'90s Nostalgia

by Aliya Karim

I read something recently that my friend posted a link to (on Facebook, of course), 10 Things 90s Kids Will Have To Explain To Their Children. The post had me laughing all the way through, because I knew and understood everything the writer was talking about: "Boy Meets World," Tamagotchi, and even Lisa Frank.

It is the ideology that no notebook is complete until it literally hurts your eyes to look at from so much color saturation. It is the hope that no school supply, no matter how insignificant, will be left un-bedazzled.

Remember these? I'm pretty sure I owned the folder with the unicorns back in second grade.

It's pretty interesting when you think about how nostalgic our generation is. We're all just entering our 20s, and we already miss childhood and "the good old days."

My friends and I always exchange photos, videos, and links to subject matters pertaining to the 1990s. This summer, we all got extremely excited when we found out that TeenNick would begin re-airing our beloved '90s shows - no, '90s classics - like "All That," "Kenan & Kel," and "Doug."

But really, why are we so nostalgic? The 1990s ended almost 12 years ago - but that's nothing compared to the 1980s, 1970s, and times that our parents and grandparents would be nostalgic about. According to the New York Times,

One possible explanation, say authors who focus on generational identity, is the impact of the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. The political and economic climate of the late ’90s had been as soothing as a Backstreet Boys ballad: no wars, unemployment as low as 4 percent, a $120 billion federal surplus.

Interesting point. I guess you could say the 1990s were a simpler time. You could also pinpoint the nostalgia to the fact that our generation practically grew up with the Internet and all it has to offer - including remembrances and memories of childhood. Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr - they're all filled with posts about this show or that game from the '90s.

I'm not saying we shouldn't be nostalgic - heck, I'm nostalgic for childhood all the time - but it's funny when you think about how quickly we've begun missing something that isn't even 15 or 20 years in the past.

And now, I leave you with this. Let's sing along, shall we?