By Maureen Bonatch
My hair is straight as a board. My sister and I used to have waist-long straight hair, and we’d jokingly call each other ‘the paste sisters.’ (The length is another story related to a childhood of short, poorly cut hair courtesy of my mother).
Looking around now, it seems that straight hair has come back, but this wasn’t the case in the 1980s.
I’d look longingly at the 1970s when I’d heard rumors that some people even ironed their hair to get it straighter (remember, this was before flat irons existed). But in the 1980s, my stick-straight hair put me at a disadvantage. Luckily for me, there were perms. And hairspray. Lots of hairsprays. Even so, I couldn’t obtain or maintain the desired ‘big hair’ for long without it falling flat.
Back in the day
Still, I look back to the 1980s and love that time. For me, when I’m thinking of the trends, I think of the hairstyles, the makeup (Oh, so much makeup! I loved trying out all the crazy eyeshadow trends), the music, and of course, the miracle of stirrup pants, harem pants, and spandex—for a girl who wasn’t a fan of jeans.
So when I see some of these trends returning (who thought mullets would ever make a comeback?), it always takes me back to that time. My girls would roll their eyes as I’d remind them that, ‘back in the day,’ I had that style. Too bad I cleared out my closets long ago.
What does this have to do with books?
A few books In my Charmed Cocktail Cozy series feature James Stone. A private investigator cursed to be pale as a ghost and walk the earth, appearing like he’s already left this world. My amateur witch sleuth and her furry sidekicks might want to help James erase this curse. The only problem? The curse happened ‘back in the day.’ You’ve got it—the 1980’s.
So I’ve been thinking about what my characters might notice if they glimpsed the 1980s. In Marissa’s time, a dark streak of hair on a witch could indicate that she’d performed a nasty spell. Imagine what some of the 19080s styles could mean.
It could be a real hair-raising adventure!
Find the charmed cocktail cozies here
Do You Have a Favorite Decade?
What Do You Think of When You Think of the 1980s?
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Just a small-town girl, Maureen Bonatch leads a double life. She lives in a magical world as a novelist, and as a nurse leader in reality. Maureen’s first novella was a paranormal romance published when blogs were a new-fangled thing. She’s since changed her focus to writing paranormal cozy mysteries and paranormal romance as M.L. Bonatch and urban fantasy as Maureen Bonatch.
While she’s not busy writing or doing nurse-things, she’s a mom to her twin daughters, bicycling in the beautiful woods of PA with her hubby, doing the bidding of a feisty Shih Tzu, and dancing as much as possible. She believes music can be paired with every mood, laughter is contagious, and that caffeine and wine are essential for survival.
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8 comments:
Love love LOVED the '80s. Big hair, great music with pretty band members and an all around relaxed 'tude. And the best - my two boys-children of the '80s with all the best kid shows to entertain this stay at home writer mom.
The 80s shows were the best!
I was one of those ironing my hair to get it straight. Which never worked, or only for an hour, then is was back to its thick, curly self. I had big hair without trying. LOL Seems we always want what we don't have. LOL
I'm with you , loved the the music, wild eye makeup and clothes. Believe it or not, I still have some of the harem pants, stirrup pants and purple with flowers hip huggers from the 60s yep, need to clean out my closets. LOL
Really loved your post!!
I was the mom who gave my 6-year-old a perm. Does anyone remember Tonette? My daughter had (still has) very thick hair. With that perm, she looked like she'd stuck her finger in a light socket. Really. Poor kid. Though it fit, since that was the 80s--big hair. My fav decade is the 60s. Love the music. Not too crazy about some of the fashions, though.
I remember scorching my bangs to get the "satellite dish" on my forehead. My hair's thin and flat too, but I wanted those bangs.
I was a child in the 80s, not even a teenager. The only styles I remember were neon colours, bicycle shorts, and the brand Vuarnet. I think they had colour-changing clothes. I also remember some of the music, like Cyndi Lauper, Boy George, Tiffany, Michael Jackson, and New Kids on the Block. As for hair, I've always had straight and very fine hair, so I can't do much with it.
Tena if I'd kept some things my girls would've been happy!
Hmmm...not sure I remember Tonette, Diane. lol Marilyn!
I loved the music Jessica!
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