’s totally unfair and greedy…
But for the sake of our sanity during the transition, I’m going to go ahead and say that there’s nothing wrong with us “90’s kids” taking a little walk down memory lane every once in a while to unwind from carrying the weight of the entire country’s future on our shoulders. Just as long as we know when it’s time to turn off The Lion King, put on our big-kid pants, turn on our work computers…turn on the Lion King *soundtrack* and start rocking the GEL (pens) out of being an adult!!
Take THAT judgmental Aunt Sue!
