In the immortal words of Prince, “tonight I’m gonna party like it’s 1999” except instead of just tonight it’s the entire year. You may remember the 90s, specifically 1999, as the era of pop icons like Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, the Backstreet Boys, or the era of incredible rom-coms from “10 Things I Hate About You” to “You’ve Got Mail.” It was also a time of tech innovation with the creation of the World Wide Web, Google, and the popularisation of flip phones. It seems to be in the golden age of technology: it’s available and useful but hasn’t taken over yet. From an outsider’s perspective the 90s seem like a great time to be in your 20s (keep in mind I base most of this off “Friends“) so this new year I decided to make a bit of a unique resolution: this year I’m gonna party like it’s 1999.
Bring Back 90s Habits
High up on my resolution list is handwriting things more often. Of course, computers did exist in the 90s, but hand-writing things was essential and common-practice. This won’t be a difficult resolution for me to keep as I can never say no to buying notebooks whenever I see them. If you need added motivation, maybe this would work for you too. To incorporate this habit more try switching to handwriting parts of your notes, planning your week on paper, or just something random for fun! A real bonus is writing in cursive as this is a dying art. I think this is becoming a rarer and rarer talent so you might as well add it to your list of talents.
Handwriting smoothly brings me into my next resolution: utilising physical correspondence. I mean how else would people send invites and catch-up without Facebook (even though Facebook’s user interface feels like it was created in the dark ages). This can range from handwritten invitations to events, thank you cards, or letters to friends. This is not only a glamourous hobby but a way to make something feel more personal. Go to Ryman’s, or your preferred stationary supplier, and buy yourself some plain cards and envelopes and maybe even your own wax seal kit. Lucky for you the perfect time to trial your new hobby is quickly approaching Valentine’s Day: go make your friends handwritten Valentine’s. Or if you’re brave enough and have enough time on your hands, you could try scrapbooking and enjoy being able to look through your memories!
Another big shift from the 90s to today is physical media. Back in the 90s physical print was king, however today you will seldom find anyone reading a paper magazine or newspaper. I know this is slightly ironic as you’re reading this article online; however, I do encourage you to try flipping the pages of a magazine instead of scrolling on social media. Also, who doesn’t love a stack of magazines as decoration?
Bring Back 90s Party Culture
Of course, I can’t ignore the main theme of the song that inspired these resolutions: partying. So, is 90s party culture worth reviving? The 90s marked the birth of the rave-scene in the UK characterised by large groups of partygoers in forgotten areas, baggy clothes, and electronic music. I think you’ll agree with me when I say we need a going-out renaissance, meaning something new (or old I guess?) to make going-out exciting again. This isn’t your typical resolution, but I think it’s important, nonetheless. Accessing a rave somewhat regularly is a hard task, especially in St Andrews, but another important take-away from the song is that you don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow so just have fun in the moment. That’s a resolution we should all try to get better at. Forget your phone and just have fun in the moment.
What’s a party without music? Another integral part of 90’s party culture was the music. My resolution is not necessarily to listen to 90’s music, but listen to it the way they did: album by album. Today I think it’s very common to just listen to individual songs or whatever appears on playlists, meaning we miss so many great songs. So my resolution is to listen to more albums but my favourite artists and artists I really know one song from. Right now I’m really enjoying Grammy-winner Olivia Dean’s “The Art of Loving” and “Our Own House” by MisterWives, but browse your listening platform of choice and find some albums to listen to!
Your Party Starts This Year
This isn’t an exclusive list, so personalise it with your own interests, focusing on analogue habits. Not only will this make your everyday feel more glamorous but also bring intention into everyday actions. Doing things for yourself is an important practice and it also feels satisfying when you work a bit harder to accomplish things. I’ve also found it makes me feel more present every day. Another bonus is that while you are taking more time to do physical things, you don’t have time to be on screens. It’s a built-in detox! Even though it’s February it’s not too late to make whimsical resolutions, so really have fun with it and don’t be afraid to party like it’s 1999.