Being beautiful in 1942 had more to do with how daintily you held your fingers to your chin than with the symmetry of your features. If, by chance, you had man hands, you could look off to the side wistfully. But it wasn’t nearly as effective.
You don’t see much of this style these days. Little wispy bangs curled and spiraled like a double helix. Those of you in your 40s may also recall the curse of the add-a-bead necklace back in the day: one was supposed to wear it UNDER the collar, but like Bad Bangs shows us here, it would often pop out from under the collar.
I’m pretty sure this is Pam Dawber during her Mork and Mindy days, but that has not been confirmed. In any event, she is distracting from her two bang pieces with this horizontal stripe (probably boatneck).
This next lady looks pretty self-satisfied, having shoved her curled partial bang off to the side of her forehead, where it will not interfere with activities of daily living.
Each of these lovely ladies can console themselves that they were not donning the Dorothy Hamill cut, so popular in 1976, a full SIX YEARS PRIOR. Poor Paula cannot say the same.
Who could it be now? Ted, Shawn, or Michael? It’s a tough call, but my money’s on Shawn. I can see the rumpled Code Bleu jacket in the back seat, next to a can of New Coke, a ticket stub for Rambo: First Blood II, and an empty Dokken cassette case. You rock so hard, Shawn.
While we’re at it, who’s the proud owner of that black Trans-Am that always screeches into the roller rink near closing time, scouting pubescent girls in banana clips and Esprit blouses?
Is it Ben, Larry, or Franswya? Ben is bringing the preppy Blaine vibe, but I heard he drives a totally rad Ford Bronco. Larry is not allowed to operate heavy machinery until he’s done participating in the clinical trial, so it must be Fran, giddy as heck.
I do hope that Franswya is not an alternate way of spelling François, but either way, he’s in his 40s now, so he’s at peace with the name. It’s not quite as unsettling to me as boys named Kameron, but like the overrated movie Frozen (really, what was the BIG deal?), I’ll let it go. Let’s focus instead on Bob.
What about Bob? I don’t care if those keys are to his Porsche 944, I’m not going. I’m taking the school bus home today.
Fun fact of the day: Jheri curl creator Jheri Redding (born Robert William Redding) was an American hairdresser, chemist, haircare products entrepreneur, and a businessman. And an old white guy. But that didn’t stop folks from sporting the glossy, loosened curls.
This slideshow requires JavaScript.
If you have never watched Coming To America, do yourself a favor and enjoy Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall as the Hope & Crosby pairing for the 1980s. The movie parodied overuse of Jheri Curl in an advertisement for Soul Glo. My eardrums are still pierced from the shrill jingle (Prince meets Minnie Riperton). You remember Eriq La Salle rocking a Jheri? But the woman’s hairdo reminds me of Ola Ray, the luck, luckiest girl in the whole U.S.A. The girl from the Thriller video! The one we all wanted to be–with Michael’s arm around her! Is that blue leopard denim?
And while every senior in this 1985 yearbook wore the same striped tie or strapless gown, not all of them sported Jheri curl. This lady went for volume instead. The gentleman has a curious case of Kenan Thompson eyebrows. See for yourself.
Nobody told Victor he couldn’t wear Stevie Wonder glasses for class portraits. Still, his enormous shades were probably better choices than these three specs:
Guard your cheekbones, sister! The header reads “Little Sisters of the Skull.” I don’t see a skull. And obviously one of these ladies is no little sister. The housemother’s pissy smile is reminiscent of Marlene Dietrich, the later years.
The weak are more likely to make the strong weak than the strong are likely to make the weak strong. — Marlene Dietrich
Actually, her face conveys a more Kanye West sentiment: You should be honored by my lateness. If you’re not familiar with the leggy, gender-bending bisexual and promiscuous Dietrich, then chances are high you also have no idea to what Klute hair refers. No worries! It was an old Hanoi Jane Fonda movie, where she displayed this curious hairstyle. Female sideburns that flip up and constantly poke the eyeball–who wouldn’t want that? Personally, I prefer Barbarella.