06/04/2025
If you were a high schooler in the 1990s, you know we lived in a golden window of time: right between rotary phones and social media, landlines and iPhones, mix tapes and Spotify playlists. And man, was it fun.
We didn’t have smartphones glued to our hands. We had to memorize phone numbers, call our friends’ houses, and actually talk to their parents first before we could even think about making plans. Friday night plans? You made them at school or hoped your friend called your house before your dad picked up the phone and said, “Who is this?”
Music was everything. We had real variety- grunge, gangsta rap, pop, R&B slow jams, and skater punk all living together in perfect harmony. You recorded your favorite songs off the radio on a cassette tape and prayed the DJ wouldn’t talk over the intro. If you got a CD, it was a prized possession. If you had a Discman with skip protection, you were high-tech royalty.
Fashion? It was chaotic in the best way. Baggy jeans, flannel shirts, chokers, Starter jackets, and Airwalks. We dressed like we were either going to a Pearl Jam concert or about to skateboard through a Mountain Dew commercial. And those who dared wore JNCOs so wide you could smuggle an entire boombox in one pant leg.
We passed notes in class, folded like origami masterpieces, and absolutely no one texted. If someone liked you, they had to tell you. In person. Or they’d ask their friend to do it and circle “yes,” “no,” or “maybe.”
School dances were full of awkward slow dances to Boyz II Men and No Doubt, with sweaty palms and butterflies. There was no filming it for TikTok, just living it in the moment. Half the photos were blurry because your disposable camera only gave you 24 chances.
We watched TRL after school, recorded our favorite episodes of Friends or Fresh Prince on VHS, and stayed up late to watch Unsolved Mysteries even though it gave us nightmares. If you missed an episode, you just missed it. No streaming. No spoilers.
We drove around with no GPS, just vague directions like “Turn left after the old gas station,” and nobody ever knew exactly where they were going, but somehow we always found our way.
Being a teen in the ’90s meant real freedom. It meant making mistakes without everyone seeing it online. It meant being present, laughing until your stomach hurt, and making memories that weren’t for content, but for life.
We were the last generation to grow up just before the world changed forever. And honestly? We got the best of both worlds.
So here’s to the teens of the ’90s. We didn’t have it all, but somehow, we had everything.
-Mississippi Memaw
🌀💿📼🎧💬✏️
