Nostalgia of a mid-90s tween

Lately I was thinking about old friends from elementary school and middle school, which led to remembering other less important things.

If you are a 90s child or someone who was simply childlike in the 90s, you might remember these:

Now & Then

This movie ruled my school when I was 12-years-old. It was a movie about life, death, love, and most importantly, friendship. After school, my friends and I would hang out at each other's houses and talk about the movie way more in-depth than it probably deserved. We would also role-play. I always designated myself as Sam (the writer) and my best friend Megan, the prettiest girl in school, was always Teeny (the actress). We let our other friends fight over who was Roberta and Chrissy.


Degrassi Jr. High

My sixth grade teacher forced us to watch this young adult soap opera every morning. Each day at this doomed junior high school was filled with unfortunate events. Rape, unplanned pregnancy, AIDS, and racism. At eleven years old, I might not have known algebra very well or world history, but I knew one thing for sure: junior high school was to eat me alive. (It didn't).


The Best Friend necklaces

Ahh yes, the status symbol of pre-teen girls everywhere, showing that they were the most important friend in another person's life. These necklaces were the most popular item at our local mall's Claires boutique. They were so popular, my cousin Bryant even bought us a set. Guys wore them too!
But, alas, the necklace came with its social complications. Friendship was not meant to have the equivalency of a class ring. In middle school, girls are competitive and clingy. Those necklaces often led to disaster.
Overheard in my sixth grade English class: "Um, Susan, we need to talk. I, uh, kind of want the other half of our best friends necklace back. I, um, want to give to to Jessica now."



The fashion of 1995

Believe it or not, I used to dress like this. It was cheesy as hell and we loved it. I also wore scrunchies, baby-doll dresses, and toted around mini-backpacks like the one Cher has in Clueless. I will most likely not be participating in the 90s fashion revival of this style that occurs in the future.


Teen Beat hotties
Before Robert Pattinson and Zac Efron, there were a few teenage boy celebrities that stole the hearts of middle-school girls everywhere.
Warning: these hotties might induce drool. Ha.









Okay, now looking back I am slightly horrified by all my celebrity crushes.
And I feel really, really old...

What are some of your favorite pop-culture memories from middle school?