It’s been 25 years since No Doubt dropped their iconic “Just a Girl” music video. Which, to be honest, catches me off guard sometimes. It hasn’t really been that long, right?
If you caught Gwen Stefani’s Instagram post earlier this week, you might think you’re living in a time warp, though. Why? Well, the “Hollaback Girl” posted a pic of herself and it was quite the nostalgic throwback.
At first glance, I could have sworn it was still 1995. I had to do a double take.
Gwen Stefani recreated the iconic “Just a Girl” look.
She is wearing a cropped white tank bedazzled with rhinestones, and it’s got that familiar red and blue trim. Yes, it’s nearly identical to the one she wore in the “Just a Girl” video. And that’s not where the resemblance ends, either.
She also recreated many of the key beauty elements of the look. Just like in the 1995 music video, she’s wearing her signature red lipstick, red nail polish, and even came through with the platinum pompadour ponytail.
The look has been updated a little, of course. Gone is the jeweled bindi, which has prompted cultural appropriation criticisms in the past. Instead, she placed gems underneath both eyes. Her eye makeup is a little more updated, and dare I say more professional looking. She also skipped the red barrettes she wore in the original music video, and her eyebrows are noticeably thicker than they were back in the ‘90s. (Hey, remember when pencil-thin eyebrows were in?)
She’s also added a lot of gold jewelry to the look. She had a few gold bangles, a gold cross necklace, and layered gold necklaces that read “Stefani” and “Shelton” — a clear nod to her recent engagement to fellow The Voice judge and musician, Blake Shelton.
“U ready for my new single?” Gwen wrote in the caption, along with the hashtag #LetMeReintroduceMyself.
I wasn’t the only fan who was all too happy to see Gwen reviving her iconic mid-90s style.
“What is going on?????? I’m reliving my adolescence right now!!!!!!!!!” one comment reads.
“Yes please! So iconic! ⭐?⭐?” another fan wrote.
Now that the new music video has dropped, we can see that she’s also updated the rest of the outfit, as well.
She’s still rocking the baggy pants and belt, and I am here for it. I like tight skinny jeans as much as the next girl, but I’m totally on board with the comfy baggy pants.
The clunky black and white platform shoes from the original music video have been replaced with a sleeker, more girly option: a pair of white pointed toe heels. She’s also slipped on a pair of black fishnets under her blue pants.
All in all, Gwen’s throwback outfit is the perfect way to modernize the edgy ‘90s look without getting too far away from it.
So, what’s the takeaway here?
Well, we already knew that ‘90s nostalgia is back and it looks like the retro styles are going to be sticking around for a while.
But you don’t want to get too literal with it. Sure, we wore plastic pony bead bracelets and not-so-flattering platform oxford shoes, but that doesn’t mean it all needs to come back.
Keep the main components the same, but it all comes down to the details. Slight changes in the look — like how Gwen swapped out the shoes, for instance — are great ways to rock ‘90s styles while still making it feel fresh.
