The term “#squadgoals” may be a fairly recent vocabulary addition — but just because the hashtag itself hasn't been around for that long doesn't mean the idea behind it hasn't, either. Looking back at the halcyon days of my youth, it occurs to me that there were an awful lot of '90s squad goals that we constantly sought to achieve — even if we didn't call them “squad goals” at the time. Given that “#” still meant “pound symbol” to us back then… well, maybe we can be forgiven the lack of an official term for all those things we wanted to accomplish with our pals.
Back in May, the phrase “squad goals” (or #squadgoals, if you're insistent the term only be represented as a hashtag) was so new it still lacked an Urban Dictionary entry; as such, it was up to us to come up with one ourselves. Bustle's Mikaela Gilbert-Lurie defined it as follows: “An aspirational term for what you'd like your group of friends to be or accomplish.” On July 1, though, it finally made its way into the Urban Dictionary under pretty much that exact same definition, with one small addition: “An inspirational term for what you'd like your group of friends to be or accomplish. Used best when places at the end of a directional statement.”
(Just remember — you heard it on Bustle first.)
But the idea of squad goals has been around for as long as interpersonal relationships have — which means that of course the '90s were as rife with them as the rest of history has been. These 20 #squadgoals? I still think about them from time to time, and I'm willing to bet that I'm not the only one. Anyone got any to add?
1. Color Coordinating Your Wardrobes Like The Power Rangers
You never had to worry about accidentally dressing identically.
2. Having A Secret Hideout In The Woods Like The Midnight Society Had
Submitted for the approval of this club for telling scary stories I have started that is totally not the Midnight Society...
3. Reading Every Babysitter's Club Book
And obsessing over them together.
4. Starting Your Own Babysitter's Club
It's never too early to kick off your entrepreneurial career.
5. Figuring Out Which American Girl Each Of Your Friends Was
It was usually easy enough to do so; all you had to do was look at which doll each of your pals had. It only got complicated if there were duplicates.
6. Or Which Sex And The City Character You Each Were
If you were too old for American Girl dolls in the '90s.
7. Pooling Your Resources To Collect Every Lipsmacker Ever
Sharing them was probably not the best idea, hygienically speaking, but… oh well.
8. Or Every Jelly Roll Pen Ever
Much safer to share, and great for passing origami folded notes to each other in class.
9. Or Every Beanie Baby Ever
Dangerous to share, mostly because Beanie Babies could be the source of many a squad goal problem, too.
10. Divvying Up The Members Of Your Favorite Boy Band As Your Future Spouses
With a few games of MASH regularly being used as tie breakers, because unfortunately there was just not enough Justin-Timberlake-with-ramen-hair to go around.
11. Joining The Mickey Mouse Club
Or at maybe just starting your own chapter.
12. Sobbing Together Over Titanic
Preferably during an unchaperoned trip to the movie theater.
13. Or Romeo + Juliet
Just '90s-era Leo in general.
14. Leaving Claire's All Decked Out In Coordinating, But Not Matching Accessories
In the words of Robin Sparkles, let's go to the mall.
15. Dressing Up As Your Favorite Fictional Squad For Halloween
The Sailer Scouts? The Pink Ladies? Gender-bent Ninja Turtles? All of the above, all in one glorious mashup? Sold.
16. A Wide Variety Of Legends Of The Hidden Temple-Related Goals
First off, just appearing on it together would be a major #squadgoal. But appearing on it, and getting to the final level, and finally putting together that dang Shrine of the Silver Monkey, and winning it all? File that one under #ULTIMATEsquadgoals.
17. A Shared Friendship Necklace
Why weren't pizza friendship necklaces a thing when we were kids? It's genius!
18. The Most Epic Sleepover Ever
Whether you were a camp-out-in-a-tent-in-the-backyard squad or a take-over-the-rec-room squad, the sleepover to end all sleepovers was definitely a must.
19. Borrowing Your Parents' Beepers So You Could All Stay In Touch
Before cell phones and email, beepers were the way to go — if your parents would let you borrow theirs, that is.
20. Three Words: The Spice Girls
Yep.
Images: Just1of7billion/Flickr; Giphy (14); hisprincess614,mylipsarechapped, kimstaubin, scooby12353, claires_alamoana, _leannalouisejewelry/Instagram
