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Adventures in Living a Healthy, Juicy Life

Guest Post by Jacey Reynolds

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Ah, looking back with nostalgia on those charming days of yesteryear…the 80′s.  Jacey Reynolds is guest posting on ThatGirlisFunny today.  She’s noticed a trend on the college campus where she works – 80′s fashion flashbacks.  She doesn’t sound too happy about it.  Her opinion follows.  But first, I’d like to say something in defense of the decade.

This conversation has me thinking about one of my “51 Must-Know Habits for Staying Young – from the Inside Out”

Stay Young Habit #5:

Watch movies and television programs that warm your heart, enlighten your mind and make you laugh.

I remember when MTV first started.  I was fascinated by it – would watch it for hours. There was this other show that completely delighted me too.

The 20 Minute Workout!

What’s funny is that it was soft porn, but no one seemed too upset about it. Back then, the whole family would watch it! It came on regular TV.  We’d watch it like any other TV show, sitting on the couch, rocking to the beat,  saying, “lemme try that move…hey, that’s not easy to do…those girls are working hard.”

Of course, my workout outfit looked EXACTLY like theirs. If I couldn’t find my little white belt to go around my waist, I’d miss my aerobics class. Had to have matching legwarmers with color-coordinated leotard and tights, plus big hair with a sweatband.  Love that look! Bring that back soon!

My favorite instructor had that sing-songy “four more, three more”. LOL!

Funny how we all have different points of view about things – Cheryl Ragsdale

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How I saw it…

How men saw it…

Here’s Jacey’s take on the situation…

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Gag Me with a Jelly Shoe

The 80’s are calling…and for reasons beyond my understanding, people are answering the phone.

I work on the campus of a major university. Day after day, more and more, I’m seeing things that I thought…or hoped…I’d never see again. I can live with the way-too-big earrings. I can even live with the way-too-small jeans (on other people, that is). The wide, studded belts secured loosely around the outside of the oversized blouses are, well, nearly tolerable.

But I saw something the other day that made my blood run chill. It’s almost too painful for me to type out loud.

That’s right, I saw a female student donning a pair of stirrup pants. Oh, the horror!

It’s been coming, slowly but surely. I honestly kept hoping, though, that maybe it wouldn’t really catch on. Perhaps someone would get hold of one of my high school yearbooks and see how dreadfully hideous we all were. Word would spread and this trend would be stopped cold, before anyone had a chance to even purchase a single pair of stirrup pants or jelly shoes, MC Hammer pants or checkered Vans®.

Fashion Through the Decades

Each of the decades has left its own fashion smudge on society. The 70’s brought us bell bottoms and platform shoes. I was a mere child in the 70’s, but I’m a big fan of any ensemble that creates the illusion of a smaller butt and longer legs.

The 90’s were all about the grunge. Oddly enough, lots of girls wanted to dress like Kurt Cobain. The baggier your big, ripped flannel shirt, the better. This certainly wasn’t my favorite look, but you can’t dispute the value of such a low-maintenance style regimen. It was wash ‘n go, only better, because the “washing” step was completely eliminated. Just go. Many of us saved a lot of money on toothbrushes and shampoo in the 90’s.

But the 80’s. Oh, the 80’s. What was pretty about that decade? Nothing, I say. The bangs were big and sticky. The shirts were oversized. The pants were undersized.

What’s most amusing and puzzling to me is that we spent a lot of time, energy and money just to achieve ugly.

I primped and primped and primped some more with all the gel and the hairspray and the bright blue eye shadow. While that layer of lacquer was hardening, I’d spend several minutes working up a sweat trying to safety pin the sides of my pants to make them as tapered and unflattering as possible. After that, it was time for another lacquer application. All that work just to look like a “Thriller” extra.

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What I’m really mad about…

Oh really, who am I kidding here? It comes down to this: My feelings about 80’s apparel are likely rooted somewhere in deep bitterness over the fact that there’s nothing in my size that can legally be called a “skinny jean.”

In other words, if this throwback trend continues and my beloved bootcut pant becomes obsolete, I’ll be in a world of hurt. It’s muu-muus and denim jumpers from here on out.

I’m not happy about that prospect, not one bit.

What do you love – or love to hate – about the 80s?

Share your thoughts in the comments section. We love to hear from you!

Jacey Reynolds – “Trying to write her way off the cliffs of insanity…one nonsensical blog post at a time.”   You can find more from Jacey here http://shewriteslikeagirl.com

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photo credits:  Jacey Reynolds, 20 Minute Workout, Mr. Pigface, Be Happy, Jelly Shoes, Madonna, MC Hammer, google images

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