Material Girl

We continue our series of Forum Flashbacks with an article from the June 1993 edition co-authored by alumnae Julie Mann '94 and Rachel Spector '94.

Have you ever wanted to shove a barbie into Lake Michigan?  Watch as she sinks to the bottom, yet her bangs are still touching the surface?  We have.  We were contemplating this and so we began to ponder '80's fashion.  With '60's retro and '70's disco making such a comeback in the '90's, we came to the frightening conclusion that by the time we have kids they will be clad in the '80's "material girl" style.

Picture this:  Year 2018.  You go into your sixteen year old daughter's room to wake her for school.  The walls are covered in posters of Cindi Lauper, Tiffany, and the New Kids on The Block.  To top it off, in the corner stands a life size cardboard cut-out of Lionel Ritchie.  Your daughter is tired because the night before, she went to see Oliver Stone's new movie/documentary, entitled:  "Debbie Gibson - An Electric Youth."  She comes down to breakfast, wearing her favorite outfit.  Her hair is crimped.  You wince as her bangs narrowly escape the circling jaws of the ceiling fan, a common fate of those sporting...The Lioness.  She's wearing a neon pink crop-top sweatshirt with rhinestones and puffy paint streaks, and little heart shaped cut-outs in the sleeves.  The sleeves are rolled up past her elbows, revealing her one hundred and eighty plastic glow bracelets.  She asks you to pour the orange juice because she can't move her arm.  Her pants are acid washed, with a tapered zipper ankle, and are rolled up to mid calf.  Over her pants she has on a violet chiffon tutu.  She's wearing two pairs of rainbow bunch socks on each foot, with color coordinated metal studs.  She has on purple sparkle jelly shoes!

"Gag me with a spoon," she cries.  "This food is so grody.  I'm like, totally late for school."  Running out the door, she turns to you.  "Like, Omigod!!  How do I look?"  You look at your daughter and, with as much sincerity as your parents gave you, you smile and say, "You look great, honey."