Like, Oh My God… We Totally Wore That. Totally.

When we think of the 80’s (well, when I think of them) we think about Aqua Net hair-spray, fluorescent shirts, bubble gum jeans and Madonna.  This era of the 80’s seems to be the most profound.

There was a brief period of fluorescent clothing and bling … like jelly bracelets and shirts with giant words on them.  I remember desperately wanting a fluorescent shirt for Christmas and I got one in neon pink (Thanks Santa!).

Thanks to Madonna , jelly bracelets, beads, and big lacy bows (all in black or white) became popular and sort of phased out the whole fluorescent genre of accessories (Thank you Madonna!).

For the guys, it was windbreakers, jams shorts, skinny ties and those awful looking checkered slip on shoes.

Turn on any re-run of Growing Pains and you’ll see Kirk Cameron who played Mike Seaver sporting the best of the fashion trends along with Tracy Gold who played his frustrated sister, Carol.  Although Mike was always in some sort of trouble, he always looked sharp.

When I was 12 years old, which was smack dab in the middle of the 80’s, I had a shirt that I thought was the… Coolest. Shirt. EVER.  It was oversized, slightly off the shoulder and had written in fluorescent letters, WOEM with a pencil thin picture of a cats face on it.  I love, love, loooved when I had to explain that shirt to people.

Duh!  It’s meow backwards lame-o!  I felt so superior. Like, dude, if you can’t figure out that woem is meow spelled backwards you are.. like.. totally lame.  Totally.

The interesting thing is… I never, ever, thought I’d see those awful skinny jeans, hideous fluorescent clothes or jelly bracelets again.  But guess what?

They’re baaa-ack!

I was in my daughter’s room the other night chatting with her and spotted a pile of jelly bracelets.  I literally freaked out:

“Oh My God!  Where did you get these?!” I shrieked as I picked them up.

Holy 1986!

“Uh, the store?” sarcastic of course.

“Hunny!  I used to wear bracelets just. Like. These!” Still shrieking.

“Uh, ok?” concerned.

“That is so… awesome!” almost gushing.

“Mom, can you get out of my room?” serious.

I suddenly realized that I was no longer cool and that as much as I, at times, miss my bittersweet love affair with the 80’s I had to get back to life in the 10’s.

 “Ok, hunny,” big smile as I lay the bracelets (reluctantly) down on her desk.  “I will totally get out of your room, for sure.”

Confused face, rolled eyes, she walks toward me and… SLAM goes the door.

I still love to remind her about all the things she wears now and how I used to wear stuff just like it.

***

Question of the day:  What clothing from the 80’s did you love or hate?