Monday, September 29, 2008

A Then and Now Tutorial Courtesy of Google Images

Then (can you say orange?):

Now (can you say cha-ching?!):

Then (French-cut and pantyhose?):

Now (viva la comfort):

Then:

Now:

Then:

Now:

Then (condom failure):

Now (condom failure):
Brought to you by the extravagant cost of hair maintenance, the too often occurrence of work-out clothes as a fashion staple, the straight hair revolution, battling chin acne in my thirties, and stepping on an empty box of PlanB in the parking lot of the grocery store [Teenager? Or mother of four that was all, oh heeellll no? Discuss].

42 comments:

Your Pal Pinki said...

OMG I remember going to Jazzercise classes with my mom and wearing those awful outfits.

calicobebop said...

Actually, I'm more interested in that pretty green bracelet the model is wearing in the lat photo. Where can I get one of those?

Suburban Correspondent said...

Personally, I'd rather have the baby than the Plan B! Sometimes "mistakes" turn out okay...

That exercise outfit hurt my eyes just to look at it. Some things have definitely improved in the past 2 decades.

Hula Girl at Heart said...

Hello, my name is Hula, and I still like Jazzercise. Can someone tell me the twelve steps for getting over that?

~Swankymama said...

I must be behind the times. I haven't even heard of Plan B.

Upward Falling Autumn said...

Whoever it was, they couldn't even wait to get into the car to pop the Plan B, they might've been down to the hour - WHEW!

Sun-In THEN crimp - NOW you have a par-tay!

MamaHen Em said...

I'll admit it, I did the sun in AND the crimping. Oh I was a total 80's girl growing up in a small town. (Is there a song in that?)

Now? Straight hair and proactive all the way, How do you get it so right??

Manager Mom said...

*sigh* it's SO unfair that I have wrinkles AND acne. And am still battling the frizz. After 38 years! I can't wait to just get really old and no longer give a crap.

Angie McCullagh said...

Except I think the flat iron is on the way out. It's more like Hot Roller Time!

I wonder when perms will come back.

Really entertaining post, by the way.

Burgh Baby said...

Can I just tell you that I look dead sexy with my hair crimped? I really do. We need to bring that back, and STAT.

smalltownme said...

Now I feel old.

Karen said...

My friend is battling acne as well (aren't we all - and what's up with that?!) and held a Clearasil pad on that zit for a while trying to get it to instantly zap off. IT BURNED HER SKIN. As in, a black circle of deadness. The good news is the zit is gone.

Anonymous said...

Sun-in always scared me so I did the cap...yes, yes I did. Thank god my hairdresser doesn't.

I *heart* my yoga pants. 'Nuff said.

Proactive did jack for my adult acne. I have reverted back to plain old soap, hot water and a washcloth. I've tried everything else.

I am going with the mother of four.

Anonymous said...

Love the post! Can I send it to the lady at the gym who still wears that Jazzercise outfit? We can't decide if she's just very good at clothing maintence or if you can still buy them. Oh and sometimes she sports the thong version!

Thanks for the laugh!

mommy lazy said...

Too Funny. I remember all those things. I never used Sun-in though, my mom was cheap we used fresh lemons and sat outside for hours getting sunburnt. I have my fourth grade pictures with THE WORST PERM EVER!!! My mom permed my hair the night before picture day, add some awesome 1989 in style glasses and a big gap in my front teeth...it was the way to be!

So glad I'm over that!

Anonymous said...

Ah, thy name was Sun In and you proved blondes had more fun.

Unknown said...

That exercisie outfit made me think of Olivia Newton John's lets get physical LOL
Thanks for the walk down memory lane AND reminding me how old I am

Anonymous said...

Ladies! Do what I do. I just turned 56 on Saturday, but told everyone I was 66. You wouldn't believe the compliments I received.

Anonymous said...

Ugh. I am so totally battling that chin acne thing too. WTF is up with that? I thought I left all that behind 15 years ago!

Freaking hormones.

PS: that plan B was totally the mom of 4.

O'Neal (The Woman In Charge Around Here) said...

OMG, I can totally remember ALL that stuff!!! Is it bad to admit I *still* have a bottle of Sun-In AND a crimping iron under my bathroom sink??? Hmmm, I might get bored and do my hair this afternoon - I'll be sure to send you the pics! LOL

This post DEF brightened up my morning, thanks for the laugh! Oh, and I'm going with illegal alien mother of 8...if it were in MY local Wal*Mart parking lot! ;) Totally not being racist, no offense to anyone, just say'n... if I have to live with it I can talk about it!

Anonymous said...

Um...totally mom of 4. Hands down.

dkuroiwa said...

Sun In Schmum in...lemon juice baby..pure lemon juice is what we used...of course, we also tanned with baby oil and iodine back then!! Wish I could time travel and fwap myself and a few others on the head for some of the things we did all in the name of cool!
*I must make appointment for highlights...soon..or buy some lemons, whichevah!!!

Baby Favorite said...

I remember Sun In. I had the ultra short hair in high school with the LONG bangs in my face, bleached out with Sun In. And I wore a lot of my dad's shirts. I was *so* New Wave. And incredibly lame.

Mrs. G. said...

Holy Hell, someone was not happy when they got home and their Plan B. wasn't in the bag.

{sue} said...

So are you saying that I should not still be crimping my hair?

Also? Anonymous is a genius! I've been knocking 10 years OFF my age. If I ADD 10 years, I look totally awesome!

Angie @ KEEP BELIEVING said...

"too often occurence of work-out clothes as a fashion staple" - I remember seeing the 80's French cut AND pantyhose as a fashion staple then, too. YIKES!

If we can convince the world that "orange is the new black" I'm all for sun-in again over the hundreds extra spent each year on the real deal.

KEEP BELIEVING

Queenly Things said...

Way back then:
lemon juice,
bloomers/one-piece jump suits,
orange juice cans,
thick beige gunk,
abstinence - which didn't work then either.

Anonymous said...

I'm betting it was a mother of three... boys... Just sayin'.

Stu said...

I would watch Jamie Lee Curtis if she had a garbage bag on. I'm simple like that.

-Stu

Kaye Butler said...

I'm jacking queenly's thing,
Way back when,
Stirup Pants
Drop waist shirts
Hair:
Side wings with enough hairspray to blow up a small country
Bangs teased at least 1mile high
blue eyeshadow
blue masscara
SUN IN AND LEMONS
(I have dark chocolate hair)
You know I was looking HOT!
Did I mention White Panty Hose?

Anonymous said...

I say mom of 6, family's religion including husband's is against birth control- the mom is desperate, and panicked enough to drop the evidence.
And proactive made my sweat bleach my clothes...no lie.

Anonymous said...

wow - I believe that I have always been a noxzema girl though, not clearasil. And plan B...you commentary was hilarious. I didn't know they made that stuff over the counter now! CRAZEE!

Anonymous said...

I guess I'm the naive one, but what exactly is plan b? I loved the 80s images. And, Jamie Lee Curtis is the only person who could pull that look off.

Jenn @ Juggling Life said...

I don't know if it was a teen or a mom, but it was certainly a litterbug.

As Cape Cod Turns said...

I, too, have chin acne. WTF?

Anonymous said...

i used to put my hair into about 10 sepersate braids when it was damp, and then sleep on it. When I woke up in the morning, all i had to do was let the braids out and feather my bangs, and baby, it was HAWT. That was crimping for broke 14 year olds, circa 1978. i also remember TONI perms, hairdryer caps, my mom's weekly wash and set appointment on Saturdays (did she REALLY go a week between washings? thank god for the smell of aqua net, i say), and enormous combs shoved in the back pocket of our jeans so we could artfully feather our bangs at school. crap i'm old.

Ringleader said...

I have unlocked the mystery of the 30's chin acne. I realized, that when I am at the computer reading all your awesome blogs... I am propping my chin up with my greasy hand! I can't explain the acne everywhere else though. What a rip off- I so believed that I would stop getting acne when I grew up... of course, I also believed that nursing would make that baby weight just melt away too. Lies- ALL LIES!!

Suzanne said...

I vote is on the mother of four.

My "thens" include "Benders" (those colorful bendy things you put in your hair to curl it) and leg warmers.

Debo88 said...

Thanks for the laugh!
Your blog is my absolute favorite.

JCK said...

Definitely a french cut. Oh yes...the pain, the pain...

Made me smile and nod on this post.

Melanie Sheridan said...

Leg warmers baby! Adult acne sucks. Thanks for the laughs!

Renée said...

So I'm not supposed to be crimping my hair these days? Oh.