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It's a scary time. The headlines in the news feel particularlybad at the moment, so it's normal to feel overwhelmed by the state of world, unsure of what exactly to do about it.
Nostalgia isn't a cure-all, but it is comforting and we all deserve a slice of that. Also, nostalgia seems to be all around us: in the UK, Britpop and boy bands from the 90s and 00s are making comebacks; sports fashion brands are launching 90s revivals; there's interest in printed magazines from those decades too, from podcasts to full-on exhibitions. Collectively, we're looking back.
The past has never been perfect, and of course, nostalgia has a way of creating rose-tinted vision. But when the outlook seems so bleak right now, looking to our childhoods has been proven to boost our wellbeing.
Sometimes nothing soothes like a trip down memory lane, and these are how R29's editors do it.
You couldn’t make me feel guilty about still having all my cuddly animals from childhood. Some I’ve added along the way, but my core lil' boy has been with me since birth, hand knitted by my grandma who I never got to meet and he will stay firmly in my bed until the end of time. Nothing makes my nervous system calm down like snuggling into my bed and giving that guy a squeeze and I will not be made to feel guilty about that. It connects to such early memories that I genuinely think it has magic healing powers sometimes. Also in a rental where pets aren’t allowed, I feel like I still get some animal comfort (lol).
Alicia Lansom, Associate EditorPhoto: Courtesy of Alicia Lansom.I’m Turkish Cypriot, but I don’t eat Turkish food as much as you might imagine. My grandmother used to make the best dishes, the homely kinds that you don’t find in your average kebab shop. Like how Italians will tell you there’s more to their food than pasta and pizza, there is more to ours than chicken shish and hummus. There’s one restaurant in London (sorry, I’m not sharing where!) that does very traditional, non-fussy, low cost Turkish food. It’s not got a mark on my nene (grandmother in Turkish) and it doesn’t have all the niche dishes I miss, but it does do the essentials very well. I’ve gone alone when I need to decompress or when I’m feeling lost. While I’m waiting for my lahmacun, cacik, and hellim to arrive, I take comfort in the old Turkish people around me speaking the language (that I have a very limited understanding of) and the paintings on the wall that are framed with identical frames to the one’s my nene’s house used to have. When I feel very disconnected to my ethnic heritage, there’s something so warm and soothing about eating the food that reminds me of being little.
Tanyel Mustafa, Senior WriterPhoto: Courtesy of Tanyel Mustafa.It’s a running joke in the R29 office that I never watch anything new — I’m just a nostalgia-driven comfort watcher, turning to my childhood classics and the films or TV shows that carried me throughout my teen years. The same can be said for music, especially in how I listen to it. My parents — children of the 1960s and 70s — always had a record spinning on their battered, old turntable; and if not a vinyl, a CD in one of our various machines (they needed one in the kitchen, one in their home office, one in the bedroom… Music was everywhere in our house). Now, I’ve inherited many of my parents’ records, having adopted their love of vinyl and become somewhat of a collector. When I need that extra dose of nostalgia and comfort I play my mum’s Joni Mitchell and my dad’s David Bowie records especially (along with my own favourites, Taylor Swift and Lana Del Rey).
Esther Newman, Affiliate WriterPhoto: Courtesy of Esther Newman.My dad worked a lot when we were young, so we didn’t really hang out together all that much. This made it all the more special when we did, and one of our “things” was to watch Merlin together each week. Then, when dad moved abroad for a job, my mum and brother would watch it with me every Sunday morning instead. We’d roll out of bed and scramble downstairs, still in our pyjamas, where mum would cook eggs and roti, which we’d eat on the sofa. We called these days “slobby sundays”, and I look back at them fondly. To this day, if I’m having a bad time, I switch on BBC iPlayer, grab some comfort food, and watch Merlin save Arthur for the gazillionth time.
Humeara Mohamed, Contributing WriterPhoto: Courtesy of Humeara Mohamed.Lately, I’ve found myself rewatching movies from the 90s. Think: You’ve Got Mail, 10 Things I Hate About You, Four Weddings And A Funeral (you get the gist). It's easy to look back at that decade with fondness. I was young, carefree and everything just felt freer. And it was, because it was a creative time. But there’s one movie that I still think to this day has never been truly credited with excellence: Now And Then. Starring Demi Moore (and her toddler daughter), Christina Ricci, Rosie O’Donnell, Rita Wilson, Thora Birch, Gaby Hoffmann, Ashley Aston Moore and Melanie Griffith, it’s the coming-of-age film every young girl needs to see. I rented it several times from Blockbuster — much to my family’s dismay — growing up because I couldn't get enough of that world, their world. At the core of it, is friendship and how it changes, meanders and moves on in time as we all grow up. This is why every now and then I turn to my favourite film to be reminded of what really matters in life: our relationships with others.
Susan Devaney, Life DirectorPhoto: Courtesy of Susan Devaney.
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