Life

This '90s Time Capsule Is The Ultimate Throwback

by Megan Grant

Every now and then, I'll be digging through dusty old boxes and stumble upon something from my '90s childhood. It always warms my heart and makes the little girl inside of me do a happy dance. Well, one woman hit the jackpot when she found an entire time capsule from the '90s, holding some of her most precious keepsakes and fondest memories from 1998. 31-year-old Randi Bergman from Toronto was cleaning out her childhood closet when she got a visit from her 13-year-old self: A time capsule that she doesn't even remember making, she explains in an email to Bustle.

The time capsule consists of three boxes and contains items many of us vividly remember: Cut-outs from print issues of YM and Teen People, movie theater ticket stubs for Titanic, mix tapes, and Spice Girls Chupa Chups lollipops, just to name a few. It was all too good to keep to herself, so in early January, Bergman created an Instagram account dedicated to her time capsule. The account, @capsule98, has over 5,000 followers — and unsurprisingly, it's growing rapidly. Because everyone knows that nothing is better than the '90s.

"I live for the '90s!" Bergman tells Bustle — a statement I believe 104.9 percent of the population would agree with. "Obviously my experience of it is from a child's point of view, so I miss all those feelings and the innocence; but as an adult, so much of it appeals to me too — fashion and otherwise." While a lot of the things she found in the time capsule didn't surprise her because "those memories are pretty engrained," Bergman was surprised by how much "trend-related content" she had included at that young age: "I work in fashion now," she says. "At 13 I definitely didn't have any writer/editor aspirations, so it feels kismet, looking back."

13-year-old Bergman definitely had her act together, she says. When asked what she'd tell her '90s self, Bergman says, "I honestly think she had her sh*t together more than I do now — I'd be like, 'What can you teach me, queen?'"

The boy band ring and bag of rubber bands for her braces take us all on a trip down Memory Lane, because I don't think any of us have forgotten what it felt like when one of those suckers snapped in your mouth.

This epic '90s throwback puts all other throwbacks to shame, and it's not to be missed. As kids, many of us couldn't imagine life ever being different; but looking back on Bergman's time capsule now, it's mind-boggling to see how much has changed. Really changed. Bergman says that if she were to put together a time capsule today, she'd include her Instagram feed, shoes, and lingerie dresses. I say go for it — and then whip that capsule out a few decades from now so we can do this all over again.

Check out everything Bergman has unearthed so far on Instagram @capsule98.