High School Misfit Vibes
In 1990, I was a sophomore in high school still trying to figure myself out. Spoiler alert: I still am.
Back then, I wasn’t in clubs. I didn’t make any teams. And the doors of rejection? Oh, they swung wide open for me on the regular. Meanwhile, TV was feeding me a steady diet of teenage fairy tales—beautiful kids with endless money, convertibles, hair that always looked freshly blown out, and a cool after-school hangout that basically screamed you don’t belong here, Missy.
In my real world? Yeah, nothing looked like that.
My Froyo + 90210 Ritual
Once I got my license, I made my own ritual. I’d drive to TCBY, order something completely drenched in hot fudge, and rush home just in time to catch the latest episode of Beverly Hills, 90210.
It was ridiculous. It was glossy. It was nothing like my life. And yet, in the most unreliable, over-the-top way, it spoke to me. It was my escape. My fantasy version of high school, one hot-fudge sundae at a time.
Brenda Forever
Looking back, it’s funny how TV shaped our expectations. 90210 wasn’t reality—it was pure fantasy. But it gave me a safe world to slip into when real life felt awkward and isolating.
And through it all, I was always Team Brenda.
Rest in power, Brenda Walsh. You were our complicated, messy, unforgettable queen. xoMS
