Are You Really Living?
It was the spring of 1977 and the end of 6th grade. I was sitting on the grassy hill beside the building where I had spent my early education–Washington Elementary. Mary and I were talking about our dreams and plans for the future. I was excited that I had actually gotten up the courage to ask Mom if I could shave my legs, and she said yes. But I was planning on waiting another year or so because once you started, you couldn’t ever stop. I was also wanting to give myself a makeover. I wanted elephant bellbottoms. They were so cool. You see I needed new clothes. Every year I always got new clothes for school, but I felt that I had really held off this year. I wanted everything new for seventh grade. Clothes represented on the outside how I would feel on the inside.
Cool. Fresh. In style.
In Jr. High, I got several pairs of Levis flair corduroy pants…baby blue, rust, and tan. Coordinating tops were new as well. Earth shoes were in and I loved them.
In High School, my fashion sense continued to sharpen. Guess jeans and turned-up “preppy” collars on polo shirts were my favorite combo. But the glory of HS was that I now was able to share clothes with my mom. She loved fashion even more than me. During HS I rarely (I hesitate to say never) wore an outfit more than once.
Even into college and into my early married life, I loved clothes. A favorite trend in the early 90s was harem pants with a cumberbund “belt” around your waist. This combined with my ample bosom and big hair gave me the proverbial hourglass look.
Looking back, my fashion choices were quite the ride. From elephant bell bottoms to harem pants, I embraced every trend. My high school turned-up collars? I thought I was cool; now I see I looked like an extra from a John Hughes movie.
But fashion is all about expression, even if it sometimes says, “Help, I’m stuck in a time warp!” Here’s to the fads that made us stylish, confident, and a bit ridiculous. If you can’t laugh at your old photos, are you really living?
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