Did people look older in the 90s?

[pontipinemum]

Not really AIBU - More so a what do you think

I'm watching a 90s movie right now and I think people that are supposed to be early 30s (my age now) look older than me. When I look at pictures of my family from the 90s they all look older, even though my mum was in her 20s most of the 90s.

Is it the style maybe? Do I associate the clothes with 'older people' because when I saw those clothes IRL I was just a small child. I think a lot of people my age still dress sort of young, trainers/ jeans/ hoodies/ casual. Where as people in their 20s/30s back then dressed more grown up.

YABU - People in the 90s did not look older
YANBU - People in the 90s did look older

They look older because they were older.
A woman aged 25 in the 1950’s was far older than a present day 25 year old.
When the 1950’s woman was that age she was expected to be an adult. The days of youthful pleasures were far behind her.

Lol Kevin's parents were meant to look old, dowdy they were in no way meant to represent any one age group.

DrSbaitso · Today 19:03
I also remember most middle aged women in the 90s not following fashion to any degree.

There was very little choice compared to now, and almost nothing if you were over what was a size 16 back then.

l was 37 in 1999. There was loads of great fashion. Nothing like now at all. Much better. Next was in its heyday, Warehouse was brilliant, Kookai and Oasis were cutting edge and Too shop was great. Even C and A was great.

Most if my friends were really into fashion. Bias cut slip dresses? Ergonomic jeans? I didn’t know anyone my age who dressed ‘middle aged’

Very much so. When I look at pictures of DM & DGM back then it’s amazing how old they look.

I have seen a TikTok when the put hair from the golden girls characters on to the Sex In The City stars and, my God! Hairstyles make a huge difference.

Rue MCClanahan was only 51 irl when the golden girls started and 58 when it finished. I’m 50 and don’t look half as old as her Blanche character.

Oh and I remember that women were expected to "dress their age" and they'd get laughed at if they went around dressed like teens. That's definitely not the case anymore.

I think it's definitely to do with how people dress/dressed. I think middle aged/older/retired people now who still dress nicely and try and stay current. When I was a kid it was like everyone had 'Granny' clothes once they were over 50/60.

Lost tons of weight at the age of 50 odd. Started wearing my son’s hoodies etc. And short tube skirts. Tbh, I looked great! Got rid of all my frumpy clothes.
My mum would try to get me to buy “classy” clothes. I said that I didn’t want to look classy 😂

Some of the hairstyles for women in the early 90's definitely gave off an older vibe. Women in their 30's wearing short hair that had been curled and teased (and generously sprayed with hairspray!) was pretty common and (IMO) matronly.

I was 16 in the mid 90s and I looked about 12, as did my friends.

Yes, but tbf in that era if Rue had worn her hair long and/or used extensions at 51 she'd have been laughed at. There was definitely a horror of being mutton dressed as lamb.

As a 90s teen the slackers, grunge kids and britpoppers will always epitomise youthful cool to me.

There’s some memes about this. One about the mother of the 8 year old boy who died in Jaws (although obvs that was 70s) - she slaps Brodie in the face and she looks about 60.

Also the parents in Father of the Bride were mid 40s but grey haired and the mother is in a twin set and pearls.

I realise she looked and was supposed to look older than her actual age. Did you watch the video? This was mentioned. Fascinating what modern hairstyles do.

Bless you @Sunshineaftertherain187

My earliest memories of my nana were in the 90's and she was really elderly. It's only now I realise she was mid 50's! She died at 84 and she looked exactly the same for the entirety of the 30 years I had her in my life.

I had just turned 22 when I got married in 1990 and my husband was a few months off 21. In our photos we looked like we were playing dress up.

The Golden Girls were in their 50’s!

What I LOVE LOVE LOVE about now in my 50's is I wear ANYTHING

Anything from a Debbie Harry look to a minidress to a Lagenlook to jeans trainers hoodies

No one bats an eye

Life is good for those who don't give a fuck

I put up a photo of my dad when he was 40, at his 70th birthday party. He looked younger at 70 than he did at 40. Couldn't believe it.

There’s some memes about this. One about the mother of the 8 year old boy who died in Jaws (although obvs that was 70s) - she slaps Brodie in the face and she looks about 60.

Just looked her up and she was about 35 at the time. I think as well as the short, curly hair - which looks "set" how older women had it - people's teeth are generally better looking now. More even and white. She does also look anguished in most of her scenes.

She died a few years ago.

I think people often stick with a look they had in their 20s throughout their life, adapting it a little. So what men in the 50s look like now, you're linking to how young men looked in the 1990s and associating it with older men now.

https://eu.capecodtimes.com/story/news/coronavirus/2020/04/06/jaws-actress-beloved-by/1396134007/

It very much depended on context.

PP talking about clubbing, I was a student in the early 90s.
The 'townie' clubs were all high heels, dreses, and handbags.
Us students were jeans and t shirts for the grunge style, or very short skirts with bodies with trainers. No one took handbags, just used our pockets. (I can't remember what we did if we had no pockets!)

Women 30 upwards looked older back then. More like 40s, because of fashion and particularly shorter hairstyling. Nowadays women between 20-35 look order because of the weird fillers and fish lips. But 35 upwards, the definitely look younger as they age because that’s the age when the beauty treatments actually start to be needed.