All of humanity living in the 90’s survived Y2K and a new generation emerged, well, a kinda new generation?

Once everyone realized they were going to live to see January 1, 2000, contemporary trends, styles, and attitudes were expected to explode and define the 21st century. This seemed to be an accurate prediction as of 2010 because of the explosion of the digital decade, disasters relating to violence, and the birth of Generation Z. Although, the introduction of new ideas decelerated as more time separated the 2000’s and 1990’s. It seems the 90’s are becoming greatly missed as each year passes after 1999.

I can unfortunately say I am one of many teenagers suffering of 90’s deprivation. To all the kids born just a few years after the 1990’s who are discriminated against because they aren’t official “90’s kids”, I relate.

So since I was born in 2002 instead of 1992, I can’t miss the 90’s? With each year becoming more destructive and worrisome for the future, how can one not wish they were dipping in the 90’s. The “chill” vibe has been destroyed, the slammin’ slang has since died, and being social (not through a cell phone) is almost equivalent to a crime in modern times.

Technology is the word of the century. While it has provided means for monumental discovery and research, it has only created distance between those using it. Technology allows communication between nations in seconds but does it really create unity?

Those who have grown up with technology, teenagers, are victims of its dangerous effects. “Social butterflies” are now seen as awkward and “too chatty” but when did smiling or complimenting someone become foreign? Oh right, when the 90’s era ended and the digital age began. With the rise of technology came the rise of constant comparison. While talk of “self-love” and representation have been made popular, perhaps through technology, social media networks only allow for increase in unhealthy competition. Whether it is easy to admit or not, most want their Instagram post to have more comments than the one your classmate posted two days ago. Do you think this was a concern in the 90s… how quickly someone responded to your Snapchat or who retweeted your tweet? Ugh, as if.

Entertainment, while often catching society’s eye, has changed… for better or for worse? Not sure. Sure, radio stations are filled with boppy tunes by Bruno Mars, Drake, and Taylor Swift but not even the “cutting edge” artists are recognized as original. It seems as if every time an artist is considered to be “something the world has ever heard”, they sound like someone else or have the same beat to their music as another artist, perhaps another artist who boomed in the 90’s. Nirvana, Snoop Dogg, and U2 were all massive artist in the 90’s and were actually redefining music. Sure, artists today can build fan bases in minutes and tweet their way to stardom but there is something beautiful and impressive about the simplistic claim to fame which is originality.

The most accurate representation of the 90’s would be the small icons constantly surrounding those living normally. Beanie Babies, Nickelodeon cartoons, and the Macarena have become retro. They are something which can only be described most precisely by one living in the height of their popularity.

With all this said, the 90’s were unforgettable, they cannot be summarized in a few paragraphs only beginning to explain their wonders and creations. Without having lived in the 90’s and only experiencing them secondhand, I can say I miss the 90’s. The banging good times,the understated clothing choices, the truly remarkable talents which have become icons, they all give reason to wish the 90’s would come back and engulf me. In this era of innovation and constant pursuit of better, there is a generation of teenagers, like me, who feel that the 90’s did not last long enough. We attempt to imagine the style choices, we listen to the singers who channel the 90’s vibe in their songs, we watch reruns of television shows that aired when our parents hadn’t even begun to think they would be raising a child who consistently dreamed of living in a different age.

The 90’s came too late and left too soon, how can they ever be conceived of anything but magical. The incredible thing is that in a society which drills the idea of progress into our brains, one can actually miss a time they never lived in. Each New Years celebration brings the 90’s further away and society continues to advance more rapidly as technology redefines the impossible. As a child who believes they were born in the wrong era, the only reason I can calmly watch society progress is that with each new technological feat, time machines are becoming more probable and that is the only way I can return to the beloved, deeply missed 90’s.

#bringbackthe90’s