Updated: August 14, 2020
The ’90s were a blast! This was the era of some of my favorite movies, music, and fashion, but there are some things about growing up in the 90’s that only a redhead will understand.
1. Ariel was and will always be your favorite Disney Princess.
Am I right?
2. You were the token redhead in every quintessential 90’s Halloween ensemble.
You were the Chuckie in your Rugrats ensemble, Tai or Amber from Clueless, Agent Scully from The X-Files, Ms. Frizzle from The Magic School Bus, Dottie or Kit from A League of Their Own, Ginger from the Spice Girls, or Winifred Sanderson from Hocus Pocus, which I was last year because some things never go out of style.
3. You wrote Reba McEntire numerous fan letters to which she never responded.
No? Only me? Alright.
4. And speaking of country music, any time Brooks and Dunn or Garth Brooks came on the radio, you were suddenly the most popular one in the car.
Your friends would point to you as they sang “I want a shot of that redhead yonder lookin’ at me,” or “You better get your redhead back in bed before mornin’!”
5. You knew if you could ever find the elusive Carmen Sandiego, you would be fast friends.
Redheads have a natural bond. Plus she would have so much to talk about!
6. You never had to worry about staying on trend with fashion.
Thankfully redheads have always looked great in 90’s staple pieces: plaid and leather.
7. You were thrilled when Goosebumps released Night of the Living Dummy
Because FINALLY, the main characters in your favorite book series were redheads!
8. Redheads on television helped you discover your melancholic side.
Did anyone make you do more soul-searching than Claire Danes’ character in My So Called Life, Willow from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, or Daria? No way. I still contribute my brooding nature to these girls.
9. While everyone else on earth was asking their hairdressers for “The Rachel,” you were still trying to grow out “The Molly Ringwald.”
Of course, if you couldn’t quite get it grown out, you could always just start calling it “The Miranda Hobbs” from Sex and the City, or throw some butterfly clips in it and call it a day.
10. And speaking of “The Rachel” haircut, for some reason your friends always made you be the Kato Kaelin when you played “O.J. Simpson Trial.”
No? Only me? Alright. I’m still not convinced he had red hair, but whatever.
11. You never got to be the Pink Ranger.
Is there anything more infuriating for a young redheaded girl than your mom coming home with a Yellow Ranger costume, because “pink clashes with your hair?” Everyone knows the Pink Ranger is the best one!
12. Redheads on television helped you discover your rebellious side.
I’m talking about Budnick from Salute Your Shorts, Pepper Ann, Mary Jo from Designing Women, Pete (you know which one) from The Adventures of Pete and Pete, Lindsay Lohan of the Parent Trap era (although, I suppose the Lindsay Lohan of the current era is still helping us discover our rebellious side).
13. You never got to play Baywatch.
Forget about it. Sunburns for days.
14. Your current dating life is proof that you spent too much time watching Will & Grace.
Let’s be honest–in the late 90s, Grace was the most gorgeous train wreck we had ever seen. I was in Junior High when Will & Grace started, and I remember obsessing over Debra Messing’s character. I vowed that when I grew up, I would strive to make my hair look exactly like hers, and my dating life nothing like hers. Now that I’m in my thirties, I must confess that somehow the exact opposite occurred.
15. Redheads on television helped you discover your courageous side.
Maybe for you it was Rose surviving the Titanic. Or, Julia Robert’s redheaded Tinkerbell fighting to the death in Hook. Or, that redhead who finally finds her voice and belts her face off in Sister Act. But, for me it was a 19 year-old Kerri Strug, rocking a feathered, red pixie cut, and limping her way to a gold medal for Team USA and into the hearts of every American.
What was your favorite part of growing up a redhead in the ’90s? Let us know by commenting below! And one last thing; to quote that weird Baz Luhrmann song we all loved, “Ladies and Gentlemen of the Class of ’99, wear sunscreen. If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it.”
Rock it like a Redhead!
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