Mosaic 1990-1998

Dominating Cultural Factors:

• Spice Girls/"Girl Power"
• TV portraying untraditional families i.e. Roseanne
• Kurt Cobain/Nirvana
• Grunge music/Fashion
• Obsession with Media
• Plastic Surgery
• Rebellion of Youth Culture
• Brand Names
• Millennium/Futuristic Fashion
• “Anything Goes” Fashion
• Street Styles
• Women in the Work Force
• Crime/Violence
• Casual Wear
• MTV
• Internet Boom
• Cell phones/Technological Advancements
  

Hidden Currents:

• Uncertainty for upcoming Millenium
• Influence of teenage rebellion on society (Grunge)
• Society's dependence on technology
  

Wild Cards:

• Y2K

Cultural Analysis from 1990-1992


Music:

• The energy and optimism of the 1980s was still fresh as the 1990s rolled around.
• These positive attitudes were reflected in 1990 with popular hits such as “U Can’t Touch This” by MC Hammer, Mariah Carey’s “Vision of Love,” and Madonna's “Vogue.”
• Nirvana emerged onto the scene with their hit “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” it unexpectedly sparked the Grunge movement, a subgenre of alternative rock that was characterized by apathetic and angst-filled song lyrics and heavily distorted electric guitars.
• Stemming from Seattle youth culture, Grunge was cynical and minimalistic, rebelling against the materialism and flashiness of the 1980s.
• The popular music in the bulk of 1992 ranged from Grunge (Nirvana, Pearl Jam); to Alternative Rock (Korn, Rage Against the Machine, Sublime)
• Pop Hip Hop acts such as TLC and Fresh Prince began gaining popularity, inspiring bright neon outfits, baggy pants, and baseball caps.

Top 5 Songs on the "Billboard Top 100" in 1990:

• 1) "Hold On" - Wilson Phillips
• 2) "It Must Have Been Love" -Roxette
• 3) "Nothing Compares 2 U" - Sinead O'Connor
• 4) "Poison" - Bell Biv Devoe
• 5) "Vogue" - Madonna

Top 5 Songs on the "Billboard Top 100" in 1991:

• 1) "(Everything I Do) I Do It For You" - Bryan Adams
• 2) "I Wanna Sex You Up" - Color Me Badd
• 3) "Gonna Make You Sweat" - C+C Music Factory
• 4) "Rush Rush" - Paula Abdul
• 5) "One More Try" - Timmy T
  

Top 5 Songs on the "Billboard Top 100" in 1992:

1) "End of the Road" - Boyz II Me

2) "Baby Got Back" - Sir Mix A-lot

3) "Jump" - Kris Kross

4) "Save The Best For Last" - Vanessa Williams

5) "Baby-Baby-Baby" - TLC

Fashion:

• The beginning of the nineties saw a transition from the flamboyant, bright colored eighties to a more relaxed “less is more” style.


• Brand names and logos became very prominent because people demanded more instant gratification and wanted to be defined as successful.


• With the dominating recession, street fashions became a major factor in the way people dressed because they had less money to spend on couture designers.

Television/Movies:

• Seinfeld (1990-1998):
  Seinfeld is an American television sitcom that redefined the sitcom genre by containing pointless plots and unwavering characters. Seinfeld was a popular comedy throughout the 90’s and lasted a whole nine seasons.
• The Simpsons (1989-current):
  The Simpsons is an American animated television sitcom which consists of a satirical middle-class family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie. The series is still continuing today and has a big cultural influence on society. Bart, the only son in the family, has influenced particular phrases that became popularized in the 90’s; “Outta my way, man”, “Eat my shorts”, “Don’t have a cow”, “No way, man”, and “Cowabunga.” Bart has also been labeled as the “heart of the family” and “busting through T.V.’s archaic sense of propriety."
• Fresh Prince of Bel Air (1990-1995):
  Fresh Prince of Bel Air is an American television sitcom that starred Will Smith as “street-smart” teenager from West Philadelphia that was sent to live with his wealthy relatives in a mansion in Bel Air. This comedy and heart warming television series provided life learned lessons that many teenage and young adults may go through.
• The Cosby Show (ended 1992): The Cosby Show is an American television situational comedy show about an upper-middle class African-American family living in Brooklyn, New York. The Cosby Show was one of the first successful standup comedian sitcoms that paved the way for others such as; Roseanne, Home Improvement, The Drew Carey Show, Seinfeld, and Everybody Loves Raymond. The show gives examples of ethics, respect, morality, success, warmth, and high ideals for its viewers.

Technology:

• Development and Growth of World Wide Web (1991):
  The World Wide Web (www) can be defined as a global information medium which is used to connect and operate over to the internet. The internet was not a new concept during the 90’s, however, browsers and websites would become more easily operated and inexpensive and growth of World Wide Web would continue to grow. This allowed the world to communicate faster and more efficiently and affected culture immensely which has lead to a more globalized and computerized world.
• Microsoft Launches Windows 3.0 (1990):
  During the 1990’s, Microsoft goes from a small beginner market position to a market dominant position. Microsoft has shaped technology because it has given more advanced computer programs to allow the lives of its customers to become more efficient.

Cultural Analysis from 1993-1994

Music:

• In 1993, musical motifs of aggression and rebellion were still prevalent, seen in the consistent popularity of Alternative Rock, Pop Hip Hop, and Grunge.
• Around 1994, Gangsta rap emerged onto the scene with artists such as ICE-T, Tupac, Missy Elliot and Notorious B.I.G.
• Rather than rapping about trivial topics and wearing bright, neon colors like several Pop Hip Hop acts did, Gangsta Rap was more aggressive with overtones of crime and violence in their lyrics.

Top 5 Songs on the "Billboard Top 100" in 1993:

• 1) "I Will Always Love You" -Whitney Houston
• 2) "Whoomp! (There It Is)" - Tag Team
• 3) "Can't Help Falling In Love" - UB40
• 4) "That's The Way Love Goes" - Janet Jackson
• 5) "Freak Me" - Silk

Top 5 Songs on the "Billboard Top 100" in 1994:

• 1) "The Sign" - Ace of Base
• 2) "I Swear" - All-4-One
• 3) "I'll Make Love To You" - Boyz II Men
• 4) "The Power of Love" - Celine Dion
• 5) "Hero" - Mariah Carey

Fashion:

• With the rise of the band Nirvana, the “grunge” look became very popular including baggy jeans, sneakers, flannel shirts, and dirty hair.
• Dress codes began to become more relaxed with the introduction of casual Friday’s and as blue jeans became more acceptable for both sexes virtually anywhere.
• Black was the dominating color along with neutrals such as olive, khaki and taupe.

Television/Movies:

• Friends (1994-2004):
  Friends is an American sitcom about a group of friends that live in the area of Manhattan, New York, who occasionally live together and share similar living experiences. The series became one of the most popular sitcoms of all time and won many awards. Friends has made a huge cultural impact and many of its characters became idolized, i.e. Jennifer Aniston.
• Jurassic Park (1993):
  Jurassic Park is a science fiction thriller, directed by Steven Spielberg, and based on the novel by Michael Crichton. The movie was considered to be an important milestone for computer-generated imagery.
• Forrest Gump (1994):
  Forrest Gump is an American comedy/drama based film based on the 1986 novel by Winston Groom. The film is about a man’s journey through life while pertaining to meeting important historical figures, influences of popular culture, and historical events in the late 20th century. Forrest Gump was a prominent film that came out of the 90’s and is still popular today.

Technology:

• Netscape released (1994):
  Netscape is a computer services company that is known for its web browser. It began as a dominant web browser but later lost most of its share to Internet Explorer. Web browsers and search engines allow the internet to be accessible to anyone, which has become very important during the 1990’s.
• The Rise of Cell Phones:
  During the 90’s cell phones became more sophisticated and popular. For one, cell phones shrank down in size as compared to the big bulky accessory of 80’s. Towards the end of the decade, even children started owning their very own cell phones as this technology started to grow.
• Innovations in Video Games:
  Video games were extremely popular in the 1990’s, while moving away from arcade games to video game consoles such as; Super Nintendo Entertainment System (1990), Play station (1994), Sega Saturn (1994), and Nintendo 64 (1996). As graphics became more enhanced video game providers would put out new consoles to provide new and more realistic video games.

Cultural Analysis from 1995-1996

Music:

• 1995 and 1996 pinpointed the emergence of Pop music geared towards a pre-teen and adolescent audience as a result of the popularity of MTV music videos.
• Some of these pop acts included boy bands such as Backstreet Boys and N*SYNC and the Spice Girls, who were pioneers of the “girl power” movement.
• In 1996, "The Macerena" by Los Del Rio became a wide-spread phenomenon, combining a catchy song with a dance and becoming an instant classic at weddings and other social events.
• Other female singers who inspired the movement of independent women included Sheryl Crowe, Alanis Morissette, Tori Amos, and Sarah Mclachlan.
• Along with the popularity of Pop music came high-energy Pop-Punk and Ska bands with such acts as No Doubt and Green Day.

Top 5 Songs on the "Billboard Top 100" in 1995:

• 1) "Gangsta's Paradise" - Coolio
• 2) "Waterfalls" - TLC
• 3) "Creep" - TLC
• 4) "Kiss From a Rose" - Seal
• 5) "On Bended Knee" - Boyz II Men

Top 5 Songs on the "Billboard Top 100" in 1996:

• 1) "Macerena" - Los Del Rio
• 2) "One Sweet Day" - Mariah Carey & Boy II Men
• 3) "Because You Loved Me" - Celine Dion
• 4) "Nobody Knows" - Tony Rich Project
• 5) "Always be My Baby" - Mariah Carey

Fashion:

• The mix-and-match stage was originated by consumers and started a “rebellion” against the former ‘rules’ of fashion when contrasting or clashing prints were paired together.
• Plunging necklines and revealing midriffs were popular when women wanted to show off as much skin as possible and we see a rise of low-cut jeans.
• “Girl power” began a trend of confident young women who were staying single longer and finding careers for themselves. Spice Girls and Madonna were a major influence for young women to continue wearing more revealing clothing.
• Women began embracing being young by obsessing over body image and taking advantage of plastic surgery options.

Television/Movies:

• Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1996-2003):
  Buffy the Vampire Slayer is a popular American television series under the genre of supernatural drama. This show won great reviews and ratings and inspired hundreds of tie-in products to be sold such as; novels, comics, video games, and ext. That has also influenced the direction of other television series to come.
• Mission: Impossible (1996):
  Mission: Impossible was an action thriller film that follows the main character’s mission to uncover the mole within the CIA that has framed him for murders of his entire IMF team. This film received great revenues and was based off the late 60’s early 70’s television series. This film is one example of the popular trend of “television regurgitation,” other examples would be the Star Trek series and A Very Brady Sequel.

Technology:

• Yahoo! Is Introduced (1995):
  Yahoo! Is an American public corporation that provides internet services world-wide. It is most prominently known for its search engine, directory, e-mail, news, and mapping services. Yahoo! and other internet services such as Google, provide a new way of life for internet users. Essentially, allowing internet use to be more efficient and easier for its users.
• Cloning/Dolly (1996):Dolly was a female domestic sheep that was the first mammal to ever be cloned using the process of nuclear transfer. Cloning and other medical science issues such as stem cell research and genetic engineering has caused many moral and political questions to ask.

Cultural Analysis from 1997-1998

Music:

• The motif of catchy hooks and Pop music remained consistent between 1997 and 1998, however the lyrics became more about romance and heartbreak.
• The arrival of Britney Spears, Destiny’s Child and Shania Twain all promoted the “girl power” and “liberation of women” movement in popular music.

Top 5 Songs on the "Billboard Top 100" in 1997:

• 1) "Candle In the Wind" - Elton John
• 2) "Foolish Games/You Were Meant for Me" - Jewel
• 3) "I'll Be Missing You" - Puff Daddy & Faith Evans
• 4) "Un-Break My Heart" - Toni Braxton
• 5) "Can't Nobody Hold Me Down" - Puff Daddy

Top 5 Songs on the "Billboard Top 100" in 1998:

• 1) "Too Close" - Next
• 2) "The Boy Is Mine" - Brandy & Monica
• 3) "You're Still the One" - Shania Twain
• 4) "Truly Madly Deeply" - Savage Garden
• 5) "How Do I Live" - LeAnn Rimes

Fashion:

• Fashion accessories, body piercings, and tattoos became very trendy among the youth, as they were showing that every part of the body can be “improved”.
• Punk became very dominant in that latter years, including combat boots, black accessories and makeup. This encouraged “cliques” of similar dressed people to hang around one another.

Television/Movies:

• Titanic (1997):
  Titanic is an American romantic/drama film based on the true story of sinking RMS Titanic and a forbidden love story because of different class/social upbringings. The film became the highest-grossing film of all time and was popular world-wide.
• Saving Private Ryan (1998):
  Saving Private Ryan is an American war film directed by Steven Spielburg, which was set during the Normandy invasion in World War II. The movie was popular amongst audiences and critics winning several awards for the film, cast, and crew.
• Men in Black (1997):
  Men in Black is a science fiction/comedy/action film which was based on the Men in Black comic series. This show is about members of a top secret organization created to monitor and police alien activity on Earth. This movie is another example of creating movies based on other works such as novels, television series, comic books, and ext.

Technology:

• DVDs First Released (1997):
  Movie companies began to realize how successful the digital medium of CDs was to the music consumer, so the invention of DVD’s for motion picture films was created. However, VCR’s were still mainly used in many households during the 90’s; the switch over from VHS to DVD’s was just beginning.

Cultural Context Graph from 1990-1998

Graph Analysis

This graph demonstrates the four major factors that shaped culture between 1990 and 1998: fashion, movies/TV, technology, and music. It is organized by every two years on the X-axis and by level of positivity on the Y-axis. The level of positivity ranges from 1 to 6; 1 symbolizes that the specific factor has a negative connotation and 6 depicts a positive connotation.

The bulk of nineties fashion was recognized for it's “anything goes” style, youthful rebellion, and mixture of retro and brand names. The beginning of the decade for fashion is placed at a 3 on the positivity scale, demonstrating the transition from the power-dressing of the eighties into a more toned-down, minimilstic way of dress. However, as 1991 approached and bands such as Nirvana became more popular, we begin to notice the “grunge” style and street style of dress becoming more popular as well. Thus, music affected fashion due to their negative correlation on the graph. The positivity increased between 1992 and 1994 as bold, bright colors inspired from the Hip Hop scene came into fashion. It hit a peak of 5 in 1994 due to positive and fun styles, such as platform boots, knee highs and short skirts which were influenced by The Spice Girls and "girl power" theme. Consumers also become more confident with the good economy and fun nature of the mid-nineties, which inspired them to wear shirts that exposed their midriffs, plunging necklines and low-cut jeans. From this point on, the positivity of fashion gradually declines to a middle ground. The rise of technology throughout the nineties correlating with the sudden declination of fashion at the end of the nineties shows how the upcoming millenium influenced the uncertainty of dress as well as more futuristic designs.

Movies and television were on the rise in the early nineties with comedies such as Seinfeld, The Simpsons, Wayne’s World (1992), and Coneheads (1993). The mid-90s hit a maximum peak with numerous animated Disney movies such as The Lion King (1994) and Toy Story (1995). Teenage comedies gained popularity, such as Clueless (1995), which also correlates with trendy pop music during the time, like The Spice Girls and The Backstreet Boys. As Friends gained popularity in the mid-nineties, so did fashion influences by the characters, such as "the Rachel" hair-cut. We can see the positive correlation between the influence of celebrities in TV with fashion on the graph. At the end of the nineties, there was another drop in TV and movies as reality TV emerged and science fiction and action movies like Mission Impossible (1996) became prominant due to the advancing technologies in cinema. As previously stated, the uncertainty of the future promoted a slightly less positive influence on TV and movies as shown on the graph.

Technology begins between 2 and 3 on the graph as advancing technology showed promise for the future with the production of MTV music videos, Microsoft's Windows 3.0, and advances in discovering the origins of AIDS. Throughout the nineties, the graph shows a consistant increase in positivity due to technological advances in computers (such as the internet becoming a world-wide phenomenon), the introduction of CDs instead of casette tapes, the graphics of video games, and the continuous upgrading of cell phones, especially in youth culture. As stated above, the upcoming millenium inspired a futuristic approach to fashion, music, and television/movies.

The music of the nineties started at a high 5, coming from the high energy of the 1980s with acts such as MC Hammer. However, music drastically plummeted to a low plateau when Grunge entered the scene. The fashion followed, portraying a rebellious Grunge style. Television also followed as more broken homes were airing, such a Roseanne in replacement of cookie-cutter families like The Cosby Show. The music continued to express aggression and violence with the success of Gangsta Rap, however, fashion during that time was more influenced by the bright colors of the lighter Hip Hop music scene, showed on the graph by the rise in fashion before the rise in music. Music peaked again during the mid-nineties as pop music became trendy, such as NSYNC and The Spice Girls. Pop-punk also became mainstream with acts like No Doubt and Green Day. From 1996-1998, female acts were on the rise portraying their independence and importance in society. Some of these performers included Shania Twain, Destiny's Child, and Britney Spears. They all contributed to the rise in the liberation of women dressing and acting according to their own agendal, which is expressed in their music.

Therefore, as shown in the graph, the various aspects of culture all influence each other. Fashion is directly affected by music, technology, television, movies, and the celebrities of the nineties. When the music was negative, like the Grunge scene, fashion followed. When technology was advancing, so was futurustic connotations in music, science fiction movies, and fashion. People followed the example of television characters, such as Rachel from Friends as previously stated. From this graph, we are able to envision the reasons for the popularity of certain cultural trends of the 1990s.

Sources

Black, Johnny. (2003). Rock and Pop Timeline: How Music Changed the World Through Four Decades. San Diego: Thunderbay Press.

Browne, Pat & Browne, Ray B. (2001). The Guide to United States Popular Culture. Bowling Green, OH: Bowling Green State University Popular Press.

Calasibetta, Charlotte Mankey., Tortora, Phyllis. (2003). The Fairchild Dictionary of Fashion. New York, NY: Fairchild Publications.

Dias, Laura Portolese. (2007). Core Concepts in Fashion. New York, NY: McGraw Hill/Irwin.

Fashion. (2003). Fashion: Examining Pop Culture. Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven Press.

Greenwood. (2002). The Greenwood Guide to American Popular Culture. Westport, CT:
Greenwood Press.

Inge, M. Thomas & Denis Hall. (2002). American Popular Culture (vol. 2). Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.

Jones, Steve. (2002). Pop Music and the Press. Philadelphia: Temple University Press.

Lee, Cooper B. (1995). Rock music in American popular culture: rock ‘n’ roll resources. New York: Haworth Press.

McEvoy, Anne. (2007). Fashions of a Decade: The 1990s. New York, NY: Chelsea House.

O’Brien, Glenn. (1999). Style makes the band. Artforum International, Vol. 38, No. 2, 123-3+.

Rose, Cynthia. (2004). American Decades Primary Source: 1990-1999. New York: Thomas/Gale.

Stern, Jane & Michael. (1992). Encyclopedia of Pop Culture. New York: Harper Perennial.

Steyn, Mark. (2007). Twenty years ago today. The New Criterion, Vol. 26, No. 3, 18-23.

Stone, Elaine. (2008). The Dynamics of Fashion. New York, NY: Fairchild Publications.

The Longbored Surfer. (2009). Billboard Top 100. Retrieved October 12, 2009. http://longboredsurfer.com/charts.php?year=1996.

The People History. (2009). 1990’s history including Popular Culture, Prices, Events, Technology, and Inventions. Retrieved October 3, 2009. <http://www.thepeoplehistory.com/1990s.html>.

Thomas, Pauline Weston. (2009). Fashion-Era: The 1990s Mood of the Millennium Part 1. Retrieved 27 September, 2009, from <http://www.fashion-era.com/the_1990s.htm>.