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| Photo courtesy Stephanie Fantasia |
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| Mom: Lovingly wrapped up in shimmering taffeta and polka dots from the past |
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We’ve all seen them, those peg-legged, stonewashed jeans our moms used to wear. You know, the ones with the zippers and denim bows uselessly placed on the back of the ankles?
So what provoked so many of our moms to helplessly succumb to such senseless fashion trends not too long ago? Was there an appalling epidemic of women’s feet suddenly detaching from their bodies that ultimately resulted in the necessity of elastic stirrup straps attached to the bottom of their pants? Was there a strange, unexplainable abundance of fabric in the world that could only be eliminated by creating overly frilly, gaudy blouses with lace dangling from every extremity? Or what about those gargantuan hair bows that practically swallowed our moms’ heads, feathered bangs and all?
I guess some things will forever remain unexplainable.
About a year ago my sisters and I had the opportunity to engage in the entertaining task of assisting my mom with cleaning out her closet. It was only then I realized she needed our help long ago. Don’t get me wrong; I am definitely no self-proclaimed fashion connoisseur, but when puffy-sleeved taffeta dresses in varying iridescent colors came pummeling out of the closet’s depths, I began to wonder how my entire generation came to be. Did men actually find these hideous outfits attractive years ago?
I remember when I was little (and didn’t know any better) I used to dreamily graze my mom’s closet anxious for the day that I too could wear bright purple and teal dresses or eccentric jackets with unpleasant amounts of extra embellishments in order to make them extra tacky. Well, those days are gone now. I’ve since changed my mind. (No offense, Mom.)
I guess I should be grateful for the generation-worth of dreadful clothes that my mom accumulated during the ‘70s and ‘80s because they offered hours of entertainment and laughter during our forever-memorable closet raid only a year ago. In fact, I am convinced that we may never fully recover as we still frequently find ourselves giggling at the thought of some of the comical outfits we exposed that day. I can’t wait until the day that my children look at the clothes I wear and taunt and tease me in the same way my sisters and I will forever harass our mom.
I do have to admit, my mom had me worried when she told me she was planning to wear her black polka-dot stirrup pants to my grandma’s funeral a couple weeks ago. This is because I distinctly remember going out of my way to bury those pants at the bottom of the Goodwill donation box long ago. Leave it to my mom to be shameless enough to dig them out when no one was watching and only admit it a year later. However, I am glad to report that she wore something else – something without polka dots and stirrups. Way to go Mom!
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