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In the never-ending battle of which decade is the best, it’s the 1990s for Millennials. 61% of Gen Y feel nostalgic for the ’90s, and they’re accompanied by a surprising 37% of Gen Zers, who were mostly born in the 2000s. For Millennials, it’s a time when they were kids, carefree, and having fun.

For others, it’s all about the distinct ’90s aesthetic: grunge, vintage PCs, Seinfeld, and Kate Moss. If you find it pleasing, then you’ll probably love Nineties Anxiety. It’s the place for all things related to the ’90s. Whether it’s a nostalgia-inducing pic with an old-timey cellphone or a cool shot of a young Leo DiCaprio – they’ve got you covered!

To know more about nostalgia and how the way we remember the ’90s might differ from reality, Bored Panda reached out to Kendall R. Phillips. He’s a professor of Communication and Rhetorical Studies at Syracuse University, with interests in public memory, popular film, and popular culture. He’s also the author of numerous books on horror cinema and the author of Framing Public Memory, Global Memoryscapes: Contesting Transnational Remembrance. Read our conversation about the ’90s, nostalgia, and its subtleties below!

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#1 Bob Ross ‘The Joy Of Painting’, 1990

‘People look at you like you’re a little weird, but, you know, I’ve always been a little weird so it’s no big deal. Everybody who knows me expects that.’

If you weren’t born in the 1990s and your only reference to the decade was the Nineties Anxiety Instagram Page, you’d think it was all about cool fashion, music, and movies. And sure, their 2.6 million followers might be a testament to how nostalgic we feel about the decade, but it may not accurately represent what it was like to live during it.

We asked Professor Kendal Phillips, whose academic interests include popular culture and public memory, to explain whether our nostalgia-saturated view of the ’90s can compare to the reality of the last decade of the 20th century. “Like most decades, the ’90s was a mixed bag of the good, the bad, and the bizarre,” Phillips says.

#2 Microsoft Xp ‘Bliss’ Wallpaper By Charles O’rear – A Virtually Unedited Photograph Of A Green Hill And Blue Sky With Clouds In Sonoma County, 1996

It’s estimated that billions of people have seen the picture, possibly making it the most viewed photograph in history

#3 The Royal Corgis Coming Off The Queen’s Flight In London, 1998

The professor explains how the 1990s began on many positive notes. “[It] seemed to promise an age of new beginnings,” he tells Bored Panda. “The Soviet Union had collapsed, Germany was reunifying, and Nelson Mandela was elected president of South Africa. It seemed like the beginning of a new age or, as George Bush put it, a ‘new world order.'”

“Unfortunately, all the promise of an era without a simmering cold war didn’t last long,” Philips continues. “The US invasion of Iraq, the 1990s version, not the 2000s, revealed that the ’90s was not going to be an age of peace and tranquility. The genocide in Rwanda was a dark preview of some of the atrocities to come, as was the war in the former Yugoslavia.”

#4 Fruit-Shaped Bus Stops In Nagasaki,japan (1990)

#5 New York, 1991

#6 ‘Found A Picture When I Was 5 At My First Concert #spicegirls And Took A Picture With A Girl Dressed Up As Baby Spice Who I Just Realized Now Was Blake Lively’ – Bria Madrid, 1997

Things weren’t looking so good inside the U.S., too. “Domestically, the ’90s saw domestic terrorism in Oklahoma City, race riots in Los Angeles, and the horrific mass shooting at Columbine High School. So, if people were fixated on the sounds of grunge and the fantasies of a close group of Friends getting together at the Central Perk, well, let’s just say we had reasons for seeking an escape.”

#7 Fran Drescher’s Emmy Award Winning Outfits From ‘The Nanny’, 1993-1999

#8 Summer Mix 1999 Part 1

#9 Forrest Stops In Monument Valley ‘Forrest Gump’, July 1994

That brings us to the issue of nostalgia in general, not just the ’90s. Some say that it’s a way for contemporary society to escape from the uncertainties of the present day. Professor Phillips somewhat agrees. “I think nostalgia often hinges on the desire to escape the present. Most scholars identify the rise of popular nostalgia in the 1800s as Western culture faced the increasing complexity of urban and industrial life.”

#10 Heath Ledger And Julia Stiles In “10 Things I Hate About You” (1999)

#11 1980s And 1990s Audio Equipment

#12 Berlin-Based Artist Hans Hemmert Hosted A Party Where Guests Wore Shoe-Extenders To Make Them All The Same Height Of Two Metres

Bringing all the partygoers to a common eye level, the shoes, all made from blue foam, highlighted the person’s real height in the visual uniformity of the sole instead of at the head, like a walking bar graph. (1997)

He says that since then, people more or less always sought comfort in romanticizing the past. “Just as folks in the 1820s might have dreamed of a simpler life on the farm, folks in the 2020s seem to be dreaming of a simpler life during [the] reign of Michael Jordan,” Phillips observes.

#13 Farm Workers In Front Of The Great Buddha Of The Bamiyan Valley In Afghanistan Photographed By Steve Mccurry, 1992. The Statue Was Destroyed By The Taliban In 2001

#14

#15 ‘Hocus Pocus’, July 1993

Yet Phillips doesn’t view nostalgia as a Big Bad Evil. “Nostalgia, in my estimation, is relatively harmless and can even be beneficial if we use these fantasies to try to unpack the core values we feel we’ve lost. Unfortunately, in the current age, there are also efforts to weaponize nostalgia and to use the fantasy of a better life in the past to villainize certain populations,” he also adds.

#16 Behind The Scenes Of ‘Teletubbies’, 1997

#17 May 18th 1995, Shawn Nelson Casually Walked Into A National Guard Armory And Stole A M60a3 Tank

#18 Yoshitomo Nara ‘Dog From Your Childhood’, 1995

Indeed, researchers have found that nostalgia can make us feel better. In 2008, Constantine Sedikides and colleagues did a series of studies. After these studies, they concluded that “chief among the perceived benefits of nostalgia was its capacity to generate positive affect, bolster social bonds, and increase positive self-regard.”

#19 Alicia Silverstone As “Cher” For Clueless. (1995)

#20 Kim Cattrall As Samantha Jones ‘[intimacy] And The City’ Pilot, June 1998

“This is the first time in the history of Manhattan that women have had as much money and power as men, PLUS the equal luxury of treating men like sexual objects.”

#21 Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route – Toyama To Nagano, Japan In Late 1990s

“Nostalgic participants manifested stronger social connectedness than did control participants,” the researchers explained further. “They felt more loved and protected, had reduced attachment anxiety and avoidance, and reported greater interpersonal competence.”

#22 Weekly World News, June 1992

#23 Iconic UFO Themed Mcdonald’s In Alconbury, Cambridgeshire In The UK, November 1993

#24 Tower Of Vintage PC’s From The Early 90’s

But why the ’90s exactly? What’s so special about this decade in particular? Dr. Renee Middlemost, a lecturer in Global Communication and Media at the University of Wollongong’s Faculty of Law, Humanities, and the Arts, has said that it’s completely normal for current generations to look back at past decades. “Every generation looks back at past trends,” she claimed.

#25 ‘Animorphs’ Cover Illustration For The Science-Fantasy Children’s Book Series Featuring Kids Morphing Into Animals, June 1996-May 2001

#26 Decorative Ceiling Hidden By Early 1990s Renovation In Moscow

#27 Blockbuster Video Was Founded By David Cook In 1985 As A Stand Alone Mom-And-Pop Home Video Rental Shop In Dallas, Texas

Later grew into a national store chain featuring video game rentals, DVD-by-mail, streaming, video on demand, and cinema theater. The company expanded internationally throughout the 1990s. At its peak in 2004, Blockbuster employed 84,300 people worldwide and operated 9,094 stores. Today, “The Last Blockbuster” in Bend, Oregon is the only remaining location.

She thinks that the vast availability of ’90s media plays a part in how popular it is now. “I believe it has something to do with the way people are watching media these days. With platforms like Netflix around, people recommend shows to each other, and there are [fewer] people seeking out new things. Our tastes seem to have narrowed,” she said.

#28 Friendship With 1972 Nissan Skyline 2000gt-X, 1997

#29 Wide Leg Pants And A-Line Skirts From Late 90s Mccall’s And Delia*s Catalogues

#30 Kai Tak Airport In Hong Kong Closed Its Runways On July 1998, Leaving Behind A Legacy Of Aviation Challenges – Plane Making A Jaw-Dropping 45-Degree Turn

Another factor is how the current youth finds the ’90s media relatable. Take the show Friends. It’s about navigating your life in your 20s and just hanging out with your friends. Dr. Middlemost returns back to the idea that nostalgia comforts us. “When you’re feeling dark about the world, you go back to the things that make you feel better.”

#31 Copacabana Beach In Rio De Janeiro, 1990

#32 Volkswagen Golf Harlequin Launch In Atlanta, June 1996

#33 Darvin Ham Shatters Backboard During Ncaa Tournament Photographed By Scott K Brown, March 1996

#34 ‘Spongebob Squarepants’ Pitch Bible Original Artwork And Show Concepts By Stephen Hillenberg, 1996

#35 High Risk Graffiti On The 430ft Metlac Bridge In Veracruz, Mexico In Late 1990s And Early 2000s

#36 New Yorkers Stop To Watch The ‘Seinfeld’ Finale In Times Square, May 1998

#37 Custom Limousines By Car Collector And Custom Builder Jay Ohrberg, 1990

#38 World Renowned Climbers Beth Rodden And Tommy Caldwell Photographed By Corey Rich During A Portaledge Stop On El Captain In Yosemite, 1999

#39 Japanese Street Style In The Late 90s And Early 2000s

#40 Doug Coombs Dropping In At Corbet’s Couloir (Wyoming), 1989

#41 A Couple On The Streets Of Paris, 1990

#42 ‘Outrageous’ Teen Makeovers From Jenny Jones And Ricki Lake Daytime Talk Shows Throughout 1990s

#43 ‘Akira’ In New York, 1990

#44 Drew Barrymore In ‘Scream’ Bratz Doll, 1996

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