Dating Dames

An 80’s Flashback

by Gayla McCord on March 19th, 2008

It was 1984 and I’d finally reached the age my parents would let me begin dating.  I was 16, knew everything and was going to live forever.  It took an entire 2 hours per day to shower, do my hair and my makeup.

This is a shot of me with big hair, tight legged jeans, lace slouch socks and lace flashdance style shirt.

While a variety of hairstyles were popular - such as feathered, multicolored, crimped, glitter and the bitch flip bangs, my personal favorite was the ultra teased with a slight bitch flip.

The ultra tease and bitch flip required at least 1/2 a can of Aqua Shield Net Hairspray.

Of course for men, the mullet was just about the sexiest hairstyle going.  Can you EVEN believe I just said that?

When it came to makeup, dramatic was the trend - the more dramatic the eyes, the better - however, light pink lips were all the rave.  And it was during this time that Cindy Crawford made beauty moles a sexy trend - some of my friends would fake it, but I was always afraid the mole would smudge and I not know it.

Fashion - Neon!  I had neon pink, yellow, orange and lime green everything!  From cut up and cropped sweatshirts, ala Flashdance, to neon Jellies shoes, mini skirts and belts so wide you could wrap your car tires in them.

When it came to legs, fashion was really happening!  Scrunch socks, leggings, zippered legs, leg warmers, colored hosiery with rips and the single most fashion trend I loved watching die - Spandex!  There was nothing more grody!

I’m not sure there was a single girl in my school that didn’t wear friendship pins.  I remember totally spazzing the girl who had BOTH sneakers covered in pins.  I swore she was making those pins herself and covering her shoes in them!  NO ONE has friends to the max like that! 

And what about wearing multiple watches?  I always thought that was a trend started by a girl who kept getting in trouble for coming home late.  Her dad made her wear several watches to prove a point and embarass her and like most pretty people, she fell in a pile of hog mud and came up with a new fashion trend that went viral 80’s style.

The first cool concert I ever went to without my parents was to the Indiana State Fair to see Night Ranger and Loverboy!  I still have my cassette tapes and did upgrade the disc a few years back. 

My first car was bought for me by my dad for my senior year.  It was a 1981 Black Monte Carlo with red interior.  The best feature on my car was the Motley Crue sticker I found that blended with the paint perfectly.  That sticker in itself was about as tubular as you could get!  While I wasn’t smokin’ in the boys room (or any place else for that matter) I learned to become a lot less joanie.  I’d gone from homely girl with a skin condition and thick glasses to a girl that popular boys were taking a second look at.

Could mom and dad handle it!

When I look back on my junior year of high school, I have to say it was the most bodacious of all years in school.  I wasn’t ready to leave school, but I was ready to begin dating and cruising Broad Street with my friends.

Cruising Broad consisted of hundreds of teens in their cars cruising lap after lap, up and down Broad Street.  Radios would blare with your favorite tunes and if you passed the car of someone you thought looked pretty awesome, you’d yell and have them meet you in either Sears of the Library parking lot.

With 5 high schools in the county, it was just about the best place to go to meet hot guys to go out with. 

My favorite TV shows from the 80’s:  Alf, Cagney and Lacey, Growing Pains, Knots Landing, Who’s the Boss and Wonder Years.

Favorite Movies from the 80’s:  E.T., Porky’s, Terms of Endearment, The Karate Kid, Gremlins, Platoon, Top Gun, Fatal Attraction, Lethal Weapon, Three Men and a Baby.

If you’re old enough to remember the 80’s why not jump in and share some of your fondest memories.  You’re welcome to leave a comment here or email me the link.  I’ll gladly update this post to share a link if you participate.

This post is part of a Lifestyles Channel Theme Day - I Love The 80’s!  Visit other blogs around the channel to see what others are sharing.

Share This

Related Stories

A Little Valentine Lovin’

POSTED IN: Little Fun Time