1990s-+Prosperity

1990s Music/Dance The 1990s was a positive era. The economy was becoming very progressive. From labor forces, surging stocks, and low unemployment, to technological developments, new electronic products, and expanded trade opportunities. Music reflected this time very well. For example, there were many positive things going on, and there was a big variety of popular music; rap, pop, alternative, techno, and one-hit wonders. Many artists sang or preformed towards the attitude of their audience. With a good economy, came happy people, so many artists preformed good, happy music. Although, there was also a grunge and alternative rock phase which was popular. By the mid 90's, people were tired of this grunge and the economy was so well. As a result, people wanted happy rock. This is when bands like sister hazel came out. When the good economy peaked by 2000, the happy rock had lead to "bubblegum pop", such as Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, and boy bands such as N'Sync and 98 Degrees.

As well as music reflecting well, so did 90s dance. Many good dances were started, to go to the cheerful music. For example, the Vogue, Moshing, the Bump & Grind, and the Macarena. This brought fun to many social events.

1990s Inventions/Firsts We are born in the 1990s. This was a great time in America’s history. Economy was growing and all citizens were contributing into the country. Some of the greatest inventions were created during this time period, for example: the World Wide Web, digital answering machine, Viagra and also the web TV.

While the economy was on the raising curve, lots of very important items were invented during the 1990s. The human race will not be able to function if we didn’t have some of these inventions that were created in the 1990s. 1990s Sports and Leisurely Activities

In the 1990s the economy was prosperous, the unemployment rate was down, and people had money. Because of this, people had more flexibility in their budgets due to a more steady and reliable income, and they could put it toward their hobbies and leisurely activities, especially sports. Sports were booming in every way. People played them as well as enjoyed watching them for entertainment. People had the money to be able to afford the luxury of sports because of the flourishing economy at the time. Examples of ways that the high interest levels in sports reflected the prosperous economy include things such as what type of sports were popular, and the sales related to these sports. Sports require money; some more than others, and all of them were being played. Things from football to hockey, skate and snowboarding to surf and wakeboarding, horse back riding to motocross, water polo and lacrosse, baseball to golf,, and much more. People were playing the sports, buying the equipment, and following their favorite pro teams. In the 90s NFL ticket sales were very high because people were buying. This is how the economy affects sports and activities. Jobs and Salaries In the late eighties and early nineties computers were becoming affordable and more common than anyone had imagined. The main computer software manufacturer in that era was Microsoft under owner Bill Gates. By the mid to late nineties Microsoft software was on more than 90 percent of all computers. In 2000 Microsoft was broken apart in the biggest anti trust judgment ever in United States history. Microsoft now owns about 150 other companies.

All the way through the 1990s the unemployment rate was between five and six percent. Today the rate is between eight and nine percent. From the early nineties until 2000 the United States Gross Domestic Product (GDP) rose a considerable amount each year. From 2000 until present day the GDP has slowed its growth substantially because of the recession.

Controversies/ Crisis

In the 1990s, the Savings and Loan Crisis (S&L Crisis) was the failure of 747 savings and loan associations. A Savings and Loan is a financial institution in the United States that accepts savings deposits and makes mortgage, car and other personal loans to individual members. The ultimate cost of the crisis is estimated to have totaled around $160.1 billion. This contributed to early budget deficits in the early 1990s. But little did people know the economy would bounce back like never before.

During the 1990s, the U.S experiences its longest period of economic expansion during the decade. Personal incomes doubled from the recession in 1990 (S&L Crisis), and there was higher productivity overall. After the 1996 Welfare Reform Act there was a reduction of poverty, and the Wall Street Stock Exchange stayed over the 10,500 mark from 1999 to 2001. The economy was very prosperous during this time.  1990s Housing and Family Life  In the 1990s, there was a significant effort to make affordable American homes in several areas in popular locations. People either rented these homes or purchased them. A typical American home in the 90s was a two-story home, split-level, or condominium home. Ranch homes were also placed on the market frequently. People usually tended to buy homes with an old colonial theme. Most houses were medium sized houses or living spaces that came with fireplaces, basements, air conditioning, intercom systems, garden windows, and wood stoves. These were popular items and trends that usually came with the house when purchased. There was typically a garage that could hold up to two or three cars; the highest amount being four. The home was very well maintained and looked very neat from the outside. It was a very popular trend to have outside gathering places, such as a courtyard, patio, or deck. The typical or average price of a house ranged from $120,000 to $130,000. A new house in 1990 cost $123,000 and by 1999 the price increased to $131,700.

 The average household income growth grew over 8% from the prior decade (1990-2000). Poverty rates fell significantly. In 1990, the average income per year was $28,970 and by 1999 it increased to $40,810. There was an increase of woman with paying jobs outside the home. It began to be more popular for there to be woman in the workforce instead of being a stay at home mother. A new car cost on average $16,000, the average rent was $465 per month, movie tickets cost $4.00 each, gasoline was $1.34 per gallon, and a postage stamp cost 25 cents.  Art and Writing: 1990s

Art was very popular in the 1990s. Art museums during the time were always busy. Artists were beginning to use computers and the Internet to create new forms of art. Architecture was very big. Designers created restaurants like Planet Hollywood, and giant casinos like New York, New York in Las Vegas. This expresses the economy of the 1990s because more people were into going to art exhibits and museums because the people could afford it. Over-the-top architectural designs were developed because the economy was booming.

Books became huge in the 1990s. Websites like amazon.com made it easy for people to find any book they wanted easily from the comfort of their home. “Mega-bookstores like Borders and Barnes and Nobles” drove the small bookstores out of business. The economy allowed for big companies to take over and for books to become a huge industry. This also gave writers an easier way to sell their books. More people bought books because it became easier to do in the 1990s.   **Politics/Reform** The 1990s were a time for great prosperity. In politics Democrat Bill Clinton was elected president for two terms, from 1993 to 2001. He had great opportunities to build the economy. His attempts at doing this are seen in the North American Free Trade Agreement and the welfare reform. These policies were designed by Clinton in order to build up the economy in the 90s. In this new welfare reform it made welfare a little harder to get in order to boost the economy and get low wage families out of the underclass cycle that they lived in for generation after generation. They waned to make working more worthwhile so the families would start to work and not live off of government checks. The new guidelines made recipients work within two years of receiving their first check, checks stopped coming after five years, and states could put a limit on the amount of money given to the families based on how many people there were. This new reform gave what used to be a federal responsibility more responsibility to the states. This boosted the economy because their were less families on welfare and putting the country in debt.   Fashion/Fads 

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In the 1990s, many new trends and fads started becoming more popular. Since the economy started showing a time of prosperity, that’s when many designers started making their way to becoming more and more popular. Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein, Nautica, and DKNY were some of the brands that started becoming very well known as the economy became better. There was a huge change in prices in the 90s. Guess jeans ranged in prices from 35.00 for jeans and 25.00 for a shirt, which were the average costs of clothing in the 90s. =====

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In the 90s, bright colored clothing was popular like in the 80s. Overalls were popular for a short amount of time, and due to them declining in sales, some of the designer stores started trying to sell them. As the designer stores started becoming popular, many people wanted to dress to impress since they had the money to spend. =====