1997: The Year I Was Born
I was born in 1997.
So was Jeon Jung-kook of BTS ( yes I will always bring BTS up…. Deal with it!!!).
That year matters to me, not because of nostalgia, but because of what it represents. 1997 wasn’t calm or settled. It was a year standing on the edge of something new, unsure whether to trust what came next. That uncertainty feels familiar. And ofcourse me and Jungkook was born in the same year, world needed us. 😂
A world that didn’t feel permanent
The world I was born into was already questioning itself.
Princess Diana 💕 died that year, and the way people reacted felt different. Public grief was raw, almost uncomfortable. It was one of the first times the world openly saw how fragile power, fame, and protection really were.
Colonial rule officially ended in Hong Kong. An old structure closed its chapter. At the same time, the Asian Financial Crisis shook economies that were supposed to be “safe.” Stability turned out to be temporary.
Even before I could understand it, the message was there: nothing lasts just because it always has.
Growing up alongside change
Technology didn’t explode in 1997. It crept in.
Netflix began as a simple idea. Google started quietly. Machines beat humans at chess for the first time. No one panicked yet, but something had shifted. The future was no longer distant. It was waiting.
I grew up adapting instead of arriving somewhere finished. Learning, unlearning, adjusting. That pattern stuck.
And to be honest, I am happy. Because I got to have a normal no phone childhood, and grow up as an amazing adult, with a great sense of self without caring about validation from anyone.
Emotion wasn’t embarrassing yet
Culture in 1997 felt honest.
Titanic made people cry openly, and it stays being one of my favourite movie (I can’t get past the fact that titanic came the same year as I was born). Music was dramatic. Pop stars were expressive, not detached. People weren’t afraid of feeling too much.
That shaped how I move through the world. I don’t dilute emotions to appear composed. I feel deeply, then decide what to do with it. Softness and strength were never opposites to me. They existed side by side.
Jungkook and the mirror effect
Jungkook being born the same year isn’t about comparison. It’s about resonance.
He represents discipline with sensitivity. Growth without losing humanity. Global presence without emotional distance. Watching his evolution feels familiar. Not because our lives are similar, but because the tempo is.
We come from a year that doesn’t rush maturity, but demands it eventually.
What being born in 1997 shaped in me
I notice patterns before I trust systems.
I value freedom but still want structure that earns my loyalty.
I’m independent, but I don’t mistake isolation for strength.
I’m ambitious, yet emotionally aware enough to know what ambition costs.
I don’t force people. I state what I want.
I don’t raise my voice (well I do kinda….). I hold my ground.
That’s very 1997.
What this year gave me
Being born in 1997 means I don’t blindly believe the world knows what it’s doing. I question gently. I move deliberately. I understand contradiction.
I can be brave and soft. Assertive and kind. Serious and playful.
Not because I’m trying to balance traits, but because I was born into a world that demanded flexibility.
1997 didn’t hand me certainty.
It handed me awareness.
And honestly, I’d rather have that.
What about the year you were born on?
Let me know your thoughts below 👇🏻💕
Ladyink with love 