The Nineties in America - Salem Press (2009)

Grunge, gangsta rap, and hip-hop music and fash-
ion were strong statements of self-expression from
alternative groups. Many of these trends affected the
next century. Hip-hop, for instance, entered the mu-
sical mainstream, and its clothing evolved from a
street style to the chic style of celebrities and stars.
Tattoos were a rebellious fashion statement by
women, and the tattoo industry became the sixth-
fastest-growing retail industry during the decade.
The new technologies and advanced communica-
tions enabled fads and products to be shared and
promoted quickly. The Rachel hairstyle, introduced
in the television show Friends, became popular
worldwide. TheMighty Morphin Power Rangersand
Teletubbiestelevision shows helped promote the ac-
companying toys. Many enduring fads, such as the
Beanie Babies, have led to magazines, fan clubs, and
Web sites. The Pokémon video games have spawned
toys, books, anime, manga, Web sites, trading cards,
and other media. The Internet became an increas-
ingly vital marketing, advertising, and shopping me-
dium for other fads of the 1990’s.

Further Reading

Berger, Arthur A.Ads, Fads, and Consumer Culture:

Advertising’s Impact on American Character and Soci-

ety. Lanham, Md.: Rowman & Littlefield, 2004. An

entertaining, often humorous study of fads, ad-

vertising, and consumer culture. Illustrated. Bib-

liography and index.

Biddle, Julian.What Was Hot! A Rollercoaster Ride

Through Six Decades of Pop Culture in America. New

York: Citadel Press, 2001. This chronicle includes

the major fads of each year of the 1990’s. Illus-

trated.

Fox, Les, Sue Fox, and Jeanette Long.The Beanie

Baby Handbook. Midland Park, N.J.: West High-

land, 1998. An unofficial handbook and collec-

tor’s edition. Illustrated.

Kallen, Stuart A.The 1990’s: A Cultural Histor y of the

United States Through the Decades. San Diego, Calif.:

Lucent Books, 1999. This general overview in-

cludes a chapter on pop culture in the digital age.

Illustrated. Bibliography and index.

Oxoby, Marc.The 1990’s. Westport, Conn.: Green-

wood Press, 2003. This popular culture history in-

cludes chapters on fashion and “Fads, Games,

Toys, Hobbies and Sports.” Illustrated. Bibliogra-

phy and index.

Alice Myers

See also Advertising; Beanie Babies; Fashions and

clothing; Grunge fashion; Grunge music; Hairstyles;

Heroin chic; Internet; Music; Nirvana; Pogs; Poké-

mon franchise; Tattoos and body piercing; Toys and

games; Video games; World Wide Web.

 Faludi, Susan

Identification American journalist and feminist

author

Born April 18, 1959; New York, New York

Faludi won a Pulitzer Prize in journalism in 1991 and

then established herself as a best-selling feminist author and

activist.

InBacklash: The Undeclared War Against American

Women(1991), Susan Faludi argues that the 1980’s

represented a period of backlash against feminism.

She points to examples in television shows, films, the

fashion industry, and the cosmetics industry to illus-

trate how popular culture defines women’s roles

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Faludi, Susan The Nineties in America

Furby, the interactive robot that speaks both “Furbish” and En-
glish, was the must-have toy of the 1998 holiday season.(AP/
Wide World Photos)