There is something about autumn that makes me feel nostalgic, so travel with me as I go back to the 1990s. I
was born in the 1980s, but I came of age during the 1990s. My love for that period grows with each
passing day. The lessons learned in the
1990s are still with me today.
The
television shows released during the 1990s are on another level. Although the current television shows have
better production quality, the shows from the 1990s had an authentic feel that
cannot be duplicated. A Different World is one of my all time favorite
shows. I still remember watching the
show and believing that college life would be just like it was at fictional Hillman
College. Because I did not attend an
HBCU, my college experience was somewhat different than the show. But, many of the issues the show addressed, I saw
firsthand while a college student in the early 2000s. I cannot talk about television shows and not
mention my all time favorite show, Martin. Martin Lawrence is a comedic genius and his
show was well ahead of its time. Ole
Otis, Jerome, Bob from Marketing, Roscoe, and Dragonfly Jones are a few of
my favorite characters. Family Matters was another one of my
favorite shows that I watched with my parents on Friday nights. That show provided laughs for people of all
ages and also discussed important family topics. The Cosby
Show portrayed the black nuclear family in a positive light. Cliff Huxtable was a physician and his wife,
Clair Huxtable, was an attorney. Teen Summit was a great show that addressed
serious issues young, black teenagers were dealing with. It aired during a time when the programming
on BET was still good. That said, how
could I forget about BET’s Rap City: The Basement. I looked forward to coming home after school
and watching the latest and greatest in hip hop on the show. I could go on and on about great 1990s
television shows.
The other day, as I sat on my couch looking at old pictures, I came across an old picture of myself
during the 1990s. I was wearing an
Avirex shirt, black Avirex jeans and black Timberland Boots. Also, I was wearing a gold chain with a cross
pendant, a black doo-rag, “diamond” earrings and a black New York Yankees
fitted hat. Those were the days! Back in the 1990s, people wore baggy clothes,
which is completely different than the popular style today. Cross Colors is one of the least fashionable
clothing brands ever crafted, but, it was very popular in the early 1990s. Nautica bubble coats and UNLV Starter brand
coats were big during the 1990s. Timberland
boots were wildly popular during the 1990s. I
recall asking my mother to buy me a pair of wheat Timberland Boots. I asked her to buy me the kind with the
leather at the top of the boot, which sold for $145.00. If I had walked the halls of Cook Middle
School with the boots without the leather, I would have been clowned for sure. During my time at Cook Middle School, the “fashionable”
young ladies wore Reebok Classics and tennis skirts. The popular style of dress was heavily
influenced by the hip hop culture. I
remember going back-to-school shopping with my mother the week before beginning
high school. We went to Hanes Mall and
went to my favorite stores at the time—Belk, Hects and Dillards. I was on a mission to find Tommy Hilfiger,
Polo and Nautica t-shirts, book bags, and shorts. Those were some of the best times of my life.
Remember CHAPS by Ralph Lauren? The acronym CHAPS stood for “Could Have Had a
Polo Shirt.”
I
met a few friends at a bar the other night and we a good conversation about
the 1990s. One of my friends talked
about how he recently spoke with his 15 year old cousin. His cousin told him that he had recently
learned about “old school” gaming systems in his technology class. He said he learned about the Nintendo, and my
friend was excited and started telling him all about Mike Tyson’s Punchout and so many other games. Then, his cousin said, “I learned about the
Nintendo 64, not the Nintendo.” He told
his cousin that the Nintendo 64 is not old school. We all laughed about the
experience and starting talking about technology during the 1990s. Who remembers their mother giving them a
quarter to keep in their pocket in case they had to use a pay phone to make an emergency phone call? Who remembers beepers? I had two or three different beepers in high
school. I remember owning a Nintendo and
playing Blades of Steel, Tecmo Bowl, and Arch Rivals. If you owned or
even played a Nintendo game, you remember having to blow dust out of the game
and the gaming console. The joystick on
the Nintendo had two buttons, “a” and “b.” I still remember having to use an
antenna to get a clear picture on the tube television at my grandmother’s
house. Life was simple and the gaming systems, and
pay phones were signs of that fact. During the 1990s, many people in my age range
did not have bills to pay, or children to care for or any other major responsibilities. My biggest responsibility was going to
school, making good grades and taking out the trash. Because I love the 1990s so much, I will
revisit this topic again soon.
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