As much as we try to make it stop, time continues to march on. Yet, the '90s always seem to pull us back. Of course, I'm biased since I lived through that decade myself, but the internet is full of nostalgic content that proves I'm not alone in feeling this way.
Take the subreddit r/90s, for example. It has 266K members and they regularly reminisce about the era. Whether it's memes of classic video games, old-school commercials, or forgotten snacks, this online community is dedicated to keeping its memory alive.
Continue scrolling to check out the pictures and the chat we had with sociologist Dr. Anthony Synnott — it's spread out in between the images.
#1 Why Did This Usually Work ?
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#2 I Made A 90s Room Diorama. What Do You Think?
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Dr. Anthony Synnott, author of The Body Social, says we're mostly afraid of aging because we are worried about death and the fact that we don't know what comes after.
"We may believe we do, but people have such widely divergent beliefs in reincarnation, the Islamic Paradise, the Christian hell or heaven with the Beatific Vision, or just nothing — and it is hard to imagine one's nothingness!" Synnott tells Bored Panda.
Of course, there's also "the aging prior to that" and the image of "a long, drawn out, painful illness, with medical staff reluctant to give you enough morphine in case you get addicted."
#3 Who's Cutting Onions?
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#4 Unplugged With Nirvana, My Oil Painting
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#5 This Was My Experience, Was It Yours?
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Thoughts about accelerating physicaland cognitive decline (which Synnott talks about on his Psychology Today blog), dementia, and Alzheimer's give us "plenty to fear and worry about, quite apart from medical expenses in the US leading many to leave the hospital to go home and die so that they can leave something to their families or charities rather than to for-profit hospitals."
But what about the positives? Well, "one might say [it gives us] more experience and therefore greater wisdom, but for whom?" the sociologist asks.
"My sons know more than me about modern life, and my five grandsons are generally not interested in the rare advice I might give and more in their friends, sports, and machines — as I was at their age and, unfortunately, later."
#6 Those Were The Days Of Abundance
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#7 My Oil Painting Of Bagel Bites
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#8 You Never Know What You Have Until It's Gone
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#9 Anyone Remember These Bad Boys?
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In practical terms, Synnott believes there are some gains to be made with aging "in terms of pensions and reduced fares, etc., but [they're] not enough, in my experience, to balance the negatives."
So what does a person have to do with all of this? Well, we have to accept that some things are simply out of our control. Synnott says one has to learn to be a bit philosophical and use the "It is what it is" mindset more than grumbling.
#10 Remember When You Could Afford Concert Tickets?
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#11 If You’re An ’80s Or ’90s Kid, Or Hell Just Over The Age Of 30, You’ll Understand These Memes Alllll Too Well. Sorry…
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#12 Start Me Up
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#13 Who Else Loved Finding “Hidden Tracks” At The End Of A New Cd?
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All of this might sound (a little) grim, especially while scrolling through some '90s memes, but refusing to think and talk about what awaits us can hurt us even more. Plus, we '90s kids have largely entered the age of hair loss and back problems, so there's no reason to fool ourselves.
We humans have found ways to extend life but often at the cost of personal autonomy. Ignoring the problems leaves us unprepared for the realities of aging and dying.
#14 Kids Today Will Never Understand The Struggle
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#15 When You’d Walk Into Your Classroom And See This…
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#16 The First Villain I Ever Knew... Shredder ('90)
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#17 Rude
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As for nostalgia, it can serve a number of purposes. Psychologist Dr. Krystine Batcho, who has been extensively studying it, argues that the thing that ties them all together is that nostalgia is an emotional experience that unifies — it helps to unite our sense of who we are, our self, our identity over time. Collective and individual.
We change constantly, sometimes in incredible ways, too. We're not anywhere near the same as we were when we were three years old, for example. Nostalgia, by motivating us to remember the past in our own life, helps us to connect to our authentic selves and remind us of who we have been and then compare that to who we feel we are today.
#18 What Were Some Places That Were Prevalent In The Late 90s/Early 2000s, But Are Rarely Seen Nowadays?
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#19 Cleaning The Old Promo Closet At Work And I Found This Tucked In The Back!
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#20 And Again, That’s 841-0275 Thank You ?
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#21 I Wanted My Basement To Be Violently 90s Kid
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"Nostalgia could hold us back if it consumed us, but as a memory of the past, ... I doubt if it is worth worrying about," Synnott adds. "One can enjoy some of our memories!"
So if you want to continue your trip down memory lane, fire up our older publications on the subreddit r/90s: 40 Jokes And Memes About The 1990s Shared In This Online Group That Today's Kids Won't Understand and 50 Posts About The '90s That Are Full Of Nostalgia.
#22 Movie Theater Signs From The 90s And Cinemark Theaters Interior And Design
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#23 Back When There Was No “Recalculating Route…”
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#24 Which One Was Your Favorite?
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#25 Who Had One Of These???
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#26 Why Don't Kids Of Today Enjoy Toys As Much As Kids In The 90s
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#27 Anyone Remember Viennetta Ice Cream Dessert?
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#28 The Fifth Element (1997)
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#29 Your Car In The 90’s. Don’t Forget To Take Your Radio And Secure The Steering Wheel!
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#30 Who Else Misses The Malls From The 90s?
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#31 Colors Of The 90s
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#32 Legit Every Boy
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#33 Summer Camp
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#34 TV
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#35 90s Bubblegum
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#36 90s Fast Food Photos
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#37 My Son Wearing My Old Jacket And Glasses To A 90s Party
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#38 Nothing Better Than Drinking Out Of This On A Summer Day When It’s Full Of Ice Water
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#39 I Can Hear This Picture
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#40 Just Found This Little Gem ?
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#41 Anyone Else Remember The Yo-Yo Craze In The Early 90's Where You Had To Have The Best Yo-Yo And Learn All The Tricks?
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#42 'got Milk?' Appreciation Post
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#43 I Want To Play And Go Back To The 90s!
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#44 Librarians Were Really Like "These Are Perfectly Not Scary For Elementary Age Children To Read" In The 90s
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#45 When Friday Night Felt Like This
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#46 I Spotted This While Browsing An Auction Site. McDonald's Merch Was Soo Good Back In The Day
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#47 We Were Spoiled
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#48 Finding Out Who Was Rich In The Neighborhood
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#49 What PC Game Of The 1990s Meant The Most To You?
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#50 What Was Your Favorite "Source" For Music?
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#51 Yall Remember These??
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#52 On This Day In 1996, Kenan And Kel Premiered On Nickelodeon
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#53 Christmas Morning 1997
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#54 One Two Seater Couch
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#55 Remember When You Could Actually Afford Food ??
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#56 McDonald's "Monopoly" Promotion Craze. The Mcmillions Documentary Explained How Rigged It Was Sadly
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#57 Remember The “Target Smell”? If You Know You Know… None Of Them Really Have It Anymore. Why?
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#58 Childhood Was Good ?
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#59 I'm Glad I Thought To Take A Picture Of My Room Back Then
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#60 Jnco Clothing Ad (1990s)
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#61 Yikes Pencils In The 90s, Who Else Had Em?
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#62 I Definitely Took This Super Seriously And Felt Personally Responsible If My Class Didn't Win
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#63 The Films Of 1994
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#64 I Didn’t Realize They Still Sold Clearly Canadian. ?
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#65 My Bag Of 90’s Mostly Fast Food Toys
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#66 Only The Real Ones Know ?
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#67 I Remember Eating These All The Time At School
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#68 Found This Unopened In My Mom’s Basement
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#69 Who Remembers These Bad Boys Growing Up?
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#70 You’ve Got Mail. Aim Came Out 27 Years Ago This Month And Forever Changed The Way Communicate
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#71 90s Mall Photos
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#72 25 Years Ago Today, Woodstock '99 Officially Began
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#73 My Bedroom In 1991 The Day I Got My Gateway 2000 PC
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#74 Who’s This Guy? It’s From 1998
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#75 Do You Recognize This Scene
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