Life

13 Things Every '90s Cool Girl Did In The Summer

by Ni'Kesia Pannell

Ah, summer time. A season filled with ice cold lemonade, trips to the pool, and melted ice cream cones, summer awakens the best in almost everyone. And though summer gives kids of today warm feeling, there was something so different about summer in the '90s. Perhaps it was the enjoyment of actually having a summer break, but summer in the '90s is a time that I'll never forget. More importantly, the decade brought forth so many things every '90s cool girl did in the summer that made you part of the crème de la crème.

In the '90s, I was barely pre-teen, but having an older sister was always my way of getting a cool girl pass. Though many of my peers loathed their older sisters, I truly idolized mine. Everything she was, I wanted to mimic. Everything she wore, I wanted to wear. I'm sure she was annoyed with me, but I was totally fine with that if I had the opportunity to be as cool as she was one day. My older sister was definitely a '90s cool girl and because she let me hang out with her and her cool friends, I was deemed one too.

What does it take to be a '90s cool girl in the summer (summer summertime), you ask? These 13 things will help make it clear.

1Walk Around The Mall All Day

Though they never bought anything, hanging out at the mall during the summer was cool. (Literally. That AC was essential.)

2Watch 'The Ricki Lake Show'

Aside from Maury, The Ricki Lake Show was my absolute favorite show to watch in the middle of the day. From the topics to the performers, you weren't cool if you weren't screaming "Go, Ricki! Go, Ricki!"

3Tie Up The Phone Line

Since everyone was home for summer, there was no lack of people to talk to. Even though we made plans that we never went through with, life was bliss.

4Become The Slip And Slide Champ

Pools? Who has time for that when you're busy nailing the perfect slide without a slip?

5Rock Your DIY Tie-Dye

There was no better feeling like rocking your tie-dye T-shirt to show your friends how exclusively fashionable you were during the summer.

6Run Down Conversation Scenarios With Your Crush

Whether it was in your mirror or on the phone with your bestie, you practiced exactly what you were going to say to your crush for the first day of school.

7Host Your Own Skip-It Competitions

Summer produced no better time to challenge all of your friends on your street to a legit Skit-It challenge.

8Watch 'MTV Beach House'

Even if you didn't think you were cool, if you watched MTV Beach House over the summer, you were alright in my book.

9Make Summer Mixtapes

Courtesy of Ni'Kesia Pannell

I've always been a music lover, but there was something about summer that gave me some of the toughest mixtapes ever created.

10Page Friends When You Got Bored

I didn't get my first pager until I was in middle school, but my sister had one in the '90s and every code imaginable came through that pager from her bored friends.

11Read Every 'Babysitter's Club' Book

Instead of spending your time doing the assigned summer reading, why not read all of your Babysitter's Club books for like, the fourth time?

12Show Off Your Jellies

Cool girls rocked jellies. Even if they made your feet sweat.

13Stay Out After Dark

The '90s was a much safer time for kids, so staying out after the sun went down wasn't as big of a concern for parents as it is now. And ya know, because summer = no bedtimes.