Whether it be in fashion or hair or in music or just in even the general "vibe" of the times, even re-watching home movies it seems like 1993 was like, this year where the entire vibe of the decade was transformed. Grunge peaked but wasn't as toxic or 'dangerous' as it had been a year prior; it was mainstream; Hair Metal, which had continued to remain in popularity throughout 1992, suddenly disappeared off the radar in '93. The era of highly commercial, slick music which would become even more prominent later in the decade was beginning (Aerosmith's Get a Grip was slick commercial rock and was one of the best selling albums of the year; Green Day was on the rise; 'post grunge' bands like Collective Soul had hits like Shine - very commercial sounding music). The Disney Renaissance was in full swing and would even higher the next year. The Clintons came into the White House and brought in not only a new generation to power, but a new sense of energy and vivaciousness that made the dismal and dorky GW Bush years seem already like a distant memory. The economic slump which plagued America since 1990 lightened up by the end of '93. Almost overnight, women ditched teased and permed hair and the Rachel became the new do. CGI burst onto the screen with Jurassic Park, which changed cinema forever.

It just honestly seems to me like 1993 was a really transformative year and had such a different 'vibe' from both the years previous and even the years after; it's hard to explain.

I think there has been 26 years of change not just what happened overnight.

felt alot like 92 to me

Nah, it feels like 1992 Part 2. Plus, the Rachel debuted in 1995 from the 20th episode of Friends.

Nah, it feels like 1992 Part 2. Plus, the Rachel debuted in 1995 from the 20th episode of Friends.
Rachel (played by Jennifer Aniston) has been in all episodes of "Friends" starting from September 22, 1994.

Yes but the TMNT cartoon was still big here. Same for Captain Planet. I can't believe Cheers was still being filmed in 1992 and the first months of 1993. It was an early 90s fixture here on TV with reruns until 1995 at least.

By 1993, The Bold and The Beautiful had entered its golden era in the 90s, beginning in 1992 and ending somewhere around 1998 (here we saw those episodes in 1995-2001). All My Children was also in its golden era circa 1993.

Nah, it feels like 1992 Part 2. Plus, the Rachel debuted in 1995 from the 20th episode of Friends.


In general though if you compare HS pics from June 92 to June 93, hair is getting shorter and straighter on women.

It's hard to explain it. Mentally I associate the early 90s with the drab days GHW Bush, ending of the Cold War, high crime, sleaze, hair metal, freestyle, and intellectual movies like Silence of the Lambs. 93 it's like suddenly there's this big insert of color and brightness and happy days are here again, you got Pearl Jam at their peak and sounding amazing, crime is lowering, hair metal is pretty much dead, techno and house music are becoming huge so is R&B and rap is maturing...All the excess, cheese and pretense of the late 80s is almost completely dead by the summer of 1993. You have the whole Multi-Media Explosion in '93, Doom, Myst revolutionize gaming, movies start to become lighter and more fun starting with Jurassic Park, computers are becoming modern and recognizable as such and becoming more and more important, the term 'snail mail' comes into popular usage and email becomes more important due to the 'whiz kids' of Bill Clinton's early term.

Maybe a little shift yes. But I bet perms survived well into 1994 on women, especially the 20+ crowd (more so with the 35+ baby boomers) and in the Midwest and Southern US. Make that mid 1995 for Southern and Eastern Europe and Russia. By 1996 all 80s and most early 90s trends were out.

1987- Late in the summer of 1990: When the 80s gave way to the early 90s

The fall of 1990- Late in the summer of 1993: When the early 90s gave way to the mid 90s

The fall of 1993 - Late in the Summer of 1996: The mid 90s gave way to the late 90s

Don’t get me wrong, a person could argue that all of 1990,1993, and 1996 were parts of the eras the other halves to those years make up. The starts of 1990, 1993, and 1996 had much different vibes than that of the rest of the months in those years.

Maybe a little shift yes. But I bet perms survived well into 1994 on women, especially the 20+ crowd (more so with the 35+ baby boomers) and in the Midwest and Southern US. Make that mid 1995 for Southern and Eastern Europe and Russia. By 1996 all 80s and most early 90s trends were out.


The fad of every woman having long, straight hair didn't really take hold until the late 90s, maybe 1996 at earliest. Mid 90s didn't have "big hair" the way the 70s, 80s and early 90s did but the hair was considerably "permier" and more voluminous than the years afterwards.

That's not to say women's hair hasn't changed at all since the late 90s. One difference I notice is accessories. In the early 00s my little sister had tons of scrunchies and butterfly clips, I don't think most women and girls would be caught dead wearing those now, unless they're finally back in style.

The fad of every woman having long, straight hair didn't really take hold until the late 90s, maybe 1996 at earliest. Mid 90s didn't have "big hair" the way the 70s, 80s and early 90s did but the hair was considerably "permier" and more voluminous than the years afterwards.

That's not to say women's hair hasn't changed at all since the late 90s. One difference I notice is accessories. In the early 00s my little sister had tons of scrunchies and butterfly clips, I don't think most women and girls would be caught dead wearing those now, unless they're finally back in style.


Some of the older women of Generation X were still wearing perms in the mid 90s. Then again, it was the 90s. People did not stop wearing fanny packs until maybe 97 or 98.

Some of the older women of Generation X were still wearing perms in the mid 90s. Then again, it was the 90s. People did not stop wearing fanny packs until maybe 97 or 98.


I think the advent of the Rachel cut in 1995 could be seen as a turning point.

I think the advent of the Rachel cut in 1995 could be seen as a turning point.


I never saw anyone wearing the Rachel at any point from 1995 to 1999.

Basically, you're right. Although, to me, the change was from school year August 1992 to April 1993.