At this time of the year, when many of us are shopping for gifts for relatives, we are learning a lot about what the current trends for toys and fashion are. A fun idea for a family history scrapbook is to focus on what the trends were when you, your parents, and your grandparents were growing up. Looking at old photographs is a great way to get started, and you can also find a lot of great information online.
For example, I was born in 1978 and my sister was born in 1980. Certain toys stand out in my mind as being very popular when we were growing up. For example, Cabbage Patch Kids were a very big deal, as were Care Bears, Pound Puppies, My Little Ponies, and Pogo Balls. We wore plenty of neon colors, and there are embarrassing family photos to prove it. Our closets were also filled with leggings, and we accessorized with jelly shoes and bracelets. My sister and I sometimes asked our mother to crimp our hair, as we were too young to do it ourselves.
As my sister and I became less concerned with toys and more concerned with fashion, it was the 1990s. Okay, so we still liked a few toys and even though I was in high school I did have a Tickle Me Elmo. I don’t remember what my sister wore, but half of the time I sported a Seattle style grunge look and the other half of the time I took my wardrobe cues from Clueless and Beverly Hills 90210. Again, there are plenty of embarrassing photos to prove it, and even a few pictures that I like looking at too.
My parents were born around 1950. As children, they may have played with Mr. Potato Head, hula hoops, Frisbees and ant farms. I am sure that my mother had a Barbie doll or two and my dad probably had at least a few toy cars. My mother probably wore a dress almost every day, as blue jeans for girls were rare except for very casual occasions. She had everyday dresses that she wore at school and at home, plus fancier frocks for Sundays and holidays. Little boys wore blue jeans regularly, so I am sure that my dad often played in jeans and sneakers. He did go to a Catholic school, so he wore uniform suits to school and of course suits on Sundays too.
Trends are fun to look back at, especially when you have pictures of people in your family wearing them. As embarrassing as those pictures of me in my eighties and nineties fashion are, they also make me laugh as I recall that I was not the only one looking that way. What trends can you spot in your family photo albums?
Photo by mzacha on morguefile.com.