Being an introvert has a way of impacting a great many aspects of your life no matter what decade you're in, but there were definitely some struggles introverts had in the '90s that are uniquely of the era. To be fair, there are many struggles introverts have today, too; however, I think there's something to be said about how social and connected the '90s were and just how exhausting that could be when you were an introvert at the time.
After all, online communication was still in its early stages; if we wanted to interact with people, it was much more efficiently done on the phone or in the real world. But the phone and the real world can be taxing for introverts, and, well... let's just say that being able to connect with other people quickly and easily on the internet has been a boon for a lot of introverts.
It's easy to look back on decades gone by and remember only the good things, but it's also OK to look back and admit that yes, life could be tiring and stressful, even during an era you loved. That's particularly true for introverts, who pretty much need alone time even if they're having the time of their lives. Even if you remember the '90s with a fondness in your heart, if you're an introvert, I'm willing to bet you'll relate to a lot of these struggles from the '90s.
1. Acting Out Your Favorite Music Videos By Yourself
There are few things more quintessentially '90s than lip syncing along with a music video while it plays on VH1 or MTV. Of course, if you were an introvert, you know just how challenging it can be to pretend to be the lead singer, backup dancers, and extras all at once. But hey, at least you got some alone time, right?
2. Attending Birthday Parties With a Sleepover Component
Of course you wanted to go to your best friend's birthday party! But sleeping over doubled the human interaction, and that, quite frankly, could get exhausting. That's why if you couldn't weasel your way out of sleeping over, you were likely the first to go to bed.
3. Everyone Wanted To Play Video Games With You, Not After You
It's not that introverts have a problem sharing things, like video or computer games, it's that they don't necessarily want to share them together. Letting an introvert play a single-player game before taking over can be much, much more enjoyable all around than forcing them to play with you.
4. No One Understanding Your Twin Peaks Obsession
Let's be honest: What '90s introvert wasn't obsessed with Twin Peaks ? And of course, none of your friends understood your love for David Lynch, leaving you to watch episodes on repeat in your bedroom.
5. Making Mix CDs For Only Yourself
It's not that your friends didn't appreciate your meticulously crafted mixed CDs; it's just that they didn't fully get them. More to keep for yourself, am I right?
6. Having Lots Of Friends Online, But Few In Real Life
Pretty much everyone's mom told them to make more friends at school, right? Right? Well, if you didn't exactly jive with your friends at school, the least you could do was make a few more online... as long as your mom didn't accidentally pick up the phone while you were trying to get the dial-up to work.
7. Not Being Allowed To Go Places By Yourself
Pretty much everyone loved hanging out at the mall and going to the movies in the '90s, introverts included. Introverts simply wanted to do these things by themselves, but if your parents didn't let you go places without at least one friend, you were pretty much out of luck when it came to getting lost in a crowd.
8. Dealing With Crowded Lunches In The Cafeteria
There is absolutely nothing wrong with eating by yourself, but this was a pretty impossible feat if you were in school during the '90s. Even if your school gave you some privileges to eat lunch in places outside of the cafeteria, you were likely to encounter a crowd pretty much wherever you went.
9. Are You Afraid Of The Dark? Was Actually Terrifying To Watch By Yourself
Even if you didn't want company during the whole episode, I'm willing to bet more than one suspenseful moment left you calling for your parents.
10. Your Classmates Not Seeing Your All-Black Outfit As Chic
'90s fashion was... uh... colorful, to say the least. But while everyone now recognizes that all-black outfits are chic, you probably weren't an unsung fashion hero when you wore them in the '90s.
11. No One Appreciating Your Perfect AOL Away Message
Yes, everyone tried to craft the perfect away message in the '90s, but I know my fellow introverts crafted the very best of them. After all, who else spent as much time choosing the perfect song lyrics, font, and colors? Introverts exceeded in this arena, no doubt... even though no one else seemed to appreciate our genius.
12. Movie Nights Were The Ideal Solo Activity
Sure, everybody wanted to spend the night eating popcorn and watching Clueless, but you, my dear introvert, wanted to do it by yourself. Who better to enjoy your time with than well, you?
13. People Interrupting Your Reading
Whether in the '90s or today, introverts all recognize the frustration of someone interrupting you while you're reading. Is there anything worse? (No. No, there is not.)
Images: MTV; Giphy (13)
