When we were kids, moms didn't seem to "know best" at all. In fact, they were often the epitome of everything uncool. Our moms' thoughts on '90s fashions were the last of our worries, apart from when we had to beg them to let us wear a specific outfit so we could look socially acceptable at some upcoming tween event.
When I was a kid, fashion trends seemed to change overnight. If you were caught wearing the “wrong” thing to school, you would be the butt of all jokes. Maybe you'd even be given a silly and cruel nickname. Suddenly your cutesy, floral overalls and Care Bears tees were "babyish" and "immature," and boob tubes, micro skirts, and moon boots came in their place as the latest fads. I know my mom was flabbergasted when she’d catch me putting together a pile of clothes I could no longer “be caught dead in” — and which she probably forked out for only a couple month’s ago — only to leave my wardrobe with only three items hanging inside it.
With adult eyes, it's usually hilarious to look back on cringe-inducing photos of you and your friends in the hottest '90s fashions, looking like a bunch of neon Britney Spears wannabes. In some ways, it turns out our moms were right all along. Heck, they even had a better sense of style than us. So, here's what our moms were probably thinking when we wore the most popular fashions of the '90s.
1. "There is no way in hell you are wearing that out of the house."
"Uh-oh, we're approaching teen land. There is no way she's going to wear that out of the house!" Did anybody else ever sneak those forbidden outfits into their backpacks in the hopes of changing between classes? Just me?
2. "Is that a thong?!"
Our mothers really didn't approve of any kind of butt crack situation. "That's it, I'm locking her up in the house until she turns 18," was something uttered by some of the more conservative mamas.
3. "I have a love hate relationship with those butterfly clips."
"Finally! Something that makes her look like a little girl again!" While dreaming of the days when her little girl was still a little girl, your mom was also probably dreading stepping on one of these guys.
4. "Am I a bad mom for letting her wear these?"
"When she falls over and breaks her arm, I'm going to be called a bad mother." Some of the more liberal moms tended to let us experiment with our style a little more, including wearing heels. But they were petrified the entire time.
5. "How has she not figured these out yet?"
"Should I be worried that my 10-year-old hasn't figured out that mood rings don't have anything to do with your mood and they just react to temperature?" I know for a fact my mom worried about this. Child development in the '90s was strange times.
6. "Can I say the dog ate them?"
If ever you sported anything that made you look too much like Britney Spears of Christina Aguilera, you can bet your mom tried to hide (or trash) the clothes before you would notice.
7. "Whoever dressed my child in this horrific thing is on my list."
"Another tracksuit? Who bought her this one? I bet it was my mother-in-law." Your mom was sincerely concerned that the whole world would think she was the one responsible for dressing you like that.
8. "My favorite things in my daughter's closet are an oddly shaped hat and the bridesmaid dress she wore when she was five."
These things were simple. These things were safe. These things could even keep you protected from the sun.
9. "I curse the creators of slap bracelets!"
"Stop. Slapping. EVERYTHING! I have to leave the room. I can't cope anymore," said every '90s mom ever.
10. "No ironing, you say?"
Your mom probably thought you looked far too grungy and of the era whenever you rolled out of bed in wrinkled plaids and bed head.
11. "Yes darling, you look totally mature."
Your mom probably had some conflicted feelings whenever you tried to look "grown up." Mainly, she was probably stoked if ever you made yourself look younger by accident. Because, you know, your mom just wanted to keep her little girl a little girl forever (aka for way too long in your book).
Personally, I'm willing to have a laugh at the embarrassing things we used to wear while we were growing up. And I look forward to having no clue what my kids are thinking when they come out in the future's equivalent of slap bracelets.
Do you still miss the '90s? Check out the video below, and be sure to subscribe to Bustle’s YouTube page for more nostalgia!
Images: Thunder Pictures (1)
