Tacky in the 80s

"Tacky in the 80s.

What was my mom thinking dressing me in pink ruffles?" (via)

Is that all she has to say about this? REALLY?? If I didn't have a cold, I would be doing a recitation or ditty FOR SURE. Instead, a bit of poetry:

Freaked out baby, lying there

Starting to become aware.

"Will I grow to be like them?"

Holy Crap-this photo is a gem.

Dad in t-shirt, Mom in shock,

never expecting such a flock.

All sitting low against the "sky"

The kids? As teenagers, they'd rather die!

Girl in ruffles, tongue is out.

A bit of chaos there's no doubt.

Missing teeth and funky clothes,

So much here I could expose.

The whitest family I've ever seen,

And now they grace my little screen.

Little Miss Sunshine Meets the Grand Ole Opry

Each time I receive a photo, I think it's the best I've gotten yet. Today, I feel that way yet again. And at the same time, I feel disturbed to even know clothing items like this exist.

Young "Candy" could have been a pageant winner, don't you think?

Where to begin?

To the best of her recollection, Candy was 2 when she was asked to pose in this ensemble (and those are Granny's knees in the photo, which makes me beg the question-was this someone's living room? And if so, why was their wall painted like a Sear's Photo studio?)

Forced to balance on the shag carpeting, Candy rocked her tiered, ruffled dress and socks with lacy cuffs. (Did the hair bows and sock cuffs match her dress?) I am assuming, or hoping, that the white shoes were patent leather, because anything else would really have been in poor taste.

How is it, then, that Candy is able to actually look adorable?

I do feel slightly jealous of her hair style, which never worked on my curly, dark hair. In my elementary school days, I was also jealous of M. M. whose mother did that tucked-in-ponytail-to-make-it-look-like-a-bun style. M. M. also wore dresses just a step away from Candy's, but I was never jealous of those.

Were you?