I don’t think they’ve been mentioned yet: Sport Utility Vehicles. I think I’ll look at Jeep Grand Cherokees the same way my parents view the early early Ford Mustangs.
Two words: tribute albums
(shudder)
How could I have forgotten?
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shirts embroidered with cartoon characters
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Beef jerky
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Jawbreakers the size of softballs, which brings us to:
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The movie “Jawbreaker,” and all its ilk. In the '80s highschool movies had some schlemiel as a protagonist, and there would be, perhaps, a nerd and a bully, all swimming in a great mass of nondescript students. (Oh, wait- sometimes there would be a fat kid, too.) The '90s brought us movies like “Disturbing Behavior” in which high schools are divided into nerds, goths, punks, jocks, mathletes, skate rats, slackers, etc., frequently all ruled by a “Gang of Four,” the four female trendsetters who can “make or break” anyone.
-Ben
you’re after clueless, right? the teen movie of all teen movies that spurred the current rash of (oh so brilliant) teen movies. without clueless, no american pie, no cruel intentions, no 10 things.
Lesbian chic. Although we’ve been chic for ages, darling.
Lesbians and gays got a lot more press and media coverage in the 90s, what with celebrities such as Ellen, Melissa, kd and others coming out. It isn’t uncommon now to switch on the TV to find a gay character in the cast.
A bit more mid-nineties, but:
Cigars
Cigar Bars
Cigar Afficonado, which in recognition of reality recently redid its cover to become [sup]Cigar[/sup]Afficionado.
And some more:
Gay chic. Lesbian chic was already evident in the 80s, indigo girls and all that. But in the 90s we got the A&F catalog, available only to adults. Gay people suddenly appear on TV, albeit on broadcast they don’t get laid. Huge progress.
Transgender chic: WigStock becomes a movie, Wigstock veteran RuPaul gets a talk show, and an Italian Catholic Republican mayor wears fishnet stockings to a publicized event.
Ricki Lake, who completely changed talk shows.
How about multi-culturalism? African-American, Asian-American, Latin-American, ad nauseum-American…
Try to find a commericial (especially), talk show, sitcom, news program, movie, etc with 4 people without one person being black. Asians and Hispanics seem to be moving in, too, and not just in stereotypical roles (they’re not all karate experts).
Schools cover more minority accomplishments, which is mostly a good thing (exposing Columbus, for example). But sometimes they shoehorn it too much (Carver’s peanuts, Hannibal and Egyptians being black)
I could get in less trouble calling someone a &*&#@ *#(@)*#*@ *#&*&# than a nigger.
Combats - you know those trousers with shitloads of pockets all over them like a rash.
Connected to the rise of the mobile, i guess as people now want to carry wallet, keys and a phone.
I gurantee people will look back and fail to understand why they could possibly think legwear with 17 bulky pockets was either necessary or flattering.