The Crushes of Yesteryear

Somehow it's been almost 12 years since the glorious age of the 90's came to a close. Boy bands and candy pop have been replaced by techno beats and hip hop. And ever since Edward Cullen made sparkly pale skin appealing and Justin induced a nationwide case of Bieber Fever, there are a few boys that have been left in the dust.

Here are some of the crushes you forgot you had back in the 90's:

1) Devon Sawa - He was the boy with the perfectly cow-licked blonde head. He was the swoon-inducing quarterback in Little Giants that made even the Icebox nervous. He was one of the Wormers in Now & Then, who got his clothes stolen while skinny-dipping but made up with Christina Ricci over a Classic Coke and a kiss. And lest we forget CASPER! He was in about 4 minutes of the movie as the human version of the Friendly Ghost. But there he was dancing with Ricci again, 2 feet off the ground, whispering "Can I keep you?" Yes, Devon, you may.

2) JTT - Jonathan Taylor Thomas's name was taking up too much room on the covers of Tiger Beat, BOP and J14. So someone shortened it and everyone jumped on board. No one could deny how precious this kid was. He was in a few Disney movies like Tom and Huck and Man of the House (picture the rain dance to "Everybody Dance Now"). Oh, and a little indie flick called Lion King as SIMBA. Insane. Then, for good measure, he played Tim "the Tool Man"'s middle son for like 7 years... the perfect complement to Mark, who got gangly and goth, and Brad, who just stayed a blonde jock the whole show.

3) Matthew Lawrence - He was pretty adorable in Mrs. Doubtfire, but when he showed up on Boy Meets World, I was glued to the TV. This show had already solidified itself in the 90's Hall of Fame, but add on this cute blonde guy as a roommate? I'm sold. Middle child syndrome be gone; this kid far outshone his celebrity brothers. Sense of humor doesn't hurt.


4) Your Choice of Boy Band Member - This one was a toss-up. Once you chose your allegiances, you never faltered:

N*Sync - You would never admit it at the time, but if you were an N*Sync fan you had far less choices to drool over. Only JC or Justin, really. The other three were back-up and they knew it. Kudos to you if you picked Timberlake in that 50/50 toss-up because now he's a billionaire and no one's seen JC since the millenium hit. Granted they did put out some timeless pop hits and the entire "No Strings Attached" album is pure gold.   

Backstreet Boys - If you were on my team and thought Backstreet won out, congratulations. Not only were you correct then, but JT left N*Sync in the dust years ago and BSB is still touring / recording today. Not to mention they've all gotten even sexier over time. At the height of the pop craze, BSB was like the appetizer sampler at Applebee's - something there for everyone. Nick was fun-loving, blonde and got to say "Am I sexual?" in their first hit. AJ was the tattooed and dangerous one. Brian was goofy and I was certain we'd be engaged by the time middle school was out. He and his jawline were plastered all over my bedroom walls. Kevin was the tall, dark and brooding one. And no one liked Howie.  

 

98 Degrees - Then there were the wayward 98 Degrees fans. I would poke fun here, but if I'm being honest - I'd still marry Nick Lachey in a second. I wouldn't throw Jeff outta bed either. In terms of popularity, though, I can't (and never could) name all four. 

Hanson - There's no excuse for this. Their hair alone! If approached from behind, they might've been mistaken as Britney, Christina & Jessica. Somehow these Oklahoma-raised girls boys burst onto the scene with "MmmBop" and they've still got an incredibly loyal fan base today. It's a good thing they stuck around - they've actually evolved to an impressive level of talent and with a good pair of shears, they emerged as super handsome.

5) Leonardo DiCaprio -  In 1997, every girl was suddenly dying to go hang off the edge of a cruise liner in the hopes of Leo coming to her rescue. He came out of nowhere and romanced Kate Winslet straight into the Atlantic Ocean. And he played Romeo to Claire Danes's Juliet. Not even iambic pentameter could get in the way of his charm. Don't tell me you didn't have posters of him up. You did.

6) Uncle Jesse - I don't know about your past experiences, but he's certainly the first Greek mullet-bearing motorcycle-riding Elvis-loving womanizer that I've ever been obsessed with. I literally couldn't take my eyes off him for eight seasons of Full House. And he's only gotten better with age.