Bring Back 90s Dorm Rooms

"Before I left for college in 1999, my mom took me to a big box store to pick out a new comforter and extra-long twin sheet set for my dorm room. We also got a fan, a shower caddy, and a waste paper basket, along with a few other smaller items. The biggest deal was my first computer - a purple iMac desktop. You remember the one."

"First of all, her and her roommate's families must have planned extensively because everything matched, from the throw rugs to the linens to the curtains. Next, everything had a theme, everything had a place, and everything was brand new. Her name, in neon lights, hung above her perfectly coordinated bed. Reader, no room in my house looks nearly this good. This child has more throw pillows than I've owned over the span of my lifetime."

"Soon I found myself scrolling a Facebook group called "Dorm Room Moms," which has 137,000 members, where parents are sharing their kid's rooms for the year. And it is also incredibly off the hook. While some moms shared pretty low-key dorm room glow-ups, the majority show what must be thousands upon thousands of dollars of decorating. Coffee tables and sitting areas."

Dorm rooms have evolved from modest, functional setups to highly curated, themed spaces with matching linens, coordinated décor, and personalized neon signs. Families increasingly plan and invest substantial money in decorations, adding area rugs, light fixtures, coffee bars, and staged sitting areas. Social-media communities like large parent groups showcase elaborate dorm transformations and encourage costly purchases. Many rooms emphasize aesthetics over practicality, converting desks into vanities or tabletop kitchens and layering excessive throw pillows. The resulting spaces often appear staged and less livable for typical college routines, reflecting broader trends of consumer-driven presentation and parental involvement in freshman housing.

Read at Scary Mommy