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.