Vinyl Belts

I was a child of the 80’s. That is to say, I grew up with Cabbage Patch Kids, Garbage Pail Kids, Barbie and He-Man. I coveted my friend’s red leather jacket and white glove and I wore blue eye shadow. Yes, I did.

My shirts had shoulder pads in them and my favourite sweat shirt was of the Garfield variety. I wore a polka-dotted dress for my Grade 8 grad, I teased my hair up very tall and I wore out my acid wash jeans. Yes. Yes, I did.

If anyone had told me back then that shoulder pads and acid wash jeans were just a fad and would look absolutely ridiculous a year later… I would have listened to them very carefully and either A.) not purchased said Articles of Disgrace or B.) Avoided All Cameras for the duration of said fad.

Years ago, when I lived in Calgary and would come visit my family for a weekend every month, I’d make sure I stop off at Old Navy or Gap or some other store and pick up some cool shirt or a sweater or what-not for Teege. He used to love getting these gifts from me and I was generally known as Sister Who Knew About Fashionable Clothing. The other day, while booting around Baker Street, we stopped off in one of the “cooler” stores… so Teege could try on a pair of skinny jeans.

Skinny Jeans. There was a time when skinny jeans were cool. When the Poison and Slayer were huge bands. (I know first-first hand because I wore my skinny jeans with my key chain clad leather tassle purse to their concert in 1989.)

I don’t know what happened to him. I tried to warn him! I told him that he’d look back at this and wish he’d listened to me. Despite my clucking and words of advice, he didn’t listen to Sister Who Apparently Knows Nothing and bought the skinny jeans anyway.

Since he didn’t take road A, he’d better avoid my camera for the next year or so. In the meantime I’m going to go dig out my electric blue spandex pants and Make It Big with my WHAM! record now.