Even though I believe that the 90s were amazing, I am not totally delusional. I know that it had its own extreme issues. But as children, you are oblivious to most of these troubles unless they directly affect you in a way, wouldn’t you agree? However, as you grow up, you slowly start uncovering the dark side of the golden days.
In fact, some of the problems that arose in the decade are so horrifying, they might have your jaw dropping to the floor. Let’s look at some of the major ones, so we know the 90s weren’t as glorious as people claim.
For instance, the 90s diet culture was wildly problematic as it valued thinness and weight loss over everything else. The whole concept was sold under the facade of “health” or “wellness,” which is why so many people bought into it. Obviously, it negatively affected how people saw themselves.
Research shows that the “Special K Diet” was very popular. It led people to replace meals with Special K cereal. People were made to think that eating less and replacing meals was a shortcut to losing weight.
There was also the “Cabbage Soup Diet,” which was highly restrictive. It made food and eating feel stressful and complicated. Another was the “Grapefruit Diet,” based on the belief that it could burn fat, when in reality, a single food can’t change your body.
Then there was also the Atkins diet, which led people to believe carbs should be feared or avoided. People also became obsessed with “low-fat” or “fat-free” diets, and companies conveniently exploited this obsession by creating “healthier” alternatives.
Another problematic aspect of the 90s was how people perceived feminism and gender equality. Many promises of equality proved false. Women had to tackle misogyny, which was blatantly present even in movies and songs.
Despite the feminist movements, their bodies were commercialized. Pop culture led them to objectify themselves because of what it was selling. And while women seemed to have power, it was being taken away from them beneath the surface.
Award-winning journalist, speaker, and author Allison Yarrow believed that women were tricked into thinking they’d gained gender equality. She wrote for Time Magazine, “In the end, the 1990s didn’t advance women and girls; rather, the decade was marked by a shocking, accelerating effort to subordinate them.”
“As women gained power, or simply showed up in public, society pushed back by reducing them to gruesome fantasies and misogynistic stereotypes. Women’s careers, clothes, bodies, and families were skewered. Nothing was off limits. The trailblazing women of the 90s were excoriated by a deeply prejudiced society,” she adds.
Also, there was a lot of stigma against mental health, and people’s attitudes towards it were starkly different. In fact, mentally ill people faced a lot of stereotypes, which might have stopped them from seeking help. Sadly, this just worsened their conditions.
According to a study published on Psychiatry Online, the 2001–2003 participants were more likely than the 1990–1992 participants to report a willingness to seek mental health treatment for serious emotional problems, to feel comfortable seeking such help, and to be less embarrassed if friends found out about it.
