Wayback

1992 – eleven or close to twelve years old. I am the one on the far left, in case you can’t recognize me under that atrocious perm and behind those windshields that someone called glasses. My mom used to get perms all of the time and they looked nice on her – and let’s face, it was the style back then. I thought I wanted a perm because my stick straight hair did nothing and I like the idea of curls. So mom relented and let me have one. Now I live with these cringeworthy pictures. And the glasses – my vision has always been horribly bad so the lenses needed to be large so they wouldn’t be so thick. Thankfully it wouldn’t be to long after this shot that I got contacts.

Please note the black stretch pants – they started this early and continued well into my middle school years and apparently into my high school years, just in different variations. However, also note that my shoes and socks all match my bitchin’ Carolina Tarhells hoodie. While I wouldn’t rock that outfit now, it was kind of the shit back in the day.

Psst – the other people in this photo are, from right to left, my dad, my younger brother and my stepmother at the time (her and my dad have since divorced). Also a waterbed, because waterbeds were the rage back in the day. And love how my dad’s shirt matches the bedspread, which is satin, might I point out!

I think the look I’m giving whoever is taking this picture perfectly sums up this outfit. Oh poor me! I just want to reach back and shake that girl and tell her everything that is wrong here. I guess we all have to go through this stage. Unfortunately, I had to go through it all at the same time. Note the baggy button up shirt and stirrup pants. My mother would tell you this was my uniform back then. I also used to wear a headband everyday – looks like I had either progressed past that stage here or figured I didn’t need one since I was home. Also note the socks that don’t match the outfit and aren’t even passable as special occasion or decorative socks. They’re just teal. With a light purple shirt. (I remember it distinctly – it was a lavender color, despite coming off as white in this shot).

Also note I had yet discovered eyebrow plucking.

But I had discovered books! This was also a staple, me always having my nose stuck in a book. It’s pretty much the same now, only I have an electronic reader and I’ve graduated from Sweet Valley to Harry Potter or The Hunger Games.  LOL

AND …. the kicker is, I’m wearing almost exactly the same thing in this photo, which was taken probably sometime around 1994 or 1995 (making me about 13 or 14) as I am in this photo, which was taken probably four or five years later in the summer before my junior year, so I would’ve been about sixteen there. Except in the later one, the pants aren’t stirrup pants but flared dressy club pants. Same concept though. At least this shirt wasn’t see through.

Even though I am in this photo looking a hot mess, that is not what I want you to focus on. Look behind my “Mom bursts into the room with a camera the morning after prom and I’m still sleeping” face and focus on the room, especially the walls. Don’t you love them? Isn’t that classy? Because in high school and mostly through college, I thought the whole concept of decorating meant you take as many pictures of hot boys and plaster them like wallpaper all over your walls. Or posters of the music you listen to – this was my “gangsta rap” stage – THUG LIFE BITCHES! This picture does not show that directly above me, on the peaked ceiling, there is another Tupac poster, a Biggie poster and a Diddy “No Way Out” album cover poster. I just pretty much assumed that every spare inch of wall space should be covered in something – pictures, glow in the dark stars, sparkly disco balls.

If you look closely, you can see the original Polaroid of this photo hanging on the wall.

Also, that is a waterbed I am sleeping on. That’s how awesome I was! (Can’t you tell by the bangs?)