Today was ‘80s dress-up day at my daughter’s school. Crimped hair kept in place with a fat
headband featuring a floppy bow…Madonna fingerless gloves…a “Flashdance” shirt
and leggings...yup, my daughter nailed her 80s look as she headed out the door
this morning.
Remember the 80s? Those were the days for me of big, bad
hair, big shoulders, a skinny waistline and skinnier paychecks, bad economics, Reaganistas,
and really disappointing boyfriends.
My husband probably would say it was a decade of crappy
music, too, but I don’t think so….just consider The Joshua Tree, Purple Rain
and Thriller, the Clash and Born in the USA.
Madonna shook things up and David Byrne made existential, suburban
crisis cool and hummable.
It was the decade of my first grown-up acquisitions: A stripped down Nissan Sentra with vinyl
seats and a stick shift that my former high school boyfriend taught me to drive
on the 495 Beltway around Washington…terrifying. I bought my first home for $28,000, a
375-square-foot co-op efficiency in a roach-infested building in Rosslyn,
VA. And my first little mink jacket
(sorry, PETA fans, but I do love fur) came from SEARS of all places for
$400.
Some of the big ‘80s cultural icons are back in favor now, believe
it or not. Composer Cyndi Lauer has a
huge Broadway hit on her hands, and a stage version of Flashdance isn’t far
behind. The dysfunctional Ewings are shaking up Dallas
once again, in a revival produced by my former Hollywood neighbor from late
70s.
Everything old is new again, which is always kind of
fun. Since starting this blog, I’ve
heard from folks I haven’t heard from – or seen, for that matter – in more than
25, 30 or more years. Since….the 80s,
that’s right.
On his 80s single, “Boys of Summer,” Don Henley sang that you
can never look back, but I disagree. As
I do so now, I think it was a pretty consequential period in my life -- the time when I finally accepted
adulthood. The true beginning of my career. The start of some wonderful, enduring friendships
and the loss of others.
During the course of those 10 years, I started to morph into
the person I am today. What a feelin’.
Next stop,
Graceland. But NOT for a good long time to come, I
hope.
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