The Past 4 Decades

Its official,  I've now been on this earth for four decades.  Wow does that ever make me sound old! Thought it would be fun to recap some of the trends and pop-culture things I have experienced over the years.  So here we go.

TV:  When I was a  kid, the only time cartoons were on, was Saturday mornings.  Bugs Bunny and his friends were a favorite,  along with Wacky Races, Speed Racer, the Flinstones, Scooby-Doo &  Johny Quest.   Later came the the Smurfs and Fraggle Rock.  We can't forget my all time favorite....The Muppets!  Loved Miss Piggy and her dominant personality (hmmmmm....perhaps that was a clue as to what my future held!).

I later graduated to Silver Spoons, The Love Boat, Fantasy Island, Growing Pains & Facts of Life.   I then flipped to The Cosby's, The Simpsons, Saved by the Bell, Sienfeld, Aresino Hall, Beverly Hills 90210 (the original), Melrose Place, ER &  Lost.  Present viewing includes Grey Anatomy, The Office and Vampire Diaries.  I won't declare myself official old until I start watching Murder She Wrote and Matlock, like my residents I worked with in the Nursing Home!

Trends:  I grew up when kids could play freely outside without constant parental supervision.  Spanking was still an acceptable form of discipline. Slip & Slides rocked, along with little plastic pools for the backyard. Playsets for the backyard were only made of metal.   I had one of the very first Cabbage Patch Dolls, thanks to my mom's black market deal.  After the cartoons, Saturday afternoons were always spent rollerskating. 

I remember when MTV first hit the home TVs along with VCRs.  I also remember  the only way phones could be dialed, were by a circular disc.   Boom Boxes were in my era.  Oh, the tapes my friends and I made by recording the radio on a cassette tapes. When dual cassette players arrived, we were in heaven.  Walkmans were cool.  I also, read all the Judy Bloom books I could get my hands on.  I think I saw every horror movie made in the 80's as well as all the John Hughes teeny booper movies.  My all-time favorite movie has to be Sixteen Candles.  Speaking of movies, Blockbuster opened shop and it was soo cool that one could rent movies that had been in the Theater just 9 months earlier.

My Dad was very trendy when it came to electronics. We had an Atari system, the first model of cordless phones, and  the original Apple computer that was huge, had a black screen with orange colored letters.  College papers were typed on word processors with a teeny -tiny screen that allowed you to view about five words at a time. 

The Internet and email came into mainstream as I was graduating from college.  I remember when cellphones were the size of a paperback novel and the only thing you could do on it was make and receive phone calls!

Shaun Cassidy was my first concert.  My early teens included seeing Madonna's first "Like a Virgin" tour (and yes I did sport the rubber bracelets up my arm), Huey Lewis & The News and U2's "Joshua Tree".  I have seen Elton John, Billy Joel and Phil Collins on stage.  I got  to see a ton of  great concerts in St. Louis thanks to my Dad being management with the Blues and Mom's cool taste in music.  They included Bette Midler, Eric Clapton,  Tina Turner & Shaina Twain.

Now you have to promise not to laugh as we talk about the different trends in fashion.  I remember wearing knickers & argyle socks pulled up to the knees, with monogrammed sweaters finished off with clogs.  My poor friend Pamela Marie Spies had to walk around with a big PMS across her chest!  Fashion was then taken over by the Preppies, and yes I did own a copy of "The Preppy Handbook."  Those were the days of penny loafers, plaid skirts, head bands and pastel colored button down shirts.  There was also a purse that was popular, but I forget the name.  It was round with wood handles and you could button on different outside cover.  The Valley Girls pushed those uptight Preppies aside, and there started the trend  of Jelly Shoes, bubble skirts and neon colors. 

In the mid 80's The Limited had teen girls flocking to the mall to get Forneza sweaters.  Rainbows on clothes were trendy as well as Ked sneakers and wild Jam shorts.  College days were sweatshirts and baggy plaid flannel pajama pants, and your hair had to be directly on top of your head in a scrunchy.  As I entered the work world it was dresses, suits (yes they did have shoulder pads!) and heels every day.  Causal Fridays and business casual came along much later.

Through all the bad, good and ugly of  70's 80's and 90's, they were a good time.  Yes, I do look back at pictures in the photo album and say "What were we thinking!"   I'm sure there are plenty of crazy trends ahead in the next 4 decades.  I am comfortable with the fact that I have pretty much drifted into the conservative role of a mother.  However, I'll be watching my kids as they go through the trends of the future and am sure to be shaking my head much like my own mother did.