An interesting trend that I've seen going around is the comeback of 90's fashion—cheap plastic black chokers and pastel jelly shoes are back, y'all. I've seen people on Tumblr revel in the its return and others abhor it; as Hebdige (131) states, "[s]tyle in particular provokes a double response: it is alternatively celebrated (in the fashion page) and ridiculed ore reviled..." But what sparks my curiosity, and perhaps also the general public distaste for the return of chokers, is the fact that 90's fashion is brought back not by people who were actually born in the 90s, but instead after. In other words, it is mostly 14-15-year-olds born in the 2000s that dominate this subculture of 90s fashion in 21st century society.
Multiple department stores have begun selling chokers and platform shoes; I've seen endless rows of 90's-inspired clothing fill the racks of Forever 21. Similarly, small businesses have opened up Etsy shops, selling handmade patches that accurately depict you as a government-hating, self-loathing, cat-loving feminist. With the sale of such items by large fashion companies, these "original innovations which signify 'subculture' are translated into commodities and made generally available, [thus] they become 'frozen'" (Hebdige 132). It seems, then, that the subculture has shifted into the world of capitalism—the aesthetic itself has been commodified. How ironic (or rather sinister?) is it that nostalgia of the buying public can be manipulated for the purpose of capitalism?
I completely agree with your musings. It's so interesting to me that '90s culture is making such a comeback right now. I didn't even think about people born in the 2000s, but you're completely right - the younger generation is repeating a style from a time they weren't even born yet. The sense of nostalgia for an era that wasn't even personally experienced is an interesting phenomenon. It’s not limited to 2000s-kids with ‘90s era fashions and trends; in society there is a definite sense of repetition of trends through the years. The quote, which I believe was from Dorffman, rings particularly true in this discussion: “Fiction reinforces in a circular fashion” (128). Particularly in relation to fashion, as it can be the most telling visceral characteristic of a repeated era, we as a society can see the influence of past generations repeating in a cyclical manner. Currently the fashion trends bounce between 70s style with flare jeans, suede materials, and similar silhouettes, and 90s style with dark lipstick, plaid flannel, and other “grunge” influences. I wonder if the styles from specific eras are repeated because of their relevance to current events. Is there a link between political and cultural events of the ‘70s and ‘90s that can be identifiable to current societal proceedings? I also find it interesting that the ‘90s is such a source of nostalgia. The continued significance of the television show Friends, the programming “Nick at Nite” being brought back to Nickelodeon, and the pop cultural references to ‘90s culture in music, such as “Uma Thurman” from Pulp Fiction in the new Fall Out Boy EP, all show the current fascination with ‘90s culture and the refusal to leave trends in the past. Nostalgia in general is one of the most fascinating phenomenons to me.
ReplyDeleteSo, I typed out a thought-out response to this post, but accidentally deleted it...
ReplyDeleteHowever, as someone who has admittedly bought scrunchies and a pair of platform sneakers within the past couple of years, I completely agree with your post, Carmen. The fashion of the 90s has certainly made a comeback in the cycle of fashion, as eloquently explained by McKenzi, and it is evident whenever one walks into a Claire's store: chokers, Birkenstock knockoffs, and fuzzy glitter pens channeling Cher Horowitz galore. I find it so interesting that this fashion is a part of the larger nostalgia surrounding the culture of the 90s; "90's kids" are extremely nostalgic for their childhood, and we believe that our era of childhood was superior to that of any other generation. There is a certain aspect to being a "90's kid" that feeds into the belief that 90's children had the best childhood of any generation, and that one must have experienced certain things as a child in order to be considered a 90's kid. Young people who were born in the late 1990s and the early 2000s aspire to be considered a 90s kid, as the nostalgia of a 90s childhood has a certain allure. The exclusion that 90s kids establish is so absurd that it has become a meme; people say sarcastically now, "Only 90s kids remember..."
http://cdn.thelisticles.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/90s-Kids-Memes-26-Really-cool-pen-but-one-not-so-cool-catch.jpg
http://s3-ak.buzzfeed.com/static/enhanced/terminal01/2011/8/21/20/enhanced-buzz-28277-1313974053-2.jpg
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/8e/58/94/8e5894d39108ec120738b606cdc08ee2.jpg
My personal favorite:
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/47/62/63/47626315a07fa0b0906a0ea1cbdb58ae.jpg
This exclusion of people who are not "90s kids" is absurd, and it hinges upon one's definition of the term "90s kid." My brother, who was born in December of 1999, claims to be a 90s kid, and though he only experienced sixteen days in the 90s, if one defines a 90s kid as someone who was born in the 1990s, he is right. However, many who claim to be 90s kids would argue that the term applies only to those who grew up in the 90s and experienced what a child growing up in the 90s would have experienced (owning dozens of classic Disney VHS tapes, watching Hey Arnold! and Angry Beavers, and buying Wonderballs, Skip-Its, and Lisa Frank stationery, for example).
I think that Carmen brings up a great point by talking bout how companies have caught on to the nostalgia and commodified it by selling products reminiscent of the 1990s; I have written somewhere in my Dorfman notes about commodifying childhood nostalgia. This notion is evident when you walk into any Claire's store: chokers, fake Birkenstocks, and scrunchies galore. Kids who never experienced the 90s (here I go, being an exclusive 90s kid) buy these items (Claire's is marketed towards the pre-teen age group), and they too can take part in the nostalgia for the 90s.