Ah, the golden era of our youth—when personal growth happened primarily through the magic of TV shows and VHS tapes. Remember those days when your biggest worry was getting your Walkman stuck between the couch cushions while you were caught in an existential crisis, trying to decide if you’d marry either Jonathan Taylor Thomas or JTT? (Plot twist: spoiler alert! Your former crush is now a trivia question). Nowadays, kids have TikTok, but let’s be real; the only “TikTok” we cared about was the sound of a clock counting down until the next episode of “The A-Team” aired.
We fondly reminisced about those road trips, crammed into a car with your best friend and an inordinate number of snacks so you could survive the three-hour trek to the nearest mall. What were we thinking? A mélange of Cool Ranch Doritos, grape soda, and a tape of “Dazed and Confused” was basically a recipe for both a sugar high and a breakdown. And let’s not forget that our version of “Google Maps” was a folded paper map that we’d inevitably drop on the floor as we frantically scrambled for the perfect mixtape. "Sorry, I can't talk right now, I’m busy navigating the treacherous roads of suburban Indiana armed with a crinkled map and ‘Livin’ on a Prayer.’”
Then there were the fashion choices. Was it a great or horrible idea to mix acid-washed jeans with a neon scrunchie? Both. But if it was 1988, the answer was a resounding “YES!” Even your normal store-bought t-shirt got a makeover because there was nothing more rebellious than cutting the collar off your oversized Nirvana shirt to make sure everyone could see your *very* cool chain necklace. Fashion, back then, was less about branding and more about the chance to wear as many colors as you could fit onto your body without resembling a human gelato cone.
So here we stand, the proud members of Gen-X, armed with our credit cards and adult responsibilities, clutching a treasure trove of mixtapes, Beanie Babies, and a deep-seated love for all things retro. We’ve survived the rise of the internet mostly unscathed, aside from a few “remember when” anecdotes that make our millennial friends roll their eyes like we rolled ours at the mention of “Hannah Montana.” As we continue to remind everyone that “we’re just one bad hair day away from greatness,” let’s celebrate our wonderfully bizarre, plaid-filled grunge existence. Because let’s face it, if we can make it through those teenage tantrums and cringeworthy fashion statements, surviving adulthood should be a piece of cake—perhaps a slice of the extra-processed, neon-colored one.