The 90s Revival:  Because we're all tired of the future

I first noticed the 90s revival a couple of years ago when my daughter wore an outfit that looked a bit like Quinn from Daria.

Then my friends’ kids talked about getting CDs and listening to bands like Green Day. On a Discman. One of them sported a Nirvana t-shirt.

Then it was all about throwing away the skinny jeans and breaking out the low-rise bootcut jeans (I am OK with low-rise bootcut, but the mom jeans look should never see the light of day).

This past year my daughter asked us to take her to Hot Topic, the most quintessentially 90s store I can think of. I walked in and was greeted with the sounds and clothes of my youth - Pear Jam and Red Hot Chili Peppers pumped through the speakers, Nirvana shirts hanging on the walls, babydoll dresses on full display. I was right back in high school.

But the one that made me laugh the most was when my 12 year-old told me she had “discovered” an awesome song that she was obsessed with.

The song:

Even "the mall" seems to be making a weird comeback, just after a period of malls being on the decline and many torn down. My daughter and her friends have started to ask us to take them to "the mall" to just wander around. Recently we visited one of the remaining large malls in our region and I was surprised to see many of the haunts from my 90s teen years bustling - Hot Topic, American Eagle, Bath & Body Works (which smells like high school to me). Even the experience of “going to the mall” felt like such a time warp - no different than the way my friends and I cruised the mall in the 90s, ducking into stores, perusing racks, making critical decisions about what to buy.

Every generation seems to “discover” something “retro” and make it cool again. In high school, I remember when we “discovered” Queen and classic rock. 🎸 The kids are doing the same thing today. The cycle continues. And if it gets my kid to listen to Siamese Dream by The Smashing Pumpkins, I am here for it.