According to the internet, millennials yearn to relive the fashion, accessories, and entertainment of the 1990s, probably because they were too young to experience it the first time. With pop culture still obsessed with the end of the millennium, I asked young people what they can actually recall, firsthand, about the period we romanticize so much.
Name: Simone Norman, @whysimonewhy
Age: 23
What I remember about the 90s: I remember feeling really excited about the turn of the century, still slightly too young to realize the ramifications of what people expected out of Y2K. To me there was just a charge of excitement in the air, but I think what I was picking up on was actually widespread panic. Anyway, people in our neighborhood were freaking out, but I was all pumped cuz my dad bought me glow-in-the-dark glasses that spelled out 2-0-0-0 across my face. That night I tried to stay awake, but just like on that episode of Arthur, I found it way too difficult to make it to midnight. Woke up the next morning and there was no technology apocalypse and I still had some sweet glowy glasses, so overall it was a pleasant memory.
Also if you didn't have Lisa Frank school supplies you might as well have stayed home on the first day.
Name:Šime Viduka, @simeviduka
Age: 30
What I remember about the 90s:I remember my brother and I getting real pissed that they cut away to breaking news of Princess Diana's death during Hanging with Mr. Cooper. TGIF!
Name: Lindsay Climans, @climans
Age: 24
What I remember about the 90s:My mood ring always turned black, thus explaining my early onset anxiety disorder. #firstpanicattackatage8
Name: James Bennett II, @jamesbennett2nd
Age: 25
What I remember about the 90s:During a (dysfunctional but everything is fine nothing is wrong right guys haha) family vacation, I jacked my sister's copy of Sisqo's "Enter the Dragon" and hid in the hotel to memorize all the lyrics.
That, and crying in my bathroom on NYE '99 because I was convinced that the world would end and I wasn't good enough to go to heaven. I've hated every New Year's since.
Name: Sarah Jane Dillon, @dillonsaur
Age: 25
What I remember about the 90s:That day my brother found posters of NSYNC, The Backstreet Boys, 98 Degrees, and that mock band 2gether from MTV hidden behind my clothes hanging up in the closet, and that look of disappointment on his face when he found out I didn't really love Korn, Limp Biscuit, or Disturbed as much as he did.
Name: Dan Wilbur, @danwilbur
Age: 29
What I remember about the 90s: I remember my dad saying before Bill Clinton's apology to the nation over Lewinsky: "If he resigns, I'll fix the dishwasher," since it meant people in this country are supposed to be held accountable and fulfill their responsibilities. I watched it with him. It was very short. My dad was excited when he didn't resign.
Tamagotchis were so prevalent, rules had to be made at school, home, and for my entire rec baseball team. It's like we knew iPhones were coming and we were all preparing to always be on them.
Name: Joe Lee, @raser34
Age: 23
What I remember about the 90s:Everything Rugrats, and when they hit their 10th year on air and I realized they were older than me.
Name: Tracy McClendon, @clearlygenius
Age: 23
What I remember about the 90s: Wasn't there a huge fucking scare over killer bees? I was like 5 or 6 and that definitely traumatized me. Every time the news came on, there was more coverage on the killer bees, the killer bees were coming, they were coming from Africa, they were spotted in Florida, they were KILLER BEES! Even MadTV was talking about them, that's how I knew it was serious.
Also the sound of dial up. And going to a giant mostly empty warehouse 20 miles away from my house with the whole family to purchase a new computer once every couple of years. It seems sketchy now.
Name: Batya Franklin, @batyanechama
Age: 24
What I remember about the 90s: Furby. Chia pets. The robot dog that broke after I got it and would walk around and bark randomly throughout the night in our family room. And thinking the kids on ZOOM were the epitome of cool. once I finally convinced my mom to help me call in to try to win a free t-shirt or something. I didn't win. Shocker.
Name: Will Bloom, @WillWBloom
Age: 25
What I remember about the 90s: Educational video games. I played the shit out of Zoombinis. I still think of those little guys whenever I see pizza.
Name: Mac Naismith, @MacNaismith
Age: 24
What I remember about the 90s: I remember hearing that it was illegal to kill a praying mantis, and thinking that if I did, Bill Clinton would land in a helicopter and personally arrest me or something.
Name: Lizzy Furey, @thedirtbird
Age: 25
What I remember about the 90s: The first major news event that I remember is Princess Diana's funeral on TV all the time. I saw Titanic in theaters 4 times and owned a few biographies of Leonardo DiCaprio that were pretty much just a bunch of glossy photographs of him across the years. I remember gel pens, Spice Girls lollipops/stickers/Barbie dolls, and the dudes in my class were very into NSYNC for some reason.
Name: Elizabeth Logan, @lizzzzzielogan
Age: 25
What I remember about the 90s: I remember when Titanic came out, I was obsessed with Titanic and here's a picture of me, in 1998, being obsessed with Titanic.