As I sit here desperately trying to think of what to blog about today, I was browsing through Google images and came across some photos that were totally 80's. And then it hit me: Flashback Friday! So I decided I'd share some of my favorite memories of things and people from the 80's. You know, like, totally. After all, all the coolest people grew up in the 80's. Ahem. So lets travel back in time to that glorious decade of big hair and acid-washed denim that served to usher me into my teen years with quasi reckless abandon.
One of my favorite things from the 80's, for probably no other reason than the fact that everyone else had them, was novelty shoelaces.
I don't know who decided these were cool exactly, but seriously, most of us had them. They came in so many different styles, the possibilities were endless. No matter how cool your shoes were, they just weren't cool enough unless you had some fun shoelaces to go with them. Go figure.
And to go with our acid-washed, and straight-legged jeans, we also needed one very important accessory:
That's right, you had to carry a comb...in your back pocket. Not in your purse. It had to be your back pocket. And really, they made you so cool. Fer sure. And those of us creative folks would also jazz them up with markers, paint, and whatever else we could find. We'd usually put our name on them too. After all, if you lost your comb, you'd want that cool piece of back-pocket-bling to be returned to you. Even if it was all grody, to the max.
And dang, where would the world of video games be today if we hadn't had these in the 80's:
Going to the local arcade was "the thing" to do back then. Pac Man, Ms. Pac Man (clearly she was a liberated and proud feminist since she was "Ms" rather than "Miss"), Frogger...that was the stuff of Friday nights, and weekends back in the day. I wish I had all the money I spent on video games back then. I could probably buy my grandson the new XBox.
One of my absolute favorite things about the 80's though, and I'm almost not ashamed to say it, was leg warmers!
At some point, you just HAD to have leg warmers to be cool. And to be REALLY cool, you had to have lots of them. You can blame Jane Fonda, or Olivia Newton-John if you weren't a leg warmer kind of 80's gal, but I totally was. I loved them. I wore my leg warmers until they fell apart. Was I a dancer? A gymnast? Hell to the no. I was just one of those oh so cool peeps who got cooler by way of those footless wonders that looked like sleeves that had been cut off of sweaters. The glory of the 80's at its finest.
But what about the people and music of the 80's? I can't forget about them. So lets' start with my major 80's fangurl crush. And that was the one and only, Rick Springfield.
Just look at him, OK?
I first saw him on General Hospital, as Dr. Noah Drake. One look was all it took, and he had me wishing I was Jessie's Girl. General Hospital was at its hottest back then, and Rick Springfield sure added to the hotness factor. HOT-ness. Ohmigod! Fer sure.
And I guess I can't wax nostalgic about the 80's without talking about the one and only Madonna too.
I don't think anyone can argue the fact that the Material Girl helped to define the 80's. I remember the first time I saw Madonna perform; it was on the 1984 MTV Video Music Awards. She sang 'Like a Virgin,' and rolled around on stage wearing a bridal-ish gown and a necklace that read, 'Boy-Toy.' My parents were mortified. I thought she was tubular, er, awesome. Whether you loved Madonna then or hated her, without her we'd have missed out on those awesome 80's fashion must-haves like lace gloves, headbands, too many bracelets, and religious jewelry. And oh yeah, wearing bras without shirts. Would you really have wanted to miss out on that? As if.
And last but not least, I can't talk about the 80's without talking about Michael Jackson. Michael's career was skyrocketing in the 80's and he was setting (and selling) all kinds of records. I can't even think about the 80's without also immediately thinking about Thriller.
Photo Courtesy of My Eternal Angel, on Tumblr
I loved the album--you know, like back when we still had real albums. I played it over and over and over again. And I still remember the first time I saw the Thriller short film on MTV. It was like a movie and it was amazing. I watched it every chance I could--and the Billie Jean short film too. You may not know it, but Billie Jean was the first video by a black artist to ever air on MTV, which was after their initial refusal to air the video AT ALL. But with the popularity of Billie Jean, and the unprecedented popularity of Thriller, Michael Jackson brought MTV into the mainstream. To many people (no, not just me, ahem), the 'M' in MTV stood for Michael. He was a true pioneer, who helped create and change music history, one leg kick, a-hee-hee, and moonwalk at a time. And Thriller is still, over thirty years later, the best selling album of all time. *Thanks, Michael.*
So I guess that's enough road-tripping through my icon-filled 80's past. It was quite the wild ride back then. Looking back on it, I still believe it was a decade of magic, and maybe a little madness. But it was worth it. If only I could return there for a visit once in awhile...but OK, Tina, time to get Back to the Future while I can still remember how. :)
Have a good weekend.
Like, totally.