The 80s

I really love the 80s. I love them as a decade that I lived through and that is over. I like the 80s because they remind me of childhood and because I like to laugh at them. I think it's hilarious that I used to wear hot pink sweatshirts with ghetto blasters embroidered on them and that I had legwarmers. But I don't want the 80s to come back! I don't want to have to cut the necks out of all my t-shirts and wear short, strangely-cut black and white polka dot skirts. But, if the trends in Chico can be trusted, fashion is going 80s again and fast.

I first noticed it while waiting in line for pizza at 1 a.m. last Friday. There were drunk college students all around and several of them were wearing little ruffled and layered polka dot mini mini skirts. The type that barely cover the butt. I thought that maybe these girls were representatives of some strange 80s skank crowd, but I asked Dustin where on earth they were getting those skirts (and I was imagining a dank thrift store) and he said Lulu's.

The weekend progressed and I noticed other girls wearing meshy shirts with cut-out necks and still more in these weird Pretty-In-Pink-esque skirts (except considerably shorter). Then my brother took me to Lulu's, the most fashion-forward shop in Chico and lo and behold, everything inside was hot pink and straight out of the 80s, except smaller. It was as if every teen's wardrobe from 1985 was washed and dried and shrunk three sizes in the dryer. Instead of the sort of grungy yet hip look, it will be the 80's essence with lots of skin and body hugging and more cleanliness.

And for the first time, I am not at all interested in getting in on this trend. I like the clean, tailored look. I can even get beind the low-cut pants...(but not low low cut). But I can't imagine ever wearing one of those skirts or the off-the-shoulder tops that look like I just took my scissors to them. I am old. I'm dated. This must be how my parents felt when bell bottoms made their brief comeback while I was in high school.

This realization that I'm dated made me turn to my language as well. I am constantly saying things like "cool" and "that rocks" occasionally I even say "Awesome!" To my credit, I have started introducing the word "Sweet" into my vocab. But it seems as though the word to say now is "Sick" and that's a tough one to swallow. Am I like my parents were when they said "groovy" and "hip" and "Neat" and I looked at them and rolled my eyes?

I must reclaim my youth, but not if it means dressing like a slutty Cindy Lauper and saying "that's sick" when I mean to say "cool". Am I a fuddy duddy?