Did I really look like that

May 30th, 2010 - Have you ever spent the day going through old pictures or looking at old videos, I mean the old super 8 movies. If you have then you know the feeling. That can't possibly be me, what the heck was I wearing, who did my hair and is that really a color, and could the glasses be any bigger, and was I really that big. And let's not even talk about the clothes we used to wear that we thought were really a great look.

After going to a graduation party yesterday for my 18 year old neice, mys sister-in-law gave me an old video of the family from exactly 20 years ago. Talk about stepping back in history. For starters neither my sister-in-law or me remained married to the two brothers in the picture. Putting that aside, and focusing on what I looked like 20 years ago was mind blowing and ridiculously funny. First of all I can't imagine that on purpose I chose to wear the clothes I had on. What was I thinking? I proudly wore a pair of jeans that were fitted in the waist, baggie in the hips and tight around the ankles. Talk about the broad side of a barn. As if my hips were not quite big enough, let's wear some jeans that will really show them off. I also had on a pair of red, yes I said red, high tops, with two velco straps across the ankle. My shirt, I mean sweatshirt, was very red, to match the shoes I imagine, and said Ho Ho Ho, it ain't Christmas. I must have found that to be an amusing slogan 20 years ago. It was baggie, to go along with the baggie pants, and I looked like a giant weeble. Big body with little feet. My hair was a real stunner. My very dark, dark, brown, hair hung somewhere around the tops of my shoulders with lots, and lots of curls. Not pretty, loose, curls but the kind I imagine came from a perm that was left on a little bit too long. The kind of perm the hairdresser tells you will fall in a couple days, maybe weeks, ok, once it grows we can cut off the frizz. And the round cut did nothing to flatter my already chubby cheeks. And to top it off I had on some large, very round, very think, and very black framed glasses. All in all, What was I thinking, and did someone really have to capture the look in pictures. As I look around at the others in the video, they too, have some interesting outfits and hair do's, so I guess I was in good company.

Now, twenty years later, I have to say my current look is ..well...let's just say it is a lot better than it was and I have given up on sweatshirts, baggie jeans, and big round glasses. But I am not fooled I know that twenty years from now, someone will look at pictures of me taken today and say, "what was she thinking".