The list contains “81 people, places, and things utterly unworthy of the praise and respect they’d received.” “Twelve months have gone by, and suffice to say, there’s still a lot of mediocrity and outright crap out there that’s getting a free ride. But not here,” the magazine warned. Mentioned in the list were gender ambiguity, mangoes, wood-burning pizza ovens, “telling it like it is,” digitized family albums, and every Broadway musical since Evita. However, there were a few other items that specifically caught Redditors’ attention.
Share iconIn 1995, GQ magazine published a list of “81 people, places, and things utterly unworthy of the praise and respect they’d received”
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Among the things included in the “1995 Overrated List” were: wood-burning pizza ovens, mangoes, gender ambiguity, and every Broadway musical since Evita
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Many people roasted the magazine’s selection of “overrated” things, including the prefix “cyber”
Share icon Image credits: Freepik One of them was the prefix “cyber.” While it’s true that its close cousin, virtual, has surpassed that word in popularity, we’re still speaking about “cyberspace” to refer to everything that the Internet has to offer, including photos of retro magazines.
Björk, also mentioned on the list, received a Grammy nomination last year for her tenth studio album, Fossora
Share icon Image credits: Brian Rasic/Getty Images Then, there was the mention of singer Björk. Two decades after the GQ issue was published, the Icelandic singer was named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time. In 2022, Björk released Fossora, her tenth album, which earned her a nomination for Best Alternative Music Album at the Grammys.
The White Power Ranger was among the “overrated” things from 1995, a choice that many nostalgic individuals disagreed with
Share icon Image credits: powerrangers.fandom We also had the Power Ranger controversy. “They lost me at ‘White Power Ranger,’” lamented a Redditor. “The White Ranger. Well, that didn’t age well,” wrote another. If you watched the popular franchise during the 1990s, you’ll recall that Tommy Oliver, the longest-serving Power Ranger, was behind the Green and later White Ranger masks during the six seasons of the series.
“Bill Gates’ electrofitted bunker home,” which contained many elements from today’s smart homes, was also on the controversial list
Share icon Image credits: TheRichest Another item that didn’t age well was “Bill Gates’ electrofitted bunker home.” GQ may have found it freaky, but it could be argued that the Microsoft founder‘s futuristic 1990s mansion set the stage for modern high-tech homes. Peter Bohlin, one of the architects who designed the 66,000-square-foot property, said in 1995 that Gates “wished the technology to be as invisible as possible.” Each room in the mansion has a touchpad to control lighting, temperature, and music. “First thing, as you come in, you’ll be presented with an electronic pin to clip to your clothes,” the tech billionaire explained thirty years ago in his book, The Road Ahead. “The electronic pin you wear will tell the house who and where you are, and the house will use this information to try to meet and even anticipate your needs.” Gates also speculated that cameras might eventually replace the pins, creating a customized atmosphere using facial recognition. “A decade from now,” he wrote, “access to the millions of images and all the other entertainment opportunities I’ve described will be available in many homes and will certainly be more impressive than those I’ll have when I move into my house in late 1996.”
Surprisingly, lattes were also criticized thirty years ago
Share icon Image credits: Esra Afşar Additionally, there were “lattes”—the skilled barista at your local coffee shop would have a field day with that one—anyone dubbed “the Sexiest Man Alive”—many still expect to see which handsome Hollywood face People will celebrate each year—and, more surprisingly, “virtual reality.”
“Virtual reality” appeared on the GQ selection along with “digitized family albums”
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Read GQ’s The 1995 Overrated List below:
Alan GreenspanBjörkChristoRighteousness about TicketmasterVine-ripened tomatoes Rain forests Pitt the Younger Homespun American wisdom LattesPat Riley The white Power Ranger Shaved headsViolent action movies from Hong Kong Martin Lawrence Melissa Etheridge Converting to Islam in jail Lisa Maris Presley’s looksBeaujolais NouveauGender ambiguity The prefix cyber Poetry slams Bill Gates’ electrofitted bunker home‘Absolutely Fabulous’ Raconteur cabbies Being the host city of the Olympic Games Martin Amis Alumni of The Harvard LampoonUpscale taqueriasThe ‘genius’ of Brian Wilson Fiestaware Local colorWood-burning pizza ovens Field trips to see Peter and the WolfAnything called a ‘summerfest’Agassi vs. SamprasCNBC talk showsThe prefix cyber-‘Town meeting’-style interfaces with elected officials Pliny the ElderMontana-based writersDesigner lesbianism Designer Buddhism The large intestine Driving a 4X4 on gravelAmusement parks Corinthian leather LongevityGay stand-up comedy Morphing Mangoes Appearing at a public function unwashed and on the arm of Juliette LewisThe Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms Every Broadway musical since EvitaDigitized family albums Cruise control Middle-relief pitching Heather Locklear’s galvanizing effect on ‘Melrose Place’ DuetsAnyone dubbed ‘the Sexiest Man Alive’Striped bassQuick-cuttingZinesJennifer Jason Leigh’s range Virtual reality Heavily choreographed concerts at which the featured performer wears a headset microphone and is backed by 35 dancersSex on the beach Sex that lasts four hours Rowing crew Michael GravesYouthful world-wearinessReggie MillerTelling it like it is Dessert winesWhit Stillman Any British woman described as a beautyThe Baseball Hall of Fame Feisty backbenchers Homeschooling 1968The signed editorials in The New York Times Demi Moore’s bodyJay Leno’s comebackManufacturer rebatesHootie & the BlowfishAll-you-can-eat shrimpComic booksThe smell of fresh-cut grassInstantaneous Wall Street jokes about national tragediesHaving a ‘funny’ back page
People agreed that the list of “overrated” things aged quite poorly
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