When math teacher Alexis Dyer was in high school, she was surrounded by ‘90s culture. Cuffed jeans, feather hair, acid-washed jeans and popped polo collars walked the halls.
“Acid wash jeans and mom jeans are coming back,” Dyer said. “But fads always come back. Bell bottoms from the ‘70s come back, skinny jeans go in and out all the time, but the ‘90s are back now.”
Dyer and fellow math teacher, Lissa Avis, both decided to “peg,” or cuff their jeans as an homage to the ‘90s fashion they grew up with.
“I had talked about it to my students and they didn’t know what it was,” Dyer said. “So I talked to Avis and she said ‘let’s do it!’ It was a nostalgic sort of a thing, a little throwback,” Dyer said.
Dr. Brent Donnellan, a Michigan State University psychology professor, is familiar with the concept of nostalgia and the meaning it holds for certain people.
“My familiarity with nostalgia as a psychological concept is that it is personal,” Donnellan said. “A person experiences nostalgia for something in their own past.”
Although current students don’t have a direct connection to the ‘90s, they’re still found emulating certain style choices and appreciating throwback music.
“The ‘80s and ‘90s are known for bright colors and goofy styles,” Dyer said. “Now, everything’s minimalist and muted. I think kids see that and appreciate the difference in style because we lack it now.”
Sophomore Brianna Rupert is among these students who appreciate aspects of the ‘90s, including style and music. For Rupert, she has strong ties to the ‘90s because it’s what her parents grew up with.
“I like classic rock and punk rock like Green Day,” Rupert said. “A lot of my family listens to it, so I was conditioned to like it.”
Alongside music choices, Rupert also enjoys dressing in vintage fashion. For her, it’s an opportunity to express herself and stand out.
“I like some of the ‘90s style and 2000s style,” Rupert said. “I think it’s different and cool.”
Similar to Rupert, junior Makayla Bruening also enjoys dressing in a vintage fashion. Bruening enjoys ‘90s pop culture, such as horror movies. But for her, the rise of technology in the modern age has removed a special aspect of authenticity found in earlier films.
“I like horror movies from the late ‘90s,” Bruening said. “I feel like there’s less technology and more authentic aspects.”
From high school students of the 2000s to former high school students of the ‘90s, nostalgia is always going to be a concept that humanity is drawn to. It feels comforting to think about the past. Dyer, similarly, echoes this.
“It always feels good to reminisce,” Dyer said. “It’s nice to remember a time in my life that was safe.”
