Guest Post: Bueller? Bueller? & #SpreadTheKindness Link Up #94
- Note from Shelbee: If you read last Tuesday’s post, What to Wear to a Nude Beach, then you are already familiar with today’s guest blogger, my friend and avid blog reader, Susan Marinelli. Susan is at it again with her wit and humor taking on today’s fashions in the world of high school kids. I cannot thank Susan enough for helping me out with some blog content while I am floundering through the crazy, mirky waters of what my life is right now! It’s all about being kind and helping others simply because we can! Keep spreading your kindness, my friends!
Hi, I am Susan Marinelli. I am an aged hippie from New Castle, Delaware, a very old town on the Delaware River. I live in my old, old house with my aged Scottie, Wally, and a most annoying cat named Gracie. My grandparents lived around the corner, where my father was born, and I am related to 99% of all the Italians in my town. I am inching toward retirement, and in the meantime, drive a school bus and a senior center bus so I don’t have to work in an office. I’ve done a lot of traveling, love to read, cook, garden, and am a fan of history and language. And of course, fashion. Here I am (and yes, I am holding an Italian flag).
Bueller? Bueller?
by Susan Marinelli
Oh, High School! Those halcyon days! We were young, we were thin, we were free, and our parents paid our bills. Adolescence is a time to find yourself, experiment, and figure out the person you want to be. Teachers can solve a personal problem in half an hour and universal acceptance is the norm. At least in the movies.
I don’t know about the rest of you, but my high school experience was quite the opposite.
I was pimply, with ginormous boobs, a tragic shag haircut, and low self esteem. I couldn’t wait to get out of there!
One thing that hasn’t changed about high school throughout the generations is the daily fashion parade.
My current job requires that I return daily to the scene of my own fashion crimes.
It requires that I watch the fashion parade, at length, ad infinitum, ad nauseum. Ad-libbing is just a bonus. I sit in my seat whilst 2,500 teenagers parade past me on the way to their respective school busses, cars, parent’s cars, motorcycles, bicycles, etc.
And believe me, I am a captive audience in more ways than one. It is the favorite part of my job!
I don’t take pictures of kids for obvious reasons. Usually, I content myself with texting vivid and judgmental descriptions to my BFF Joanie, who attended this high school with me, and committed many a good fashion faux pas herself. Think rabbit fur coat that shed clumps during the school day. Body suits in 90 degree heat. Or my blonde phase which involved a bottle of Sun-In turning my hair bright orange. You get the idea. We’ve all been there.
And look how well we turned out!
Fashion is a learning curve that takes time, money, and patience. These kids are beginners. Many of them just got to pick out their own clothing this year. It is only natural they will pick some hoot-worthy clothes and I wish them the best. Truly, I do.
They are just now learning they will be judged by what they wear. They have my sympathy, my empathy, and my well wishes. If they wanted it, they could have my guidance, too.
They also have my most appreciative derision.
You, gentle reader, get to share in this experience with me, as Shelbee has agreed to share my writing with you. Like the flu, I hope it’s contagious.
Have you ever sat with a straight face while a kid dressed as Keanu Reeves straight out of the Matrix asks where bus 27 is? He wears all black: black trench coat, baggy black jeans, black combat boots, and some sort of black shirt that I have never seen because it is always hidden beneath the trench. Even his phone is black. He wears this outfit every single day, whether the weather is blisteringly hot or frigid and snowy. I admire his commitment.
Then we have Pat. Pat is addicted to plaid. It is worn daily either above or below, unless its substitute, camouflage, is worn. Pat has platinum hair, with roots, which I am told is now called balayage. Pat has the most fabulous, hilarious, multitudinous collection of platform sneakers on earth, or at least in this county. I have never seen the same shoes worn twice. Every shoe is pristine. Truly it is amazing! Dad must own a shoe store.
If you are wondering why I’ve stopped using pronouns, it is because this child has androgyny down PAT!
This is not the kid who spends every morning Liberty-spiking his hair, this is some other kid I got off the Internet. Share with me the mental picture of the kid I actually saw though, with this exact hair, caught in the rain, while his spikes flop to one side or the other, and the hair paint drips down his face. Even he had to laugh.
And the reason I cannot get a Blondie Tee is because every single high school kid is sporting one, the little snots! They weren’t even born then!
But in the spirit of shopping mojo, here is what the kids are wearing in my local high school.
1) Graphic Tees
The biggest trends in tees this year are California Republic (with the requisite picture of the bear on it), NASA, Marilyn Monroe, Blondie, and any shirt that says New York or any of its boroughs on it. And let’s not forget any band shirt as long as it looks old. The smartass tees continue in popularity, particularly anything relating to sarcasm, not caring, marijuana, and anime. Solid color tees without a saying or a picture are simply not seen in high school unless they are worn by teachers. Or bus drivers.
2) Cell Phones
This could be a post unto itself. And if you encourage me, will be.
3) Headphones (see number two)
4) Adidas Slides
The Adidas website says this:
“The Adilette debuted in 1972 as a poolside slide, and it’s been a style mainstay of Adidas ever since.”
Clearly. These slides are ubiquitous. To compound the horror, these are now worn with socks. Preferably patterned and mismatched.
5) Boys Wearing Pink
Naturally the boys want to Save the TaTas. God bless their breast cancer supporting little hearts.
6) Destructed Denim
This is the Kardashians of denim. Ripped, patched, torn, destructed, mini-cuffed, micro-cuffed…the mind reels. I even saw a destructed denim tube top. Not kidding.
7) Camo
Pants, shorts, kimonos, jackets, sneakers, phone cases, purses, backpacks, socks. The place resembles an Army barracks. Worn predominantly with black although orange is a strong second and pink is in there, too. Allow me to sniff haughtily: I wear a brown long sleeve tee with my camo skinnies.
8) Red High Tops
A la Usher. I am rushing off to order a pair.
9) Vans: Old Skool
Ubiquitous. Black. Suede.
It annoys me they spell Skool incorrectly.
Thank you, Shelbee, for allowing me to opine on my bit of haute/not couture.
Have a great week!
And thank you, Susan, for writing for me! And now for the featured favorites from last week’s link up.
Laurie of Meditations in Motion shared her post, Especially Toward Those Who May Try Your Patience…because even the kindest souls get a little frustrated sometimes! I hear you, Laurie. On all of it…from the chicken pie to the correct pronunciation of Lancaster (well, because I know how to pronounce it) straight to the disgusting gum wall! Ugh. Preach it, sister.
And if you are looking for ideas for Halloween costumes, do check out Tianna of Story Apothecary in her Pop Art Zombie Makeup Tutorial. So cool, Tianna! You are one talented girl, for sure.
Keeping it on the edge,
Shelbee
Linking up with these Fabulous Link Ups.
42 Comments
Tamar A Strauss-Benjamin
This was a riot!!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
I am glad you enjoyed it, Tamar! Susan is seriously so funny!
xoxo
Shelbee
Kellyann Rohr
I am absolutely cracking up – the line about the kids wearing Blondie tees – OMG!!! Susan is right though – these kids have no idea who she is! Loved reading this, bring us more Susan!!!
xo,
Kellyann
http://www.thisblondesshoppingbag.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Kellyann, I am so glad that you are enjoying Susan’s writing! Susan, are you reading this? Send me more to post! You are making us all laugh, you brilliant woman!
xoxo
Shelbee
Maria | passion fruit, paws and peonies
I used to always see punks when I grew up just south of London. I hardly see them any more. They looked scary but they were always rather sweet! I’m willing to try the Adidas slides – I rather like them! haha xx
https://www.passionfruitpawsandpeonies.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Maria, I used to want so badly to look like the punks who hailed from the south of London! I never quite hit the mark and ended up just a little more on the Goth and grunge side (sort of combined into my own unique weird style). I don’t have Adidas slides but I have a whole bunch of generic ones that are similar that I always wear with socks!
xoxo
Shelbee
Kathrine Eldridge
This really made my day! Great post. I think many of these things when I see what my teenage son is into.
https://www.kathrineeldridge.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Kathrine, thanks so much! I am so glad that you are all enjoying Susan’s posts!
xoxo
Shelbee
Laurie
I remember well some of the fashion faux pas you mention in the post – orange Sun-In hair, body suits! A trip down memory lane. I really enjoyed this. Of course, I had a front row seat to high school fashion trends for the past 30+ years as a high school teacher. I was usually pretty lax at enforcing the dress code (I think it unfairly targeted girls), but I was very strict about graphic tees. I remember having to explain the meaning of an offensive T-shirt to an assistant principal one time. He didn’t understand the double meaning of the words printed on the shirt. That was embarrassing!!!
Thank you so much for the feature. 🙂
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Laurie, thanks so much for sharing your experience with teenagers and their fashion choices. Oh, how I remember the body suits with the low slung boyfriend jeans. Except we didn’t actually have “boyfriend” jeans, we just wore our dad’s pants instead! And they were so big that they literally hung off of our hips and the body suits were cut super high in the leg so all the hip skin showed! Too ridiculous! And every body suit was styled with a beat up old grungy flannel on top! Or an olive green bomber jacket. That was the only bomber jacket you could buy back then…the shiny ones in either olive or black.
xoxo
Shelbee
susan
Sincere thanks for the love! I am currently working on a post tentatively entitled There is a Nun in my Head, but it’s not properly gelled/jelled yet. Seriously, I have so many opinions, I have to pick and choose and sort. Somebody stop me!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
I am thoroughly intrigued, Susan! And no one is going to stop you because it is apparent that we all love you! So keep it coming, my friend! I have space, I have time, I want to share what fun you are willing to send my way.
xoxo
Shelbee
Chrissy
Oh my gosh! This cracked me up!! Seriously, why can’t I be this witty? I’ll have to re-read. These are things I so want to say and just didn’t find a clever way to get it out there without offending. She did it perfectly!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Chrissy, your comment is perfect because I suspect there are many of us bloggers reading Susan’s posts and asking ourselves the same question! With hints of envy as to why we are not so witty and clever as Susan. She is like a unicorn when it comes to writing witticisms! None of us can compare. But I am so glad that you are all enjoying her guest posts!
xoxo
Shelbee
xoxo
Shelbee
jodie filogomo
Susan is something else, isn’t she. I have learned never to take a drink of water while I’m reading her comments…
The reason this is so funny is it’s all so true.
Bring on the cell phone post!!
XOXO
Jodie
http://www.jtouchofstyle.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Josie, I, too, have laughed so hard at some of her comments that things may or may not have shot out of inappropriate places! She is just too much! I am so glad that everyone is enjoying Susan’s posts so much! She rocks! Did you read that, Susan? “Bring on the cell phone post”!
xoxo
Shelbee
Patrick Weseman
LOL- So funny. My son (who is 21) thinks he is the fashion maven. I kind of laugh at the stuff he wears because some of it I wore back in the day.
I guess I am lucky where I teach because the students are issued their clothes by the county. That happens in juvenile hall, so I don’t get to see some of what it on the outside in a regular high school.
Thanks for making me smile and have a great day. Thanks for hosting.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Patrick, thanks for sharing your experience with the youth of today and their style choices! See, I am not the only one teaching you about fashion! Ha. Your son is teaching you as well!
xoxo
Shelbee
Elizabeth Ramsey
Laughing hysterically as I sit here in my camo jeans! Not having kids, its so fun to hear what’s on-trend with the youngsters these days. And thanks for explaining what balayage is…never knew but thought it sounded exotic.
Betsy | https://nattygal.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Betsy, thanks so much for this comment! I am so glad that everyone is finding Susan as funny as I find her! It took me a long time to understand balayage, too!
xoxo
Shelbee
Nancy
Haha, how funny! I hate it when kids wear Tees from artists they never heard of! Hanaha
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Nancy, I am glad you got a laugh out it! I hate it as well when kids wear bands they are not familiar with. Because I won’t even do that! I won’t even wear a Blondie tee shirt because I never really listened to her and it would make me feel like a big poser! But at least I know who she is!
xoxo
Shelbee
Cheryl Shops
I was in high school in the early ’90s, when Grunge was the big trend. It’s hilarious to me that everything I wore then—Doc Martens, mom jeans, cropped tops, slip dresses—is now (back) in fashion for teenagers. This time, I’ll be sitting it out. 😉
Cheryl Shops | http://www.cherylshops.net
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
I hear you, Cheryl! I entered high school in 1988 and graduated in 1992, so all of the current trends from my high school and college years are circling back around. But I kind of love it! I actually have been thinking lately that I might want a pair of Vans, you know, the Old Skool ones? Is that terrible?!
xoxo
Shelbee
Tianna
Haha I am LOVING these articles from Susan! It’s so hilariously true 😛 Thanks so much for featuring my post!! I’m so glad you enjoyed it and I hope people find it helpful or, at the very least, entertaining <3
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Tianna, thanks so much! I am loving Susan’s posts, too, and I also love that I get to be the one who shares them! As much as I think she should start her own blog, I will be sad to lose her as a regular contributor on my blog (but maybe she will continue to contribute…wink, wink, Susan)!
xoxo
Shelbee
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LAUREN Koepf SPARKS
She is too funny. I can only imagine what she has seen driving a high school bus. laurensparks.net
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Lauren, I agree with you completely! Susan is hilarious and she certainly must have seen some things during her bus driving tenure…things that can never be unseen, I’m sure!
xoxo
Shelbee
Chez-rama
That is a blog I enjoyed to read and laughed so hard that my husband thought I am crazy 🙂
I somehow envy you have to witness all of that and then put it in a fun way.
http://www.chez-rama.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Rama, thanks so much for sharing this comment! I am so glad that you got a good laugh at it. And I laughed that your husband thought you were crazy!
xoxo
Shelbee
Carrie @ Curly Crafty Mom
Baha! This made me crack up! Especially the Adidas Slide Ons bit!! Ahh, and we all do a little bit of some of these!
Carrie
curlycraftymom.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Carrie, I am so glad that you got a good laugh! Susan is freaking hilarious! And I agree, we all have been guilty of fashion faux pas at one time or another!
xoxo
Shelbee
Maureen
Lol 🙂 Yes I can remember those days. I had a really weird style of mixing a lot of colors and not in a good way! Perhaps that’s why I stick to neutrals these days! 🙂 I also remember getting into the lip liner only lips. What was I thinking?! Thank you to Susan for such a fun and funny post.
Maureen | http://www.littlemisscasual.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Maureen, thanks so much for sharing your fashion faux pas from days long gone! I do remember the lip liner only lips! So funny!
xoxo
Shelbee
Lisa Richardson
What a hoot! Susan was spot on best I can tell. Teens of today are a breed all their own. HA!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Lisa, I am so glad you got a chuckle from Susan! And I would imagine that the generations that came before us thought we were a very strange breed at that age, too. Haha.
xoxo
Shelbee
Nailil
Love this post! And the breakdown of what kids are wearing. I’d say wearing cell phones is new, because even 10+ years ago I don’t remember been attached to my phone like kids are now… High School was great and then it wasn’t. I can remember it all too well…
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Nailil, thanks so much! I am so glad that you enjoyed Susan’s post. I agree with you that we were definitely not as attached to our phones even 10 years ago. It is crazy to think how dramatically things change over the course of just a decade!
xoxo
Shelbee