12 Things That Were A BFD In The '90s

For some reason, 2016 has been declared the year of the '90s revival. Because of that, we spend a lot of time rationalizing our passion for the decade by talking about how relevant the trends and fashions of the decade are to today's. It's been fun for us to reminisce about how many things have maintained themselves or resurfaced. We're so happy to see chokers and platform shoes and mini backpacks making a comeback. But do we really care that our old Furbies are occupying a landfill, or that our inflatable furniture is deflated in that landfill right next to them? Do we care that CD stores now barely sell CDs, and that MTV barely plays music? Personally, I don't think so.

Which is exactly why I'd like to take minute to talk a lot about the things from the '90s that we lost interest in and that totally died out. Not everything from that decade is laced with nostalgic hearts in our eyes. Some things faded away and and we were happy to see them go. There are so many things that we totally outgrew, no longer need or care about from that same celebrated decade — not to bash on the '90s, just to bring in some perspective. The are 12 things that were a huge deal in the '90s, and are totally "meh" now:

Having Your Own Landline

When I got my own landline, I thought it was the greatest gift a girl could get. I talked on it for hours, every night. I loved that people had direct access to me and didn't need to treat my parents as gatekeepers. But once mobile phones became popular, talking on the phone at home lost its allure. It's more fun to talk on the go, and now if anyone calls me on a landline, I don't answer. I just assume it's a telemarketer.

Band Posters

In the '90s we were all about taping paper posters to our walls. My bedroom was completely covered in them. Now we're more into vintage posters, and nothing goes on the wall without a proper frame. I have no regrets for throwing away all my posters from the '90s.

Going To The CD Store

When a new album came out, we'd run to the store to get it. We'd stick around for a while, browsing the aisles, picking out keychains with our favorite bands names on them. Now we can't be bothered. Not only do we hate CDs, but we'd rather stay home and download it on our own.

Getting A Radio Shout-Out

Before podcasts and subscription radio, public radio was really popular. We'd all listen to the same local station and hope that one day, someone we liked would give us a shout out. Now we never listen to public radio, so the novelty has worn off. It's not like our crush is going to be able to interrupt Serial to confess their love to us.

Going To The Mall

I used to love going to the mall. It was a great excuse to meet up with friends, you could spend the whole day walking around and then go to the food court and pig out. Now, I'd put the mall on the top of my "worst places in the world" list. Shopping in groups is no longer fun — ordering from the internet from the comfort of your couch is all the rage.

Learning The Dances To Songs

When a new pop music video came out, my friends and I would get together and watch it a million times as we tried to learn the dance moves. When the song came on at a party, we'd break into a choreographed dance number, just like in the movies. Now we barely watch music videos, and if there's a dance, we're not trying to learn it.

Getting A New VHS Tape

On every wish list for every holiday or birthday, there was a movie. We loved to collect movies, then organize them in their special shelves and take them with us to sleepovers and parties. Now we can't stand the sight of movie cases. We want all of our movies to live in our computer in invisible files. The last thing we want is a physical movie, and especially not a VHS because we'd have no way of watching it.

Smoking

Once upon a time, we thought smoking was cool, or looked cool. Now, it's barely even in movies anymore. The cool kid is not the kid smoking anymore — the cool kid is the one who says, "No, thanks, I care about my health."

Showing Up Places

Because we weren't reliant on cellphones and constant communication, we'd just show up places, unannounced. There was always this sense of opportunity — your friends could show up at any time, your crush could surprise you outside your window. But now that we're always in contact, we don't do anything without confirmation. If someone showed up at our house unannounced, we'd be freaked out or annoyed.

Using Cash

I always preferred to use cash. I liked to count out my change exactly and organize my money on a regular basis (all $22 of it). Credit cards seemed scary and dangerous and unsafe. Now, we hate cash. We're so much more likely to use credit or pay with an app and avoid cash at all costs.

Getting A New Trucker Hat

When celebrities started to wear the hats that we'd only seen on truckers before, we were all about it. The bigger and stiffer the better. We'd collect the hats and wear them to school and to parties. We thought they made us look cute. Looking back, it seems like a costume — they're not cute. And we're totally over them.

Plucking Your Eyebrows

Someone once told us that eyebrows were supposed to look completely unnatural and we all listened. We'd pluck them until they were skinny little crescents, floating inches above our eyes. Now we're all about that natural fuzzy look. I don't think we'll ever go back. (I hope!)

Images: Giphy