If we’re being honest, we kind of feel like the 90’s were yesterday. We refuse to believe that Titanic was released nearly 20 years ago (WHAT) because it honestly feels like last week that we were grabbing our popcorn buckets and feeling totally ~grownup~ because we got to watch a movie that contained not only a naked woman but also a sex scene. Gasp. 

We won’t talk about how long ago the 90s actually occurred, especially since so much of the fashion is now coming back. Tattoo choker necklaces, dark lipstick, overalls – you name it, it’s back. We suppose it makes sense. So much of 90s fashion was inspired by the 60s and 70s, so it only figures that we’ve come full circle once more.

In true #ThrowbackThursday fashion, here’s a look back at some of the best (and by best, we mean slightly cringe-worthy) examples of our middle & high school style.

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Hair Accessories

1. FLIP-CLIP Barrettes

Of course we had our basic black, white, and silver clips, but the fashion statement really started with sequined and neon barrettes, adding a splash of color and style to any outfit. (photo via I Like Big Buttons.)

2. Butterfly Clips

Because how else could all those spiraled rows of hair be held? Some days, we kept it simple, sporting solely pink clips and other days, we went all out with the full rainbow. (Photo via Pinterest.)

3. Scrunchies

TBH, we’d kind of like to see this trend reappear, not only because the patterns were plentiful, but more so because they never created quite the same headache that hair ties tend to cause. (Photo via I’m Remembering Tumblr)

4. Dental Rubber Bands

Speaking of hair ties, how about these rubber bands that served double duty between braces and damaging our hair for life. To this day, we can thank dental rubber bands for the majority of our split ends. (Photo via Expo Fashion)

5. Hair Comb Headbands

Because why brush your hair when you can let a headband do the job? These were especially purposeful in that they served as the original Botox, stretching our forehead skin as a bonus. (Photo via Cover Your Hair)

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Hairstyles

6. Bowl Cuts

Specifically, bowl cuts with the part down the middle. Be still my heart.

7. Side Ponytails

High as the sky side ponytails. Like most hair trends, we’re not sure how or why these became a thing.

8. Crimped Hair

Perhaps this was why prepping for middle school dances took approximately 4 hours. (Photo Via Huffington Post)

9. Bangs…Curled bangs.

And all those curling wand forehead burns? Well I guess it’s true what they say, pain is beauty.

10. Braids

Pigtail style of course, so we weren’t left looking all Little House on the Prairie. We’re convinced that at least a quarter of our adolescent tears were shed having our hair braided. Pull tighter, we said, with tears streaming down our faces.

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Clothing

11. Spaghetti Straps + T-Shirts

This is totally making a comeback, btw – pair it with a floppy hat and you’re not really in the 90s anymore, but totally 2016.  (Photo via The Fashion Police.)

12. JNCO Jeans

Please let these stay in the 90s where they belong. We can’t really imagine jeans without skinny boots (or booties) nowadays anyway. (Photo via JNCO.com)

13. Platform Mary-Janes

Okay, how on earth were these comfortable?! We’re pretty sure that no one really enjoyed walking in these, but we did it anyway because it was “the cool thing” to do. (Photo via Polyvore.)

14. Adidas Sandals + Socks

This trend probably started because some supermodel was doing her grocery shopping between stops at the gym, and then someone saw it and thought it was the coolest. thing. ever. TBH this socks/sandals combo was pretty comfy. (Photo via Refinery 29.)

15. Crop Tops

Of course, crop tops are back now, but there’s something slightly different about the ones that are “in” today. Crop tops will never be quite the same as the ones that were splashed with floral designs or those quintessential stripes. (Photo via Pinterest.)

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Jewelry

16. Power Bead Bracelets

We’re not sure about you, but we were totally obsessed with these in middle school. Each color had a different meaning or symbol. Raise your hand if you can remember sitting in class and pulling at the elastic absent-mindedly.

17. Chunky Plastic Rings

These were literally the worst when it got hot out and your finger would swell up, because they were soooo difficult to remove. We’re not sure why we all thought they looked so cool. (Photo via Pinterest.)

18. Rice Necklaces

These necklaces had little glass vials with words written on tiny grains of rice. How poetic slash bizarre. And what a waste of perfectly delicious rice. (Photo via Cosmo)

19. Ball chain necklaces

For our goth phase, when we loved shopping at Hot Topic – the ball chain necklaces were essential. They came in lots of shapes – the really large ones for the days when we were feeling extra ~edgy~ of course. (Photo via Pinterest.)

20. Hemp Jewelry

Hemp jewelry had to be paired, of course, with our camo-printed T-shirts from Pac Sun. It was an unwritten rule. Duh.

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Tell Us: What do you remember about 90s fashion?

{featured image via we*heart*it}