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Erin Miller is a self-proclaimed “’90s and ’00s historian.”
Miller, 35, recreates scenarios from her childhood online, sharing videos about what it was like having a middle-school crush, going to sleepovers, doing your makeup and more during the nineties and the noughties.
She tells PEOPLE that her videos are a mix of lived experiences and lots of research, which is where the “historian” aspect comes in.
Miller says she researches the items used during each year she makes videos about. For a video set in 2002, for example, she wants to ensure that she selects the right song, chooses the appropriate accessories, and styles her hair and clothes correctly for that era.
Courtesy of Erin Miller
“I put a lot of thought into the little details, because that’s what makes it. Sometimes it will take me two hours to think of the right song,” Miller says.
“I’ll have silly videos about running into the locker, and then I mix it in with the video that pulls at the heartstrings. I like to have that balance. I ask myself, ‘Would this make someone feel something?’ That’s the magic.”
Miller started creating content back in 2014, sharing fashion and lifestyle content on her blog and Instagram account. In 2019, she joined TikTok and began posting nostalgic slideshows of items commonly found in bedrooms during the ’90s and 2000s. When those videos started going viral, Miller decided that she wanted to make more content like that and transitioned to making skits.
She sources most of her props and costumes from eBay and other online secondhand marketplaces. Oftentimes, an old product will randomly pop into her head, leading to a lengthy search until she stumbles upon a replica online.
Courtesy of Erin Miller
Since her content is based loosely on her childhood experiences, she keeps a running list of memories and products that could be used in a skit. From there, she chooses the perfect soundtrack and creates visions for each character, as she often plays multiple people per skit.
She then films, edits, and shares it with her 5 million followers across platforms.
Despite all the work that goes into each video, she says her audience’s response makes it worthwhile.
“It’s very surprising that the response has been incredible, as people send me the kindest messages. Sometimes people send me emails about how a single post brought back a childhood memory they’d forgotten,” Miller shares.
“People message me and say, ‘I was having a really bad day and your video made me laugh,’ or ‘I was having bad anxiety today, and it took away my anxiety for a second,'” she adds. “The comments are full of people sharing stories, tagging friends, and saying that made them call their mom. That connection makes it all worth it.”
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While she is able to revist nostalgic items and scenarios from the past, there are some things she doesn’t have the power to bring back. Miller tells PEOPLE she wishes she could step foot into a Blockbuster or a classic ’90s Pizza Hut, transporting her back to her childhood.
However, one thing she wants to keep in the past is the “toxic diet culture” and the extreme low-rise jeans that seemed to go hand in hand.
“That culture was terrible, and being a teenager, and during that time, really messed with our heads big time,” she says.
Bringing it back to the future, Miller is grateful for the connections she and her audience have made, and finds that “nostalgia is a safe place.”
“For a lot of people, it’s this emotional time machine that lets us revisit who we were before life got complicated and stressful. It’s not about living in the past. It’s about remembering the pieces that made us who we are, and there’s so much comfort and joy in those little details,” Miller shares.
“People say it’s like watching their childhood on my page, and we’re all flipping through the same scrapbook. It brings people together.”
