Anytime
some retrospective of the 80’s comes on TV, I’m all over it. NatGeo recently ran a six part docuseries
“The 80s: The Decade That Made Us,” and I was glued. Being a bonafide Child of the 80s, I remember
when we got our news from Dan Rather, Peter Jennings and Tom Brokaw, that shoulder
pads were as essential as shoes and how everyone revolted against New
Coke. I remember when the world premiere
of a video on MTV was an event that you stayed up late for on Friday nights; when
“Material Girl” by Madonna made its debut, my loyalties forever tilted from
Cyndi Lauper to Madge. For the uninitiated,
they were the Britney and Christina of their day. The Demi and Miley…you get
the idea).
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| Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love - the Prom King and Queen of the 90s (image from buzzfeed.com) |
As
nostalgic as I get for the 80s and as much as that decade’s influence continues
to be felt, even today, I hold a special place in my heart for what I sometimes
think is a forgotten decade: the 90’s.
I
think for my generation, the 90s is probably like the 70s was for my parent’s
generation: a red-headed stepchild forever lost in the shadows to the more
glamorous, more revered decade that came before it. Whenever
my father gets misty for days gone by, it's usually about Motown’s heyday,
standing in line to see “The Graduate” and watching Neil Armstrong land on the
moon. When he talks about the 70s, it’s
all high gas prices, inflation and a disdain for disco. Similarly, hardly anybody waxes nostalgic
about the 90s with the same fervor as they do the 80s.
Though
my childhood is all 80s, all the time, I am unequivocally a Girl of the 90’s. When I think about the 90’s, I envision matte
lipstick, chokers and frilly blouses. I strutted
around in baggy denim overalls with one strap hanging down my back and baby
doll dresses with black patent leather lace-ups and thick white socks. My boyfriend wore Drakkar Noir and Z Cavaricci
suits (don’t judge) both of which only made him hotter. Just the other day, I was reminiscing with
someone about “Melrose Mondays,” a time when the FOX bitchfest ruled Monday
nights (and my VCR – remember those?).
When Dylan cheated on Brenda with Kelly, I burned (though thankfully, I didn’t
chant “Donna Martin Graduate”). When
“Smells Like Teen Spirit” hit the airwaves, like everyone else, I was stunned –
what WAS that? I listened to my
cassettes of “Born to Sing” by En Vogue and “Poison” by Bell Biv Devoe so much,
the tape eventually stretched to the point that whenever I listened to them on
my Sony Walkman, I could hear the songs on the other side screaming through.
Seriously...only in the 90s (image from buzzfeed.com)
My
new book, “Sweet
Little Lies” is the teeniest, tiniest little homage to the 90s (it’ll be
FREE on Amazon July 17-18, if you want to give it a whirl). The main character, Kelly, was “one of those
ubiquitous 90s supermodels,” and part of the action takes place during that
time. When I sat down to write it, I did
want to include a little bit of that 90s flavor in the book and even came up
with a playlist drawn largely from tunes from that decade (check out the
playlist here),
such as “Freedom ’90,” “My Lovin’(You’re Never Gonna Get It,” and “Supermodel.” It’s kind of fun for me to think about Kelly
rocking out to the same songs and wearing some of the same fashions as I did
back in the day…after all, writers always put a little bit of themselves into
their characters J
While
the 80s may get all the glory, the 90s was a highly impactful decade that
shouldn’t be taken so lightly. It birthed
Lilith Fair and Lollapalooza. It was the 1992 L.A. riots. It was O.J. and Monica Lewinsky. It was Must-See-TV on NBC. It was the rise of hip hop, boy bands, Spice Girls
and grunge. On a personal note, the 90’s
was when adolescence and adulthood collided for me. It’s when I started high school, moved to
Chicago, got my first job, went to college, fell in love for the first time and
began my career. Many of the close
friendships I have today were formed in the 90s. Not to go all “Wonder Years”
or anything, but the decade played a huge part in who I am today (alright,
alright…insert my Kevin Arnold voiceover here.)
So,
while I’ll continue to worship at the altar of the 80s, there’ll always be a
little room up there for the 90s.
And
rightfully so.
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