The early to mid 90's were amazing. Especially for music and pop culture for high school kids!
Early on, hair metal was beginning to morph and fade. We were all still listening to it because we're from a rural community where there's nothing better to do than act like a bad ass at the county fair, but it's prime was passing. This music would always stick with us through our lives, but a new genre was emerging that would take us all over for quite some time. Hip Hop.
My first year of high school, 1991/1992, was a rough one as my body went through a HUGE change while I fatted up for surgery and then had said surgery, then lost weight accordingly and shot up 4 inches in height. I had to wear a lot of stretchy fabrics, and there was no better time! But my style was still trying to evolve from middle schooler to high schooler all while being intensely small! I was still hanging on to the pulled up sweats of the 80's, possibly topped off with a B.U.M. Equipment hoodie or Hypercolor long sleeve t-shirt. But then next day, actual stirrup stretch pants with a long sweater and long necklace with pendant of planet earth with a ton of people holding hands like I was a human rights activist dressed for an office job. Imagine EnVogue doing an interview at a nice restaurant. Loving some Bel Biv Devoe, New Edition, Boyz II Men, just making mix tapes left and RIGHT. The go to "hot girl" stuff to wear was a tight black skirt with black nylons and black stilettos. You could put a Cosby sweater on top as long as you had that combo on the bottom.
Heading into Sophomore year, more of the same. Hip Hop was SWEEPING the nation. Even the preppiest of prepsters was rocking a Starter jacket or an NBA jersey at some point. Jeans were beginning to come un-tight-rolled and get a little baggier, the bigger the sweatshirt you were wearing, the better. We were ALL starting to look like human rights activists, race relations counselors or hood rats. Watching Do The Right Thing, Boyz In The Hood, New Jack City. Disney movies were also popular. If you could mix a giant Mickey Mouse hoodie with your hilariously baggy jeans and Addidas, you were so fucking cool. It seems every single part of any media was touched with an Afrocentric vibe. I had to get a whole new wardrobe because I grew so much and I really couldn't decide what culture vibe I wanted to be a part of, so I was picking out Cross Colours Jeans and then understated Esprit sweatshirts....and wearing them together. Hip Hop Prep? Whatever, I digress. I was listening to so much TLC, De La Soul, Tony Tone Toni, Shanice, basically anything with black people at the time, you wouldn't believe it. Seriously so glorious! My winter formal dress was skin-tight, off the shoulder, dark green crushed velvet. With black stockings and shoes, of course. You're welcome for that image. Top it all off with a French twist, please.
When Junior year came along, I was sort of in flux. Alternative music was beginning to emerge bringing it's huge change in style along. Stripped down make up, button-fly CK jeans, flannels were now tied around the waste instead of inside-out sweatshirts, I had a thing for silk blouses. Especially ones with ruffles (but lets be serious, my whole life I have loved ruffles, ribbons, satin things, it has never gone away). Ace of Base and Lisa Loeb were rocking my world. Reality Bites showed me that alt girls could be cute too. Delia's catalog was showing me all about spaghetti strap tanks and that I didn't need to wear a bra all the time. I was still enjoying some hip hop because Salt-N-Pepa released Shoop and Whatta Man and I couldn't stop singing that shit, but it wasn't completely dominating the scene like before. I wore a cream, halter-neck, fit n flare brocade dress to prom that I REALLY still wish I had. Hootie and the Blowfish were about to release the CD Cracked Rear View and I was about to have one of the greatest summers ever known to a teenager. The summer before Senior year. So many damn parties in super questionable locations. I can't even express. Just sooooo many parties.
Senior year. 1995. The year of zero fucks given. I don't even remember a trend to what I was wearing. My black suede Puma's replaced my beloved canvas K-Swiss. I think I had totally worn out 2 different pairs of white canvas Polo boat shoes AND my blue Eddie Bauer ones as well. My bestie and I were partying so damn much that we would take showers after getting into the house well after curfew, then dress for school, literally have all of our clothes already on, then get up, do our hair, put shoes on and bounce to school. I was just CRANKING the Hootie, Garth Brooks, Sheryl Crow, and assorted hip hop. Gangsta's Paradise was considered so cool, but Notorious BIG was coming in and making hip hop and rap more legit gangster and fewer and fewer Keith Sweats were hitting it big. The East Coast/West Coast rap war was in full swing, but you probably couldn't hear it over how loudly I was still jamming Mr Big and Blessed Union of Souls. I was sneaking into over 18 clubs called terrible names like Bourbon Street and Stingers on Thursday nights thinking I was so damn cool all while ordering a sex on the beach. (barf). There was still a little of that Freshman girl wanting to be a grown ass business woman in me though as I wore a floor-length, black velvet, off the shoulder dress for homecoming that had gold beads hanging from the neckline and a side slit that left little to the imagination. I won Homecoming Queen in that mofo, so I care not.
It was a really great time. The song Beautiful by Miguel and Mariah Carey just came on and it's a perfect current song to hear while reflecting on those times. It was so carefree and though people told me, I had no idea that I'd never feel that free again. Never are you that void of responsibilities. I was safe and sound within the popular group inside my little school in my teeny-tiny town. Elementary school was great, sure, but there's something about the increased self-awareness combined with the lack of responsibility of high school that is so much sweeter. Wrap that up with falling in love, kissing, having sex for the first time and it's just so magical.
It's almost 20 years later and I still get a huge smile on my face every time I think about it.
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