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    Which show/movie most accurately captured the cultural zeitgeist of the 90s?
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    Which show/movie most accurately captured the cultural zeitgeist of the 90s?


    For me it would be Daria. The reason why it would be Daria because Daria captured the cynical youth of Gen X/Xennials at the time. Plus, Daria is the antidote to the 90s “bro culture” that provided a strong feminist type voice that challenged the stereotypes that many girls and women like her were facing in the 90s. Also, I completely realize how many 90s pop culture references that were in this show such as “Clueless”. In fact, Daria premiered in the late 90s and the show was mocking the corporate, "cool" marketing model that was attempting to direct at teens that companies would use. It was also one of the most popular shows of MTV at the time they did produced animated shows in the 90s.

    Posted by icey_sawg0034

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    37 Comments

    1. Dazzling_Zone_1736 on

      My So-Called Life (RIP to that brilliant show). I was the age of the little sister when it aired, and now I’m probably the age of Angela’s parents. That show feels very true to the era from my recollection.

    5. threetiredbicycle on

      My parents always point to Cameron Crowe’s Singles, for Seattle/the PNW in the 90s.

      ETA: Oh! And Reality Bites, for more Gen X/90s-as-a-whole.

      EDIT 2: I sent this thread to my mom and she told me to add Richard Linklater’s Slacker, as well!

    6. JustHereForCatss on

      Cops

      It’s police overreach crossed with reality TV crossed with worshiping facism in the twilight of our democracy

    8. gamersecret2 on

      Daria is a really good pick.

      I would also put Reality Bites up there. It has that exact 90s mix of sarcasm, aimlessness, media obsession, and young adult uncertainty. It feels very locked into that time.

    13. New_Simple_4531 on

      Married With Children, they were like exaggerated versions of some people I knew.

    16. Few-Guarantee2850 on

      Daria is a great choice, but I would argue that either Seinfeld or The Simpsons captured it a little more broadly.

    21. RASKStudio3937 on

      Reality Bites or My So Called Life or Singles (DEF not saying those were good but they were kinda accurate)

    27. randomfurniture on

      Office Space is the best little time capsule of what it was like working in an office in the 90s.

    29. megabitrabbit87 on

      Carriages Explains It All and Brotherly Love

      Shout out to Martin and Sister, Sister

    32. Lil_Quip on

      ‘Quinn, sometimes your shallowness is thorough, it has the illusion of depth.’

      I definitely love Daria, but it is gets a little to utopian if you look hard enough. most of the other characters are actually really nice to her but she is mean to them because her elitist standards.

    33. TomBombomb on

      *Daria* really was a good encapsulation of the late-90s/very early-00s culture. I was in junior high when it premiered and finished high school right around the time the characters graduated.

      Grunge had just sort of fallen off and music was trending into a very nakedly corporate direction. I know the entertainment business has always been a *business* but I always felt like pop culture at the time was just nakedly, transparently corporate. *Daria* seemed aware of that.

      I also felt like pop culture at the time was extremely stupid*.* Like proudly so.

    34. Slow_Sand_2489 on

      https://preview.redd.it/7zbr6nxkqntg1.jpeg?width=1200&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=706d7ef5892a822c5b35244e1e2909ad79e7b70f

      Downtown – Even if its release was in 1999, I think still captured a lot of the soul of the 90s and the different scenes that were involved in it. From goths, to skaters, to hip hop heads, to geeks, metal heads, and trend followers. It helps that a lot of the conversations flow like how people from the 90s would talk and express themselves

    37. Mecca_Lecca_Hi on

      Hackers.

      If you are weren’t around back then that’s exactly how computers and the internet worked in the 90s. Every time you booted up or logged on your computer would emit a laser light show and start playing techno. It was really cool.

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