The 1990s Lifestyles and Social Trends: Headline Makers

Robert Bly (1926–) Robert Bly, one of America's most influential poets, published a book in 1990 that brought him to the attention of a far wider audience. Iron John: A Book about Men concerns the ancient rituals and traditional myths that humanity has used to connect with the masculine side of nature. The best-seller gave a great boost to the men's movement, which had sought to reconnect contemporary men with their own masculinity since the mid-1980s.

Deepak Chopra (1947–) Indian-born Deepak Chopra became one of the more influential New Age writers, educators, lecturers, and gurus to the rich and famous in America during the 1990s. Trained as a medical doctor, Chopra made believers out of thousands of Americans through a series of best-selling books, tapes, and lectures that delivered a message combining medical and spiritual advice. Critics accused him of being nothing more than a modern-day snake-oil salesman with an M.D. Nevertheless, his influence over many people was profound. By the end of the decade, Chopra had built a large and growing personal empire.

Ellen DeGeneres (1958–) Ellen DeGeneres, actor and comedienne, publicly revealed in April 1997 that she was a lesbian. At the same time, the character she played on her television show, Ellen, also came out of the closet, making the sitcom the first to include a gay lead character. When news of the impending episode was leaked in September 1996, it set off a national debate about gays both on television and in American life. Before the airing of the coming-out episode, antigay commentators threatened to boycott advertisers of the show. Despite this controversy, the show aired and garnered very high ratings.

Louis Farrakhan (1933–) Louis Farrakhan, the best-known and most outspoken leader of the Nation of Islam (an African American organization whose members follow Islamic religious practice) had been dismissed by many as a hate-monger and an anti-Semite (person who discriminates against Jews). With his organization of the Million Man March in March 1995, however, Farrakhan seemed to move toward the mainstream of the civil rights movement. That one-day event, bringing together almost one million African American men and their sons, thrust Farrakhan into the spotlight as one of the most prominent black men in America.

Charlton Heston (1924–) Charlton Heston, Academy Award-winning actor, was elected president of the National Rifle Association (NRA) in 1998. As leader of this powerful organization that vigorously fights gun control legislation, Heston made remarks that some viewed as insulting toward women, minorities, and gays and lesbians. Undaunted, Heston and other members of the NRA continued to oppose any federal or state gun restrictions they believe denied their Second Amendment right to bear arms.

Tommy Hilfiger (1952–) Fashion designer Tommy Hilfiger made his mark in 1990s culture with his well-made, casual clothing sporting his distinctive red, white, and blue logo. He also placed "Tommy" across the front of T-shirts and an oversized "H" on sweaters. His popularity soared and his clothes appealed to a variety of people: youth and adults, blacks and whites, men and women. His ads promoted a sense of Americana, with women and men smiling and laughing in hometown settings.

Faith Popcorn (1947–) Professional futurist Faith Popcorn, born Faith Plotkin, spotted emerging trends and coined new terms to describe the 1990s. Major American corporations paid Popcorn and her firm, BrainReserve, millions of dollars to help them create marketing strategies, develop new products and revamp old products with new packaging. Her early predictions included "cocooning"—settling at home with take-out food and a video instead of going out to dinner and a movie. After her prediction became reality, the demand for take-out food boomed, creating an industry worth more than $28 billion by 1994.

Marianne Williamson (1952–) Marianne Williamson emerged as a prominent spiritual counselor during the 1990s when she published her best-selling book A Return to Love in 1992. Throughout the decade, Williamson lectured to hundreds of thousands around America on topics ranging from love to relationships to philosophy to spirituality. She also published four other books that addressed such issues as politics and religion. At the end of the decade, she served as spiritual leader of the Renaissance Unity Church (formerly the Church of Today) in Warren, Michigan.