My Countdown To Turning 40 - The 1980's

Only about 5 more weeks until I turn the BIG 4-0. If you haven't had a chance to read my first post about turning 40 check it out. The countdown to 40 begins.

Summertime is fast appraoching and as a child I played outside all day. I have fond memories playing in my backyard with all the neighbourhood kids running through our sprinkler for hours. (Sadly we weren't to concerned about saving water in the 1980's) 

Ofcoarse I wore my Wonder Woman bathing suit. Linda Carter who played Wonder Woman on TV was my idol. I would run around in my bathing suit at 8 years old pretending I was saving the world. I loved that bathing suit. I decided at a very young age that I was going to be Wonder Woman when I grew up...according to my son and hubby I am. I just don't wear the bathing suit anymore. lol.

I have a sister who is 7 years older than I am, so when I was in elementary school my sister was in highschool. Let me tell you, my sister was the coolest person in my eyes at the time. Fashion in the 1980's was slightly dramatic...and my older sister was no exception when it came to big hair, dramatic makeup, and fashion.

The original skinny jean from the 1980's

When getting ready for school my job was to help my sister get into her skin tight jeans. The 1980's was the beginning of the Skinny Jean phenomenon. Jeans weren't made with the same material as they are now - there wasn't much stretch to them. So  to help my sister get into her jeans, she would lie on the floor and I would take a crochet hook and yank my sister's zipper up. It was a true team effort to get into the latest fashion back then. 

In a celebrated 1980 television ad, fifteen-year-old actress/model Brooke Shields was seen whistling “Oh My Darling, Clementine” as the camera panned along the length of her body. She gazed up at the camera and said  “You want to know what comes between me and my Calvins? Nothing. The commercial was so controversial, that sales Calvin Klein jeans soared.

This now legendary commercial marked the very phenomenon of the designer jean, or “status jeans,” as they were sometimes dubbed in the press. 

Some popular jeans in the 1980's included Gloria Vanderbilt, Jordache, Sasson, and Sergio Valente. All these all brands soon had commercials that focused on a women's backsides in some of the raciest ads we have ever seen. Many of these ads wouldn't fly now-a-days. 

Big Hair in the 1980's
Farrah Fawcet was a huge icon in the late 70's and early 80's  She was famous for the TV show Charlie's Angels...and her hair style was copied by women everywhere. 

Her hairstyle went on to become an international trend, with women sporting a "Farrah-do", a "Farrah-flip", or simply "Farrah hair". Her famous hair style predominated among American women's hairstyles well into the 1980s.

I can remember sitting in the bathroom with my older sister while she tried to give me the Farrah-Do. I was about 8 years old and all I wanted was to look like my older sister and Farrah Fawcet. lol.

Sadly Farrah died on June 25th 2009 from cancer. I have 2 wonderful friends and at work we have been dubbed Charlie's Angels because we are always together. I always joke that I am Farrah...30 years after I still want to be Farrah!

Hope you enjoyed my walk down memory lane from the 1980's. Stay tuned for more posts as I countdown until I turn 40 with posts about fashion, hair and beauty that was popular while I was growing up.