Sarah Dube
Lately, certain fashion trends from the 1990’s have been making their way back into 2020. Social media influencers are wearing bucket hats, stores are stocking their shelves with scrunchies, and bike shorts are no longer only reserved for the gym.
It’s not just the fashion; movies and TV series from the decade are also making their way back to our screens. Disney revived the 90’s classic series, “Boy Meets World” and Netflix has been rounding out their site with plenty of 90’s throwbacks.
The revival started in 2017 with the “Full House” spin-off, “Fuller House.” “Full House” was a staple of 90’s television and the spin-off put the original back into the forefront of viewer’s minds. The hit sitcom “Friends” also gained a lot of traction on Netflix with 32.6 billion minutes streamed in 2018. Before it was removed in January, it was the second most watched series on the site.
Dr. Beth Gibbs, a music professor at FSC, recalled her experience.
“In the 90’s I was in high school and college,” Gibbs said. “I remember wearing a lot of baggy clothes; baggy shirts, baggy jeans. [When] I got to college, I got my first form-fitting shirt and overalls. It was so weird to me because for so long I had been wearing these baggy clothes.”
Along with the trademark baggy clothes, Gibbs also raved about bright colors and bold patterns making a comeback. The late 80’s and early 90’s are well known for their neon fashion statements. As the early 2000’s approached, the fad died down but recently made its resurgence.
“I think a lot of kids who grew up in the early 2000’s who are now in college are starting to become more confident in making bolder fashion choices,” Gibbs said. “They leave middle school and high school where conformity is one of the most important things, and in college they become secure enough to bring those bold trends back.”
Gibbs also made references to various popular Netflix series that have contributed to the revival of 90’s trends. Shows like “Sex and the City” and “West Wing” were among the titles she listed, with “Friends” coming up once again.
“In the 90’s, everyone had the Jennifer Aniston haircut from ‘Friends,’ Gibbs said.“You could walk into any hair salon and ask for ‘the Jennifer’ and they’d know exactly what you meant.”
Nowadays, college students aren’t exactly itching to copy Jennifer Aniston’s latest hairstyle but they are definitely taking inspiration from the decade. One FSC student who has made her love of the 90’s known is senior Alexis Gettemy.
“Some of my favorite trends that are coming back are high-waisted ‘mom’ jeans, chunky white sneakers, statement jewelry, and scrunchies,” Gettemy said. “Fashion like this, I believe, stems from some of our favorite female role models from hit movies and tv shows during that time period.”
