When the 90s came
from moments to be seen, to moments to escape
They call them the roaring 90s and it was. Even though I wasn’t one of the many party people during that time, I do understand why the 90s seem so freeing these days. Those were the days before technology took over. We could go anywhere without being spied on and were excited when a camera was nearby. Some of us, I must say. We have seen plenty of personalities who have been chased and harassed by the paparazzi. In the late nineties and the early zeros it was a mad time of animals with big camera’s chasing human beings with Princess Diana as the most famous of all.
Us, we ordinary creatures, we were just happy when we noticed somebody with a camera. Waving excitedly being honored that someone found us important enough to put on film.
We felt recognized and seen.
In those days parties, celebrations, get togethers and sweet friendships and lovers were documented on photographs and polaroids.
Me on the other hand, I escaped every camera in my surroundings. For some reason I didn’t have the urge to show myself on video or photographs. There may be plenty of images of me, but not voluntarily. I never liked posing. I loved dancing, escaping in my own world and when that’s captured, that’s fine by me.
Through the years, the camera’s gained too much power anyway. Soon it was all about pictures, the greatest, capturing the most private and intimate moment of the most desired and admired person from that age. Selling and publishing that picture meant earning a lot of money and the world went crazy. The media went crazy.
In the 90’s many of us lost our souls. We discovered where the money came from. We tasted the power of money and the power of power, we didn’t see the humans in us, only the beasts hunting for owning the greater goods in society. Those who chose the path of power, peace and love seemed to become the prey of those who were captured by greed.
Princess Diana, Britney Spears, Paris Hilton, Monica Lewinsky. It’s an odd list of names, but they all have something in common. The ridiculous and unreasonable witch hunt of the media on their characters. Even though they each had their own charisma, circumstances and stories, the despicable hunt by media, journalists and paparazzi was unnecessary and damaging. It’s beautiful to see that ladies like Paris Hilton, Monica Lewinsky are blossoming these days. Britney Spears also, but it’s clear that it’s a hard struggle for her. Unfortunately, it didn’t end well with Princess Diana as she lost her life on 31 August 1997 after a car crash in Paris when she was chased by the paparazzi. An accident many question, but that’s another story. However, after considering this list of names, it’s strange that the most influential of all didn’t seem to survive the hunt by the camera’s. Perhaps her soul was too damaged, that a crash like that was the last blow her soul just couldn’t handle to repair.
We might have thought we had everything in the 90’s. We might have thought we could do it all and the possibilities were endless. They weren’t. At some point it stops. Succes. Admiration. Love. That is when all the money doesn’t have any meaning and all we want is to be seen and heard.
Not the glitter, but the sparkles within. We forgot about love in the 90s and now we’re finding our way back. Back to where the sparkles are, without the images of illusions but with messages that come from within.
We are still learning, but we’re getting there. Thanks to the many personalities who endured the hardest, we discovered the most important things in life. The light, the love and the magic of fun.
This essay is written for Substack. Follow lvpeacevera for more exclusive Substack essays.
