19 Movie Moments From The '90s That Aged Like Cow's Milk

Why was every '90s movie transphobic as heck?

1. In American Pie, when Jim secretly films Nadia getting undressed (without her knowledge) and he and his friends watch:

Universal Pictures/Summit Entertainment

This is so, so creepy — even for the '90s. How did this clear the writer's room?

Watch the scene here:

Universal Pictures/Summit Entertainment / Via youtube.com

2. In Big Daddy, when Sonny continuously mocks Corinne for having worked at Hooters to pay for medical school...and the joke's on Corinne, and not Sonny for being such an asshole:

Sony Pictures Releasing

Corinne is painted as the villain to Sonny when Sonny's the one who is actually an immature, sexist bum who can't even be civil for the sake of his friend. He's constantly slut-shaming her both behind her back and to her face.

I can't find the above scene on YouTube, but there are a number of jokes throughout the movie, which you can watch on Hulu.

3. In Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, when Ace realizes that Einhorn is actually Ray:

Warner Bros.

What was it with '90s movies and rampant transphobia? They presented realizing you'd kissed a trans woman as the most horrifying, vile thing, and it just served to suggest trans women are not women and are somehow disgusting.

Watch the scene here:

Warner Bros. / Via youtube.com

4. Similarly, in Naked Gun 33+1⁄3: The Final Insult, when Tanya (played by Anna Nicole Smith) is revealed to have a penis while she's seducing Frank, causing him to throw up:

Paramount Pictures

Who was this funny to? Why was it so common in comedies?

You can watch the scene here:

Paramount Pictures / Via youtube.com

5. And also in Trainspotting, when the woman Francis is hooking up with is revealed to have a penis.

PolyGram Filmed Entertainment

At least he doesn't vomit, but still. 

Watch the scene at the very end of the clip here:

PolyGram Filmed Entertainment / Via youtube.com

6. Literally SO many racist jokes in Rush Hour (including, which I won't screencap, Lee using the n-word):

New Line Cinema

The sequel was awful, too — they're just two movies where Lee and Carter trade racist barbs. 

Watch the above scene here:

New Line Cinema / Via youtube.com

7. Allll of the fatphobia in The Nutty Professor, but I'll just point out when he first becomes thin and celebrates:

Universal Pictures

Because being thin is the best thing you can be, I guess.

Watch the above scene here:

Universal Pictures / Via youtube.com

8. All the casual fatphobia in Romy and Michele's High School Reunion:

Buena Vista Pictures Distribution

There are SO many jokes about the characters needing to lose weight before the reunion, and how the worst thing you could be at the reunion is "fat."

I can't find the scene, but you can buy or rent the movie on YouTube.

9. Especially when it came to Romy having been "fat" in high school:

Buena Vista Pictures Distribution

Watch the scene here:

Buena Vista Pictures Distribution / Via youtube.com

10. In The First Wives Club, when the characters kept making jokes about weight and eating disorders:

Paramount Pictures

Joking about eating disorders, unfortunately, continued heavily into the 2000s, but it certainly wasn't exclusive to them. Also, I just gotta say, I hate movies focused on women fighting over a man because of his many women. Isn't the man the real villain here??

Watch the scene here:

Paramount Pictures / Via youtube.com

11. In Pleasantville, when Jennifer seduces Skip, who doesn't know what sex is:

New Line Cinema

Skip's clearly afraid and uncomfortable, and Jennifer doesn't explain anything or try to get any sort of consent. In fact, she just acts like he's stupid for not knowing (it's not his fault! He's a fictional character in a sanitized world) then pushes herself onto him. I mean, picture if this scene happened with the genders swapped. It's creepy!

The scene is age-restricted so I can't embed it, but you can watch it via this link!

12. In Clerks, when Caitlin has "sex" with a corpse, thinking it's Dante:

Miramax Films

I don't get how this was supposed to be funny at the time. They do play it at least a little straight (Caitlin is traumatized), but it does feel like it's supposed to be shock humor for the audience, and I'm left wondering why they put it in at all. It's just beyond disturbing and comes out of nowhere. 

Watch the scene here:

Miramax Films / Via youtube.com

13. In National Lampoon’s Senior Trip, when the kids spike Miss Milford's chocolate and she sleeps with Principal Moss, then sues him for sexual harassment for going along with it, which is all played for laughs:

New Line Cinema

I know Moss does try to start Milford at first, but he pretty quickly gives up and accepts her advances despite the fact that she's obviously drunk...and what's the point of this after-credits "joke" about Miss Milford suing him? It only serves to make their encounter seem even less consensual, and I don't get how it's supposed to be funny. And was this the goal of the students from the beginning? It's messed up.

I can't find the specific scene online, but you can watch the whole film here.

14. Also in National Lampoon’s Senior Trip, when Miosky repeatedly fetishizes Japanese women and also confuses them with Chinese women:

New Line Cinema

His friends also think he means "JAP" as in "Jewish American Princess," so there's some antisemitism here, too.

Watch the first scene here:

New Line Cinema / Via youtube.com

15. All the horrible stalking in There's Something About Mary, but especially from Ted, since he ends up with her:

20th Century Fox

The movie at least paints all the other "suitors" as creeps, but Ted is the hero, and he gets the girl in the end...despite the fact that he's really not much better than any of the others. 

Watch Ted meeting with the PI here:

20th Century Fox / Via youtube.com

16. Every scene with Fat Bastard in Austin Powers:

New Line Cinema

The whole joke is that Fat Bastard is Fat and thus, disgusting. Every joke is about that. Because there's nothing funnier than laughing at fat people, amirite? (Sarcasm.)

Watch a compilation of his scenes here:

New Line Cinema / Via youtube.com

17. And also Mini Me:

New Line Cinema

The whole humor of Mini Me's character is around him being a smaller version of Dr. Evil. Dr. Evil also treats him like a child (despite the fact that he's a clone of the adult Dr. Evil), reinforcing the idea that people with dwarfism are somehow juvenile or childlike. He comes off as less than human as well, because he doesn't speak and has very little personality beyond basically occasionally doing Dr. Evil's bidding. 

Watch the scene where they meet here:

New Line Cinema / Via youtube.com

18. In The Wedding Singer, when a performer with a high voice and a look that isn't traditionally masculine sings, and it's played for laughs as everyone watches with disgust:

New Line Cinema

I don't get why everyone's so creeped out (beyond the very stupid "haha, they don't adhere to gender norms!"). The singer's really, really good. I'd be thrilled if they sang at my wedding.

Watch the scene here:

New Line Cinema / Via youtube.com

19. And finally, just...everything about Cher getting with her stepbrother in Clueless:

Paramount Pictures

I know their parents broke up, but still!!! It's creepy that Josh still acts as Cher's dad's son, and clearly grew up with Cher, and yet they end up together. Especially because he's the older one and should know better! 

What other '90s movie scenes do NOT hold up today? Let us know in the comments!