Boy Meets World, Part 1 - The Early 90s White(?) America Aesthetic

     For me, there are few representations of the early 90s (or rather the decade from 1985 to 1995) more poignant than the wildly successful family sitcoms that dominated the boob tube: Boy Meets World, Home Improvement, Roseanne, Married With Children, Family Matters, Step by Step, Full House, The Wonder Years, and many... oh-so-many more. In nearly all these series, the family "home," by which I mean the aesthetic of the home (curtains, clothings, accent furniture, general decor, etc.), is an intricate, yet strikingly similar expression.

     In the name of specificity, let's examine the "living rooms" of two of the sitcoms mentioned above: Boy Meets World and Family Matters. This is a fair comparison, as both shows are not only separated by the urban-suburban divide, but also by something culturally important to this consideration: race.

     Here we are...

Family Matters

Boy Meets World

     In both cases, the living room is defined by a "central sofa" (often patterned), and this piece is accented by a simple coffeetable and a rug (often patterned). In both pictures, a chair/recliner sits off to the right or left, stairways ascends back and to the right,  a bit of "greenery" lurks in the background, and the family kitchen resides stage left. These pictures represent the multi-generational home of an African-American police officer living in urban Chicago, as well as the single-family home of the rather WASP-y family of a grocery store manager living in suburban Philadelphia. And yet, we (the audience) are practically in the same place. What's even more interesting is that this is a MILD example of such a unified aesthetic. The Winslows (Family Matters) ARE noticeably an African-American family, despite how subtle the expression. The Matthews (Boy Meets World) ARE noticeably affluent, despite how nonsensical it may seem for the narrative (didn't Cory's mother sell real estate for two episodes?). Still, these families, or rather the aesthetic of these families, are eerily.... alike.

     This aesthetic translates to all areas of the family, tangible and intangible. Familial roles, sibling archetypes, extended family archetypes, family "traditions" and "routine," etc. Some of these shows likely even filmed using the same studios or modified sets/props! Same producers! Same companies! "Same" audience! What does that DO to the American psyche!? To exist as INDIVIDUALS, yet share some deeply buried, unified idea of the "family" and its many contingents! Poor 80s babies.

     Obviously, there is TONS more to say on this subject, but I suppose I will save that for another medium.


Quick note: The product placement in Home Alone 2! WOW! If nothing else, it's clear which soda company had the deeper pockets... or the key to Kieran Culkin's mouth.

Home Alone

Home Alone 2