Life

The Worst Things About Summer In The '90s

by Megan Grant
young girl at the pool
Alina Buzunova / EyeEm/EyeEm/Getty Images

As a kid, the last day of school before summer vacation was absolutely exhilarating. The bell would ring, you'd race out of the building, and summer officially began. Bye bye homework, hello water gun fights. You loved the long days and nights, the feeling of running into a lake, and the smell of sunblock. It wasn't all rainbows and butterflies, though — the worst things about summer in the '90s often meant awkward and painful sunburns, bruising the heck out of your ankles with your Skip-It, and your Flintstones Push-Up pop melting before you had the chance to eat it. (That was the worst.) Being a kid in the '90s came with serious drawbacks, people. And don't even get me started on summer school. Whoever invented that deserves a swirly.

And you remember how we all were as kids: Every little problem was the end of the world. You get a hangnail and the universe is collapsing around you. Now, don't get me wrong — nothing was better then summer vacay, and I wouldn't change those memories for anything in the world. No responsibilities, endless outdoor fun... summer was the bomb. It's just that, well, there were still those struggles that most of us can relate to...

1. When The Backs Of Your Thighs Stuck To Your Favorite Blow-Up Furniture, Because Sweat

When you peeled them off, it made a gross farting sound and left behind sweat prints. Then you'd casually walk away like, "Why, no, I did not just sweat all over that blow-up couch."

2. When You Accidentally Got Tanning Oil In Your Eyes

FML.

3. You Couldn't Wear Your Slap Bracelets Because They Made You Sweat

More like sweat bracelets. Am I right?

4. The Time You Dropped Your Latest Issue Of Tiger Beat In The Pool

When it dried, the pages were all warped and crunchy and it was never the same.

5. Your Tie-Dye T-Shirt Gave You Horrific Tan Lines

The instant you put on your spaghetti strap tank top, giggles sounded from around you.

6. Same With Those Dr. Martens Sandals You Loved

Life was even worse for people who wore them with socks.

7. Toenail Polish That NEVER LASTED

You wore flip flops and jelly shoes everyday, and your toesies took quite the beating. You'd have to reapply your sky blue polish every few days, and life was so hard.

8. Forgetting The Lyrics To LFO's "Summer Girls"

That was the song of the summer, but... but.... "When you take a sip, you buzz like a hornet... something something something something..."

9. Going To Blockbuster To Rent I Know What You Did Last Summer, But They Were All Checked Out

Ugh. Great. How were you supposed to get your Freddie Prinze Jr. on?????

10. Trying To Prevent Your Frosted Lipstick From Melting Off Your Face

And if you penciled on your eyebrows that day, you were about to have big problems, my friend.

11. Keeping Your Hemp Necklace From Shrinking After Swimming

Whenever it got wet, it turned into a literal choker. And not the fashionable kind.

12. Trying To Get The Stench Of Chlorine Out Of Your Hair With This

Because no one wanted to walk around smelling like a community pool.

Images: Alina Buzunova / EyeEm/EyeEm/Getty Images; Giphy