I have a month off from functional nutrition school and my daughter is at summer day camp, I thought I would create a little series about my favorite things from different decades.

It’s such a fun and nostalgic blog post idea so I thought I would dive right into it while I have a little spare time.

I know every generation says their childhood was the best, but honestly… the 90s really had something special.

The 90s were such a colorful, weird, dramatic, cozy time to grow up in. Everything felt louder, brighter, and more imaginative.

Here are some of my favorite things from the 90s! 🙂

The House Phone and Caller ID (1999–2006)

The house phone was a big part of childhood.

I loved caller ID. There was something so exciting about seeing who was calling before you answered. I remember talking to my best friends on the phone even during power outages in a hurricane because I was bored.

AOL Instant Messenger (1997-2017)

Even though AOL Instant Messenger came out in the late 90s, I was not allowed to use it until the early 2000s when I was around 10 or 11. Once I started using it, though, it became everything.

AIM was how I messaged everyone in middle school and even into high school. The screen names, the buddy list, the away messages, the logging-on sound, the door-slam sound when someone signed off, all of it is so nostalgic to me now. It was really a time.

And of course, there was the whole “A/S/L?” thing: age, sex, location. I used to talk to strangers on there all the time, which is wild to think about as an adult.

I cannot believe we were just casually chatting with random people online like that, but that was AIM. I even printed out some of my old AIM conversations as a kid and I still have them in my memory box.

Angela Anaconda (1999-2001)

Angela Anaconda was a short that came on Kablam before becoming its own show, and I remember liking it a lot. It had one of the strangest animation styles ever, which is probably why I was so drawn to it.

It was one of the wackiest cartoons I had ever come across.

Learning more about her real history as an adult definitely changed the way I look at the movie. The Disney version is very beautiful, but heavily romanticized and exaggerated. Definitely not her real story.

Moulin Rouge! (2001)

Moulin Rouge! was everything to me when I was around 10 years old. Since I already loved Romeo + Juliet as a child, it makes complete sense that I would fall in love with this movie too. I know every word.

It was directed by Baz Luhrmann, the same director behind Romeo + Juliet, so it had that same fast-paced, dramatic, colorful, over-the-top style that pulled me in right away.

The music, the romance, the costumes, the editing, the theatrical scenes, the emotional intensity, everything felt so grand and beautiful. It was chaotic in the best way, but also romantic and heartbreaking.

Christina Aguilera, Mýa, Missy Elliott, and Pink came together for “Lady Marmalade,” to promote the film and that song became a whole cultural moment on its own.

Spirited Away (2001)

Spirited Away was my introduction to Studio Ghibli films. I was 11 when the movie was released, and my best friend Caroline introduced me to it. I remember falling in love with it almost immediately.

It felt so different from anything else I was watching at the time. The animation, the strange spirit world, the bathhouse, the quiet emotional moments, and the dreamy, mysterious feeling of the whole film completely pulled me in.

I still love Spirited Away as an adult and I rewatch it every few years.

Burned CDs (2001–2008)

Burned CDs were such a huge part of the early 2000s. I remember giving my best friend Caroline a list of songs I wanted her to burn for me, and she would download them through LimeWire or iTunes and make me CDs.

Eventually, I got a new computer and started burning CDs myself. There was something so fun about picking the perfect songs, writing the track list on the disc, and creating your own little custom album.

Looking back, it is hilarious because so much of it was definitely illegal downloading, but that was such a normal part of the era. Everyone was using LimeWire, hoping they were downloading the right song and not a random virus.

I still have over 100 of my burned CDs to this day, which makes me so happy. They feel like little time capsules of my music taste, friendships, moods, and different versions of who I was back then.

J-14 Magazine and Teen Culture (1999–2008)

J-14 magazine was such a big deal for me.

Every time we went grocery shopping, I would beg my mom for a J-14 magazine. They were only about $2.99 back then, but to me they felt priceless, quizzes, posters, crush secrets, celebrity gossip, and all the glossy teen drama I could handle.

My First Anime: Marmalade Boy (1994-1995)

My first anime was Marmalade Boy and I discovered it when I was 9. There were 76 episodes and the art style and the drama pulled me right in, everything just soft and more mature.

Looking back, it makes sense that I was drawn to it because I have always loved stories with complicated relationships, emotional tension, and dramatic characters.

Marmalade Boy was probably one of the first shows that made me realize animation could feel romantic, emotional, and story driven in a completely different way.

I tried to get into Sailor Moon and other animes like that, but it just didn’t stick.

Shows That Inspired Me Want to Write

Some shows really inspired my imagination as a kid.

As Told by Ginger (2000-2006) especially made me want to start writing. I loved how emotional and personal it felt. It made regular girlhood, friendships, awkwardness, and growing up feel important enough to write about.

I loved shows and movies that made me want to create my own stories. I would watch something and then start imagining my own characters, drama, friendships, and plotlines.

That was definitely the beginning of me becoming a writer in my own little way.

Oxygen TV Network (2000–2002)

In 1998, a woman who had worked for Nickelodeon decided to start her own cable network dedicated to women’s voices, interests, and perspectives. That network became Oxygen, which officially launched on February 2, 2000.

One of the things I remember most from Oxygen was X-Chromosome, an animated segment created by the Director of Animation at MTV.

There were adult animated shorts like Hey Monie!, Avenue Amy, Breakup Girl, Bitchy Bitch, and Fat Girl, which explored the life of a smart, clever fat woman living in ultra-thin Los Angeles.

I did not really care for Bitchy Bitch that much because it was a little too crude for me. It followed a blunt, angry, abrasive woman reacting to everyday life, relationships, work, sexism, and society in a very raw adult comedy way.

I actually learned a lot of great advice from Breakup Girl. It had this funny, honest, helpful energy that made relationship drama feel a little easier to understand.

I do not remember watching Fat Girl, but I bet it was good.

I was especially drawn to Avenue Amy, which followed the daily trials and tribulations of a white female New Yorker.

The animation style was colorful and rotoscoped against live-action photo collage backgrounds which is what drew me in.

Then there was Hey Monie, which was one of the first animated series centered on a Black woman and her friends. I remember it making me laugh so much because the humor was so dry, witty and deadpan.

And of course, I also remember Talk Sex with Sue Johanson. I probably had absolutely no business watching that either, but Sue was just so funny, blunt, honest, and completely unfiltered.

Oxygen really felt like this grown-woman channel I was somehow sneaking into as a kid, and Talk Sex with Sue was definitely part of that memory.

Degrassi: The Next Generation (2001-2015)

Degrassi: The Next Generation was another show I loved oh so much. It came on The N, which was basically the late-night teen version of Noggin.

The storylines were dramatic, emotional, and messy, it covered friendships, crushes, identity, family issues, school drama, and heavier topics that made the characters feel like real people.

Looking back, it definitely fed the part of me that wanted to create characters, relationships, and emotional storylines of my own.

The Sims (2000-2026)

I have to talk about The Sims (2000-2026) because I have been a fan since the very beginning and it feels like such a core early-2000s memory for me.

I first played The Sims on my Nintendo GameCube in 2003, and I was immediately hooked. I loved creating characters, building homes, decorating rooms, creating relationships, and making up little storylines in my head.

It felt like a game, but also like storytelling, interior design, drama, and imagination all in one. It was one of my favorite comfort games growing up, and honestly, I still play it to this day when I have time.

Of course I wish I had more time to play because The Sims can really consume you. You think you are just going to build one house or play for a little while, and next thing you know, hours have disappeared.

If you are not careful, you can easily play for 72 hours straight. It is that serious.

Bring It On (2000)

Bring It On (2000) was one of those movies I was completely obsessed with. The energy, the routines, the uniforms, the attitude, the competition drama, everything about it was so fun to me.

It actually inspired me to try out for cheerleading in 7th grade, and I actually made the team. I practiced a lot with the movie. I only got to do it for about a month though, because my dad made me quit due to his strong dislike for the sport.

Heavy Metal 2000 (2000)

I probably had no business watching the second installment of Heavy Metal, but I was so intrigued by the whole vibe.

I loved the futuristic world, the darker tone, the fantasy/sci-fi elements, and the feeling that animation could be strange, grown, edgy, and cinematic.

Looking back, I think Heavy Metal 2000 helped spark my love for sci-fi space opera animation, which honestly still feels like such an underrated genre.

There really are not enough animated stories that mix space, fantasy, drama, and beautiful weirdness like that.

Spyder Games MTV (2001)

Spyder Games MTV (2001) was another early 2000s MTV memory for me. It premiered in 2001, and even though it was short-lived, I remember being so into it.

It was basically an MTV soap opera , it was so dramatic, grown, messy, and absolutely something I had no business watching at my age.

I used to look forward to watching it every Monday night. I was so intrigued by the secrets, relationships, and dramatic storylines. And honestly, I was also watching Undressed around that time too, so clearly I was a little too curious for my own good lol.

Those shows were definitely too grown for me, but they had that messy, late-night MTV energy that made them feel forbidden, dramatic, and unforgettable.

Disney Channel Shows in the Early 2000s

Disney Channel in the early 2000s was everything to me. This was the era when the shows felt fun, colorful, corny, stylish, and comforting in that very specific Y2K way.

I was especially obsessed with Lizzie McGuire (2001-2003). That show had such a hold on me.

Lizzie felt awkward, emotional, dramatic, funny, and relatable, and I loved how the animated version of her would pop up and say what she was really thinking.

It made the show feel like her inner world was coming to life, which was so creative to me.

I loved the friendships, the school drama, the outfits, the crushes, the embarrassing moments, and the way Lizzie was always trying to figure herself out.

It captured that awkward preteen feeling so well and at the time, I could really relate to it.

I also loved That’s So Raven and Even Stevens. Those shows was chaotic and hilarious in a completely different way.

I remember my younger sisters watching The Proud Family, Kim Possible, and Phil of the Future which made Disney Channel feel like its own little world.

Each show had such a different personality, but together they made that era feel so iconic.

Fav Disney Movies in the Early 2000s

Disney Channel movies in the early 2000s were everything to me. This was the era when Disney Channel Original Movies felt like actual events. I could watch them over and over again and never get tired of them.

When The Lizzie McGuire Movie came out, I went bonkers. Lizzie in Italy? The outfits, the pop star drama, the romance, the music, the whole fantasy of being mistaken for a famous singer, it was peak early 2000s Disney girlhood.

Since I was already obsessed with the Lizzie McGuire show, the movie felt like such a big deal.

Some of my absolute favorite 2000s disney originals were Cadet Kelly, Stuck in the Suburbs, Motocrossed, The Luck of the Irish, The Color of Friendship, and Pixel Perfect.

I think I stopped watching Disney Channel regularly around 2004 because I started to outgrow it, but those early 2000s Disney movies stuck with me.

Thirteen (2003)

Thirteen is a huge early 2000s memory for me. I was exactly 13 the year it came out and I was a pretty sheltered kid so I think I lived vicariously through this movie.

It made me want to move to California so bad and the fashion, the attitude, the rebellion, the drama, the friendship, the chaos, it all felt so intense and different from my real life.

I know every word from this movie. I played that DVD so much that it ended up covered in scratches. And those Katy Rose songs still slaps.

Same director who directed the first Twilight movie directed this one. I really like her style and the cinematography of the film.

Even though the movie is dark and heavy, it was one of those films that completely had my attention at the time.

Laguna Beach and MTV Reality TV (2004-2006)

Laguna Beach (2004-2006) was one of my favorite reality shows to come on MTV. I remember being so tuned in after school every Tuesday. It aired pretty early from what I remember, maybe around 3 or 4 p.m., and I could not wait to watch it.

Laguna Beach was iconic to me. The friendships, the crushes, the love triangles, the music, the outfits, and the whole California teen lifestyle had me hooked.

It was also nice seeing the cast reunite as established adults going down memory lane and laughing at themselves.

I also loved The Real World. That show felt so grown, like I was getting a peek into adult life that I probably had no business watching yet.

The arguments, the roommates, the messy relationships, the confessionals, it was reality TV before reality TV became what it is now.

My Favorite 2000s Teen Movies

Unlike the 90s teen movies I loved way too young, the 2000s teen movies hit differently because I was actually a teenager during this era.

These movies felt more relatable and more connected to the version of me who was growing up and figuring herself out.

Some of my favorite 2000s teen movies were Sleepover, Mean Girls, The Hot Chick, Jennifer’s Body, A Cinderella Story, New York Minute, 13 Going on 30, John Tucker Must Die, The Princess Diaries, Superbad, Napoleon Dynamite, 17 Again, Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging, A Walk to Remember, Stick It, D.E.B.S., Twilight, Lords of Dogtown, and Love & Basketball.

Mean Girls (2004) was obviously iconic. The quotes, the outfits, the school drama, the cafeteria politics, it became one of those movies that defined 2000s teen culture.

Then there were the funny, chaotic movies like The Hot Chick, Superbad, Napoleon Dynamite, John Tucker Must Die, and Sleepover. They were silly, dramatic, ridiculous, and very of their time.

Love & Basketball (2000) is complicated for me now. I loved it back then, but as an adult, I honestly strongly dislike the message I took from it.

It made chasing a self centered asshole feel like romance and looking back, I can see how that shaped a very unhealthy idea of love for me. Still, it was definitely part of my 2000s teen movie era.

The Little Pink Princess TV (2005)

I also remember one of those small pink princess TVs with the built-in VHS tape slot. I actually bought it as a birthday gift for my little sister when she was around 5 and she loved it.

We watched so many movies on that tiny thing. Looking back, I honestly do not know how we did it because the screen was so small. I am so used to big screens now that I cannot imagine being fully entertained by a little princess TV.

The Iconic Romeo + Juliet (2005)

I also have to mention Romeo + Juliet from 1996 because I loved that movie so much as a child and still do. I played the crap out of that VHS.

It is a modernized version of the original story, which I actually did not see until a decade later, but this version will always be my favorite one.

The fast-paced editing, the stylish scenes, the dramatic visuals, and the way it mixed old english with modern settings made it feel so unique and intriguing to me.

It did not feel like a boring old classic. It felt intense, beautiful, chaotic, and emotional. The masked party scene will forever be iconic to me.