Remember when?

[tuxluvr]

Not sure why I'm feeling nostalgic today, but was thinking about my childhood years, and thought I would share some insights into 'the olden days' of the 1960's

Corvettes cost $5000 (dollars) new..bell bottoms, mini skirts, and those ridiculous shoes with the 5-inch block heels (frankenbooties!)..the same bell bottoms were also low-rider hip huggers.

Sixties was the decade of temporary colorblindness - bright green, purple and orange were often mixed, tie-dying and fuzzed-out hippie hair, cullottes (a wierd combo of shorts and skirts) were allowed for the first time in schools, but no cullotte or skirt could be shorter than where the tip of the longest finger met the thigh.

"Bouffant" hairdos and black horn-rimmed glasses were the fashion statement. "Bouffant" means hair was put up in rollers wet, dried with this contraption that put a plastic bonnet over the head with a heated air blower attached - kind of like putting the exhaust hose of a clothes dryer and plug it into a shower cap thingy.....then, you would take your "toasted" hair out of this torture chamber, tease it beyond recognition ("teasing" basically means creating strategically placed knotted up wads of hair in order to give the illusion of volume--although one had to take care in the "teasing" process that it did not go to extreme and "p*** off the hair") and sculpt it with a spray-gum product called "Final Net" - this concrete coiff would last a good 5 days between shampooing.

There was a product called "creme rinse" that was the precursor to conditioner - it's primarypurpose was to "oil up" the hair, no doubt to make it possible to maneuver a comb through the mass of self-inflicted Final Net-cemented hairballs (and probably why we didn't wash our hair more than once a week - this ritual of un-tangling and subsequent re-tangling was time consuming and exhausting)

There was also an undergarment known as the "girdle" which essentially was a combination of tourniquet-strength rubber and metal stays, designed to reposition body fat by squeezing it into submission (and subsequently cut off oxygen to the brain cells, or we would NEVER have worn these circulatory torture devices) - the inevitable perimeter where the girdle ended and flesh began was evidenced by a lump of desperately escaping flab.

Give me today anyday!

[Vio&Juni]

Tuxluvr, I am laughing so loud here and it's only 3 am

I don't remember 60es, I was only born in 75, but I remember other times. After the fall of Soviet Union, there was a time when everything was so confused here, even the fashion. I will not give descriptions, I blush everytime I remember how I dressed

[trayi52]

ROFLOL, I remember those days too, tuxluvr, oh so well! I remember the cullottes, pedal pushers too. The music was so different too.

I remember having to rat as it was called your hair, for that puffy look you were talking about. It was funny, but my hair never did hold a 'rat', it was too fine, still is. Then there was a hair do where they would cut their hair off really short on top and the sides perm it to where the curls just hugged the head, leaving the back long.

The girls wore can cans too, and for a time bloomers were instyle too!

I remeber when I went to high school, we were not allowed to wear pants, we had to wear dresses and skirts. The teachers had fits if they seen a girl run and jump in the car with a boy and not get into the car through the passengers side. She said it made the girl look cheap if she ran and got in on his side of the car.

I remember that girls weren't allowed to smoke at high school, but the boys had a fenced in area where they could go smoke!

Oh, my now you have my memories flowing too. Oh, we were a strange bunch back then.

Like you said the styles these young girls are wearing today, are the exact same thing I wore as a young girl! Checked pants! Now my oldest daughter comes in wearing stuff like that, and says ''mom, you hate my pants, don't you?'' and I say, '' yes I do''.

Give me a nice pair of jeans any day, but please not checks or whatever color is in style now, I am already tired of them and done wore that style. I think I'll make my own style up, as I go along!

Willie

[catnapper]

I was born in '72, but I remember going through mom's yearbook and rolling with laughter over the hair and clothes.

Oh, and I remember VIVIDLY the photo of my mom, my Aunt, and my Great Aunt all dolled up with pin curls and fur coats to go see Tom Jones. Mom told me Great Aunt Lucille tossed her panties onto the stage for Tom!!!!

[tuxluvr]

Originally posted by catnapper
,,,,,,,Great Aunt all dolled up with pin curls and fur coats to go see Tom Jones. Mom told me Great Aunt Lucille tossed her panties onto the stage for Tom!!!!

to coin a lyric, "It's not unusual..."


hee hee

[tuxluvr]

Originally posted by trayi52
ROFLOL, I remember those days too, tuxluvr, oh so well! I remember the cullottes, pedal pushers too. The music was so different too.

the girls wore can cans too, and for a time bloomers were instyle too!

Like you said the styles these young girls are wearing today, are the exact same thing I wore as a young girl! Checked pants! Now my oldest daughter comes in wearing stuff like that, and says ''mom, you hate my pants, don't you?'' and I say, '' yes I do''.

Give me a nice pair of jeans any day, but please not checks or whatever color is in style now, I am already tired of them and done wore that style. I think I'll make my own style up, as I go along!

Willie

LOL-I remember "pedal pushers" - I think the new wave term is "capri pants"....on any female over the age of twelve with a shape remotely resembling an adult female, these looked stupid then and look stupid now, Laura Petrie curse my name for saying so! I occasionally have a memory lapse and try these on, and all I can see is a middle aged chubby woman in pants that are too short......we used to call them "high water pants".

My mother told me about the days of "bloomers"....not sure what a "can can" is though...??

Remember when women's swimsuits had those horrible built-in bras? The bra cups were filled with some kind of foam rubber stuff that would, after a time and exposure to actual pool water, would dry and crumble, making the surface of the breast take on the shape and feel of a stale cornmeal muffin. (Mental note: breasts are not supposed to be "crunchy")

However, today's swimwear, I believe, is meant to only be worn near the pool, never actually to "swim" in. The absence of supporting fabric means it should be superglued in place unless you don't intend to make any movement more dramatic than shallow breathing, less our aging parts, having a mind of their own, find a way out of these flimsy constraints.

Saddle Oxford shoes were all the rage, although for the life of me, a woman "blessed" with huge feet at an early age, would want to wear shoes that looked like a cross between bowling shoes and a band uniform. There were also "penny loafers", poor boy shirts (I recall a similar term "poor boy sandwich"-suffice it to say if you ate to many poor boys you would not look good IN a poor boy)

I remember the advent of the "thong"....all I can say about this is that the designer just thought "underwear works its way up there anyway, let's just make it start out as a "wedgie"...

I stopped torturing myself years ago and abandoned the "fashion of the day"...I go for what makes my shape look presentable and comfortable.

[trayi52]

tuxluvr, I remember all the things you mentioned, the bathing suit with that awful stuff in them that was supposed to be a bra.

A can can, was like a slip, except it made the dress puff out. I think they still use them today on certain kinds of dresses, but I guess they renamed them!

Lord, I am just like you, I want comfort, comfort and more comfort. I remember wearing tight jeans, and well I just can't do that anymore, I want to be comfortable!

Men in very long hair, flower children! Oh my, mini skirts. I think I am really showing my age here, with all the things that I remember.

Catnapper, I loved Tom Jones and their was another guy at about the same time, his name was Englebert something, I started to say it, I want to say, ummm now don't laugh, I think it was Humperdinc or something, God what if its different!!

tuxluvr, this is a good thread, it does bring back so many memories!

Great thead! I will remember more, I know I will......

Willie

[catnapper]

Admitting what a dork I am....

in college, my best friend had gotten free tickets to SEE Mr. Humperdink. We had no idea who he was but it was a free night out. We spent FOREVER getting ready. Our best clothes, high hair, oooo, we looked hot.

Well, we get to the venue and see that we are the youngest people (ahem, women) there. They are all gushing about Englebert. We go and sit down and then this aging guy in a pwder blue tux - complete with ruffles and powder blue patent leather shoes comes on stage gyrating! I spent the evening staring at his backup singers --- it was better than him! Then there was a short intermission. When he returned, he was in skin tight black Levis and a cowboy shirt, shoes, & hat. It only went down from there when he did a Huey Lewis and the News set.

But hey, Mr. Humperdink mentioned us during the concert... "I see there are women of all ages here. Look at the young ladies right up front " We were the young ladies!

[sirrahbed]

How about go-go boots? Vanilla extract behind the ears? Mood rings? gum wrapper ropes? Am I in the right generation or somewhere in between? My mom liked Engelbert!! How about Young Doctor Malone? Ben Casey? Doctor Kildare???

OH and speaking of being addressed at a concert!! my friend and I got thrown out of a Leonard Nimoy one man theatrical show "Vincent" by Leonard himself!!!! It was a matinee so it was basically full of school age kids who were bused over. We both brought our babies along who were nursing infants at the time. Both woke once each in the first half and briefly squeeked and we nursed them. That was it! AFTER the half time break - he came back on stage and before he started into his monologue (guess this had been bugging him at intermission) he asked "would the ladies near the front with the crying babies please exit the theater, you are disrupting my performance!" Both babies were and had been sound asleep for the past hour or so - kids all around were shooting spitwads, getting up and down, climbing over seats etc - and he asked US to leave?? Not only that but he waited until AFTER intermission and refused to continue the performance until we got up and left in front of the stunned and packed convention center!!

Sorry alittle off topic but it WAS a MEMORY!!

[trayi52]

Debbie how rude he was! I guess, I can safely say you are not one of his fans. I don't blame you either, that is just shocking!

I remember go go boots, I used to own a pair myself. LOL. I loved Ben Casey and Dr. Kildaire. Dr. Kildaire was Richard Chamberland from the Thornbirds.

I remember a time when Englebert was quite handsome, he used to sing a song that was soooo sexy when he sang it, it was called ''Spanish Eyes'', that was the only song I ever like to hear him sing.

I did love Tom Jones though, and when his show came on, women were swooning all over the place.

Debbie, I still can't get over Lenord Nimoy being so rude, that is just awful!! He sure didn't have to do that, I think if I had been there, I would have got up and walked out too. There is just no sense in being so rude, star or no star. Yuk on him!!

Willie

[moosmom]

OMG!!!

Tuxluvr, I am laughing so hard, my sides hurt!!!

I was born in 1953. My Mom was the "in" type. Long before they had wonder bras, she used to wear "falsies" in her bra! She'd wear them in a bra that would "push them up and squeeze them together"!!

It was also the time WAY before pantyhose, when you had to wear a girdle with "hose" and those hook things to keep them on.

Cigarettes cost 25 cents a pack and I could go into the store and buy them for my Mom.

Ah, Trayi52, do I EVER remember MY go-go boots? I got my first pair from my aunt at the age of 15!! I LOVED them boots!!

Marijuana was rumored to be made from baked banana peels. Never figured out where THAT came from!!

Anyone remember Tame?? It was THE conditioner of that era. And "peddle pushers" used to be called "clam diggers".

We also used to wear penny loafers with dimes in them, in case we needed money for a phone call. Yeah, phone calls USED to cost 10 cents. I remember when they were a nickle! Boy am I dating myself here!!

In 1972, I bought my very first car, a Volkswagen Beetle, powder blue. Total cost...$2,400!!!!!

Thanks Tuxluvr for the walk down memory lane. It really brightened my day and made me think of how young and innocent I once was!!

[trayi52]

Donna, banana peels used to give people some kind of high, just like pot. I don't remember how they prepared them for the high, though. I remember kids was doing that in the 70's too.

I remember the girdles with hooks, hose came in two and not all in one. The hooks held them up! Oh yes I remember that. I was born in 1952. I am older than you, Donna.

Wow, don't you wish you could still buy a car for that price. Those little beatles are worth more than that now.

Yes, I love the memories..... memory lane..

[sirrahbed]

Anyone remember Adorn hairspray? It came with nifty little gadgets for free. One was a tiny teasing comb to use with the spray. Another was a plastic roller pick where you rolled up some hair, sprayed it, held a minute, then let in go to make "perfect" curls. hmmm...candy dots on sheets of waxy paper...candy cigarrettes wrapped in paper with powdery stuff so you could blow out a puff of "smoke...sweet pastel liquid in waxy soda bottles - little teeny things....a free dish, glass or towel in the big size laundry detergent...candy lipstick to rub on your lips and make them all red before you ate it...LOL and pettipants!!! Anyone have those?? Like a petticoat/slip only you could wear them under culottes or pants. Training bras - mine had Barbie on it - do they still have those??? Thongs were things we wore on our FEET!! My kids have never dialed a phone except for a toy one they had! Lipstick that was blue or green but went on pink or peach. THIS has been fun!!

[Twisterdog]

Oh, and I remember VIVIDLY the photo of my mom, my Aunt, and my Great Aunt all dolled up with pin curls and fur coats to go see Tom Jones. Mom told me Great Aunt Lucille tossed her panties onto the stage for Tom!!!!

Well, I don't remember the 60's at all, and I don't know what Tom Jones looked like ... but I did recently here an interview with him on NPR, and WOW - what a voice!!!

[Corinna]

I was born in 61 but I remember my aunt (my sitter ) in high school having to take me with her .(My mom and garndma not knowing) How about mucsle cars and motoercycle (the days my uncle sat me) GoGo boots man I remember them.
I remember bell bottoms return in the 70's the wider the better my mom split them and added an insert to make mine even wider then she put what she called a cigerette pocket( would kill me if any ever found there) on the top of the split. It was the back pocket of another pair of jeans.
How about Macrame beltsand all those painfull beads clubbering you every step.
This has been a great walk down memory lane.