Most of us were born in the ‘90s, so growing up in that decade, we all saw a changing world, even if we did not realize it. On all fronts of popular culture, there was something new going on. Music, movies, games and television all evolved from their pasts. This past weekend our campus came together to celebrate the theme "Throwback to the ‘90s."
It's childhood. People seem to remember their childhood in such fantastic ways. My mom grew up in the ‘60s and she still remembers her teachers and the popular television shows and music that were around that time.
This makes me think that we, as people, naturally look back at our childhood and smile and remember what we grew up with, no matter our age.
At Oktoberfest this weekend, it was easy to turn around and notice childhood memories. Everything from Nintendo 64 to “All That!,” “Pokémon” and Nickelodeon Slime was around. There was plenty of good music to jam to, as well. Within the line- up for many of the bands was a ‘90s cover band.
We remember the good days of ‘90s music even if they were almost 14 years ago. We remember rapping with Will Smith and watching his Prince- like actions in “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.”
That’s not to mention the huge surge of boy bands in the ‘90s. There was 'NSYNC, Backstreet Boys and New Kids on the Block – just to name a few.
The Spice Girls and TLC also brought girl power to the scene. I'm sure we can all still sing along as soon as we hear the words "If you wanna be my lover—“.
I was born in 1991, but I remember growing up watching “Power Rangers,” “Barney” and “Sesame Street.” “Power Rangers” and their foes took up most of my weekends growing up. We still see the remittances of the power of ‘90s television today. I bet everyone has seen at least one episode of “FRIENDS,” which originally aired in 1994. Maybe we did not understand it for the first few years of our lives, but we get it now.
Walking through the booths this weekend, it was clear that this specific theme allowed for a lot of creativity. I loved seeing snippets of my childhood with every head turn. It also seemed that this theme allowed other people to bring back those beloved memories.
I did notice that there were more television and music references than there were movies. However, we should not forget the cinema. “Titanic” was released in 1997, “Schindler's List” in 1993, “The Shawshank Redemption” in 1994 and “Forrest Gump,” also in 1994. These were all prime movies with lasting impressions on generations to follow.
Our spirit week even kept people guessing with re- infusions of all denim outfits. There was a band themed day, which led to more Spice Girls on campus than I could have predicted.
Oktoberfest is one of our oldest traditions and brings us together as a student body. This year, it also allowed us to explore our creative sides and to dig down deep for ideas to decorate booths and create crafts to sell. This is one of the many ways Longwood allows us to be innovative as students.
We are all so busy with classes and papers and exams that sometimes we forget where we came from, how we grew up and that we need to relax.
Longwood lets us settle down every year on the first weekend in October in order to find ourselves again, to realize why we fell in love with Longwood in the first place.
