Life Lessons; What Chick Flicks of the 90s and early 2000s Taught Me About Life
Ok let me set the scene…
It’s 2004. Your BFFs are at your house for a sleepover. You cram into the lounge with your flannel PJs and hoodie on. The chocolate fountain is going strong and popcorn has just come out of the microwave.
You open the DVD player and slot in a chick flick.
Today I’m taking a trip down memory lane and reflecting on the chick flicks from the 90s and 00s I loved as a young teen and what they taught me about life.
The state of the world has left me feeling blue. And when I feel blue I like to reminisce and watch old chick flicks from the 90s and 00s. It’s my self-care.
These movies remind me of my youth.
A more simple and innocent time.
An innocent time of being a pre-teen in the 90s when every girl owned a barbie doll and the boys used to run around with super soakers.
A simple time of being a young teen in the early 00s when bootleg jeans, tube tops, spray-on glitter and purple eyeshadow were fashionable.
I look back at the 90s and 00s with fond memories.
Happy that I was able to grow up in such a quirky time.
Pre-millennium when the internet was just becoming mainstream.
When kids didn’t have a mobile phone glued to their ears and social media hadn’t even been invented yet.
When Lizzie Maguire, Saved by the Bell and Buffy were my shows of choice.
And Britney was still free.
We didn’t care about being goofy and what people thought.
We could be ourselves without the world watching.
So if you too feel like escaping reality for just a few minutes then today’s blog post is for you.
It’s full of nostalgia and quirky 90s and 00s chick flick GIFs.
So sit somewhere peaceful, get comfy, eat some snacks and enjoy.
What these 10 chick flicks from the 90s and early 2000s taught me about life
Legally Blonde (2001)
From afar Legally Blonde is essentially a fluffy movie about an attractive and superficial blonde who becomes a law student against all odds.
But if you look close enough it’s a story of female empowerment, personal growth and self-love.
There are many life lessons to be learnt during Legally Blonde, but for me, it was all about how Elle didn’t listen to the people who were telling her she wasn’t smart enough.
As someone who has spent their life being told they’re stupid and laughed at over dumb shit she’s said, Legally Blonde really resonates with me.
Elle Woods shows us that “intelligence comes in all shapes and sizes.”
And that skills learnt in other areas of your life can be adapted to work in different situations. Without Elle’s interest in fashion and beauty, she might not have been able to solve her first murder case!
So if I could only choose one thing that Legally Blonde taught me?
It’s knowing that you are more than enough.
And of course, to “always have faith in yourself.”
Miss Congeniality (2000)
Gracie-Lou Freebush was the poster child for authenticity before authenticity was cool. She was unapologetically herself and stood up for what she believed in.
I learnt a lot from Miss Congeniality when I was a pre-teen and when I rewatched it the other day (purely for research wink wink) it was still so relatable. Even more so now, as Sandra Bullock’s character, Grace Hart is about 31 years old in the movie.
Miss Congeniality shows us that it’s ok to go against what is expected of you and to throw the rule book out of the window.
And to embrace who you are.
Because after all, we are all unique.
Bring It On (2000)
If Bring It On didn’t teach you about spirit fingers did you really watch Bring It On?
But seriously, Bring It On taught me a very valuable life lesson.
“To be the best you have to beat the best”
While I have no intention to “beat the best”, Bring It On taught me to never give up on my dreams and to keep pushing forward.
Because although you might think you’re at the top of your game there’s still loads more you can learn and improve on.
Notting Hill (1999)
Notting Hill is probably one of the greatest chick flicks from the 90s and 00s.
I love everything about this film.
And if there was one thing that Notting Hill taught me, it’s to keep your language simple and straight to the point.
How To Lose a Guy In 10 Days (2003)
Ok, so first off, this movie taught me that Matthew McConaughey is literally the sexiest man alive!
And Kate Hudson has really nice hair.
But underneath the unfolding love story, Andie Anderson teaches us to never settle for a career that makes you unhappy.
Andie loves to write but she feels limited at her current job and can’t write about what she truly wants to write about.
And so she quits to pursue other opportunities. What a role model!
Honestly, I heard a rumour that both Kate and Matthew were keen to do a sequel to this movie and I so hope it happens!
10 Things I Hate About You (1999)
I’ve probably watched this movie about million times by now and it just doesn’t get old. Plus Joseph Gordon Levitt is just so damn cute in it! And the soundtrack is awesome too.
10 Things I Hate About You teaches you that it doesn’t matter what’s on the outside. It’s what’s on the inside that counts.
The underlying message is about being true to yourself and the fact that, “you don’t always have to be who they want you to be.”
But most importantly, 10 Things I Hate About You taught me that you can never just be whelmed.
Bridget Jones’s Diary (2001)
Bridget Jones was the anti-chick flick heroine. She smoked, got drunk and had lots of sex.
She was hilarious, honest, real and utterly refreshing.
Admit it, you loved her. Just the way she was.
There’s loads to learn from Bridget because she was an absolute icon but the main thing?
Always choose comfort over style.
Granny pants are the way forward.
The Notebook (2004)
The Notebook contains some super iconic lines not to mention my absolute favourite ever movie line;
But what The Notebook really taught me, is that relationships aren’t perfect.
No matter how in love two people are. There’s always going to be challenges and disagreements.
Relationships take work and need constant improvement.
Clueless (1995)
Clueless taught me the importance of expanding my vocabulary and the meaning of the word “sporadic”.
I now use the word sporadically.
The Runaway Bride (1999)
Ok, there are so many life lessons to learn from The Runway Bride it’s unreal. Not to mention, Julia Roberts and Richard Gere make an amazing on-screen couple.
But the most important lesson…
To learn to love yourself before others.
Julia Roberts’ character, Maggie is constantly changing herself to fit in with her suitor that by the time she gets to the aisle she gets scared and runs away.
But the moral of the story is to get to know the real you.
And when it does come to finding a partner you know what to look for and you don’t need to change who you are.
Coyote Ugly (2000)
Hands down the sexiest chick flick to ever be released, Coyote Ugly taught us many things.
But the most important?
It’s never too late to follow your dreams.
It doesn’t matter how old you are. If you have a dream just go for it!
And do what it takes to get there.
Final thoughts
I hope in some way you found comfort in this post. Even if it was escaping reality for a little bit.
There are of course loads more lessons that I’ve learnt from other movies, TV shows and books so maybe I’ll do another post like this again soon!
But in the meantime, I would love to hear which chick flick and life lesson(s) resonated with you the most?
Or maybe you learnt something else from other chick flicks from the 90s and 00s not mentioned here?
Drop me a comment below or find me on Instagram and slide into my DMs.
I would love to chat chick flicks with you.
Until next week,
♡ Thalia xx
