What Does It Mean To Be ‘90s Fine, and How Do You Achieve It?

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We seem to be in an endless loop, revisiting trends from various decades and putting a modern spin on them. When we’re not sporting the high-waisted mom jeans from the 80s, we’re embracing lowrise pants from the 2000s. We hopscotch between minimalist and maximalist beauty trends of the 90s and 2010s. We’ve seen flared pants return from the 70s and have gone as far back as the 20s when twirling in big, poofy Dior-esque skirts. I sit, observe, and take with what suits me, but no beauty or fashion moment has ever measured up to the significance of the 90s fine woman.

What is 90s fine, exactly?

The term “90s fine” refers to a group of men and women from the ‘90s who exuded beauty in every aspect — their confidence, fashion, simplistic makeup, and charm — packaged and delivered in effortless grace. It is important to acknowledge that this was a black-culture led phenomenon. A beauty standard created and maintained by black artists under the Hollywood spotlight, where most conversations about “beauty” revolved around the white woman. It was a powerful showcase of simple yet strong beauty that captured your attention unlike any other, and to this day remains a beauty powerhouse that we still gravitate towards.

The components to being 90s fine

The biggest aspect of being 90s fine lies in what’s within. It’s a type of grace, confidence, and self-assuredness that oozes out the body and ultimately makes you look beautiful. So first thing’s first, if you want to emulate “90s fine”, work on your core.

The rest is pretty simple, literally. Simple T’s, makeup that suits your features (that can mean both maximalist and minimalist), and minimal cosmetic procedures. Natural beauty leads the way here, but that doesn’t mean no makeup or no dazzling outfits. It simply means you wear what suits you, what enhances your natural features, and you own it.

Of course, beauty trends that were popular at the time can frequently be found on women who are 90s fine, like thin eyebrows, contoured lips, and lightly smokey eyes. As for fashion, you’ll find a lot of fitted white tanks, leather blazers, and mom jeans.