1990s American Music and Fashion

1990’s AMERICAN MUSIC AND FASHION


During the 1990s technology grew from the development of the internet which increased different ways of expressing music. The 1990s brought about music through the popularity of radio. New types of music appeared such as Grunge and Gangster. The R&B and hip-hop music of the 1980s continued into the 1990s and became evermore popular as movie sound tracks did. “Popular artists included Hootie & the Blowfish, Alanis Morrisette, Janet Jackson, Garth Brooks, Celine Dion and Madonna” (‘Lets Party, New Orleans’, modified 2008, viewed 13th of April 2008,
http://www.decadesmusic.net/zz/HomePage/HomePageFrame.html). One popular group that rose to stardom during the 90s, especially with young teenage girls was the ‘Spice Girls’. The ‘Spice Girls’ became one of the most popular bands in history for their diversity and sex appeal. Records became uncommon as cd burners were created and used to copy all cds. “Napster, Morpheus and Kazaa offered online file sharing, in effect offering free downloads of music to anyone wanting to copy it” (‘Music changes the world’, modified 2008, viewed 13th of April 2008, http://www.solcomhouse.com/music.htm).

Classical music was examined and experimented with as a type of beneficial music for study. “In 1993, Gordon Shaw published a study on the Mozart Effect, a correlation between classical music and mathematical aptitude”( ‘American Cultural History’, modified 2008, viewed 13th of April 2008, http://kclibrary.nhmccd.edu/decade90.html). In the study it was discovered that high school students and rats have improved test scores by 30% after listening to classical music. The revolution of 90s music from records to radio and cd grew and soon music began to expand onto the internet and various other media.

The music industry evidently grew due to technology. American music during the 90s heavily impacted Australia and due to technology reached Australia easily. Music videos produced in America were broadcasted via TV, internet and radio to all nations including Australia. “In 1994, local act Silverchair emerged with their own grunge anthem, Tomorrow. Many young Australians also adopted typical grunge fashion, with heavy boots and baggy, torn clothes”( ‘American and British cultural influences’, modified 2008, viewed 13th of April 2008,http://www.skwirk.com.au/p-c_s-14_u-189_t-510_c-1895/american-and-british-cultural-influence-1990s/nsw/history/australia). Since America was a high power influence over the media commercial Australian radio station played American music and Australia was highly influenced by American culture frequently. The internet allowed individuals to download, transfer and reproduce music both to and for themselves and others from anywhere in the world. “In 1991, American grunge band Nirvana released the song Smells Like Teen Spirit. It became a worldwide hit, and cemented grunge as a major influence on the Australian music scene”( ‘American and British cultural influences’, modified 2008, viewed 13th of April 2008,http://www.skwirk.com.au/p-c_s-14_u-189_t-510_c-1895/american-and-british-cultural-influence-1990s/nsw/history/australia). The music culture of America greatly influenced other nations such as Australia. Australia became surrounded by American music and it soon dominated Australian TV and radio.


American fashion in the 90s was mainly based around attitude. Teenagers style began in the early 90s with the ‘grunge’ look then towards the end of the 90s came the ‘preppie’ look and hip-hop which continued to be very popular throughout the 90s. A mixture of the 70s fashion bellbottoms and long tops were worn by girls, unlike guys who started to wear hipster and baggy jeans. Uniforms became considered compulsory in work places, especially fast food. Over $6 billion was spent by fast food places on uniforms. “Designers included Liz Claiborne, DKNY, and Tommy Hilfiger. Dress down Fridays became commonplace and gradually developed into a more casual work dress code altogether, with 53% of companies allowing casual dress in 1998, up from 7 % in 1992”( ‘American 1990 Fashion History’, modified 2008, viewed 13th of April 2008,http://www.bookrags.com/history/america-1990s-fashion/).Work uniforms such as Khaki pants and polo shirts or denim were worn in the workplace. Popular fabrics of the 90s in America were microfiber and tencel, cotton and linen. “Consumer spending on clothing dropped from 4.6% in 1990 to 1% in 1995”( ‘American 1990 Fashion History’, modified 2008, viewed 13th of April 2008,http://www.bookrags.com/history/america-1990s-fashion/). Fast food increased in consumption and diets became a fad, health and nutrition was soon a huge concern and many people especially women took this as a major concern.

REFERENCE LIST:

‘American and British cultural influences’, modified 2008, viewed 13th of April 2008,
http://www.skwirk.com.au/p-c_s-14_u-189_t-510_c-1895/american-and-british-cultural-influence-1990s/nsw/history/australia
‘American Cultural History’, modified 2008, viewed 13th of April 2008,
http://kclibrary.nhmccd.edu/decade80.html
‘American 1990 Fashion History’, modified 2008, viewed 13th of April 2008,
http://www.bookrags.com/history/america-1990s-fashion/
‘Music changes the world’, modified 2008, viewed 13th of April 2008,
http://www.solcomhouse.com/music.htm