Tres Chic

At first glance, this looks like a typical family vacation photo--a woman and her son and daughter, enjoying their summer holiday. But wait...

"What was my mother thinking? The stuff I had to endure because of those pants. She used to have me wear them for school, because she thought the grey ones were boring...and she was right. They were. But as a boy, you don't really want exciting pants.

Our R------ was funny. When having a photo taken, he would say "Act natural, act natural" and then stand with his arms out like a plane." (via)

Is this a travel ad to try to get German families to visit France? Families that dressed their poor sons in pink short shorts?
Colette's note: Everything has been emasculated in this photo. The Eiffel Tower and this little boy.

We both agree, however, that Mom looks awesome.

Good Day Sunshine!

"Pully and Me. 1976. Playing down at the corner. I'm about 7. Ok, I have to say what was my mom thinking when she bought this outfit???" (via)

Was Pully a dog

who performed in the circus?

or was that just you?

A shirt or jacket

Hard to tell what this one is.

Plaid is always best.

Gonna be a bright

bright, bright, bright, sunshiny day.

at least on your legs.

I never knew they were called Mudflaps

"Mudflaps over the ears."

A picture of my from back in the day...I was, obviously, born in the mid-1970's. Dig that outfit. What were my parents thinking?" (via)

Mudflaps? MUDFLAPS?

It just makes me want to start singin' CONVOY.

And of course, I am loving the crepe-soled shoes, light brown with dark brown laces. At least they match the buttons on his stylie suit.

Is that Albert Brooks?

No wonder he made that film Mother.

"This is--believe it or not--my fifth-grade photo. Notice the Bicentennial flag in the background. My school was so patriotic! My mother forced the home perm on me. I didn't choose it. This is what my family refers to as my Albert Brooks period." (via)

In which I pose a query--possibly of a philosophical nature:

Is it fair for a parent to force something upon their child, only to laugh at it later? I think not. It is, however, perfectly fine for the rest of us to laugh.

Identical Cousins, Don't you know, in Midwest Lederhosen

"A shot from the late seventies...Grandma made us cousins matching outfits. I'm the one in the middle...and the discourse on my blog after I posted this one there (as well as a clarifying conversation with my mom) seems to indicate that I was biter in my younger years." (via)

They're cousins--Identical Cousins and you'll find.

They laugh alike, they walk alike, at times they even talk alike

You can lose your mind,

When cousins are FOUR of a kind.

For those who don't know, those sporty plaid pants would certainly be known as SLACKS-one of my favorite words to say out loud.

I call these Midwestern Lederhosen. Plaid, Pinafores, cowboy shirt, and just right for marching in an Old Home Days parade.

Happy Monday!

I'm a lumberjack and I'm okay

I wear plaid all night and I sleep all day. (Okay, not so much with knowing the words but sing along with me.)

"I had to wear some of my boy cousin's hand me downs." Circa 1973. (via)

When I work, I wear short sleeves,

Even when it's cold and I start to sneeze.

My boy cousin's shirt sure looks girly,

I bet when he wore it, he felt a little surly.

I look pumped up, and kind of bulky,

but despite it all, pretty happy go lucky.

I wore my plaid like a lumberjack should,

even though choppin' wood was not my livelihood.

Why was the furniture behind me all covered?

what's underneath is yet to be discovered.

Why did houses then kind of look like hotels?

With ugly carpeting, and lots of weird smells.

I hope I grew up to dress a whole lot better.

Perhaps something lovely like a glittery Christmas Sweater.

Is that supposed to match?

WOW.

"I can't decide--do we look like the Joad's [sic] or Bonnie and Clyde (think rabbit equals machine gun)?

Now, I know we all joke with our parents (especially our mothers) about how they dressed us as children, but I do [feel] like I've got a legitimate case on dress code violations!" (via)

The only thing working in this photo is those lilacs. Of course, I guess I could say that there are many elements that are STUNNING. The mid-calf shorts. The black socks with sneakers. The shirt/shorts combination. The hair--oh, the hair.

The hand on hip. The Scout-like countenance. The Ed Grimley effect with how high the shorts are pulled up past her hips. Checkerboard pattern! Her brother's big 'ole patches on his jeans. The scrub they are standing in. The shirt buttoned to the neck. And of course, the stuffed rabbit.

Clearly a day meant for the family photo logs. Enjoy!

The Foundation for Children Dressed by their Parents

Where there is a need, there is always someone ready to help.

Traumatized in his own childhood, this young man grew into an adult who has obviously had the right amount of therapeutic intervention. Now, he seeks to help others.

"Foundation for Children Dressed by their Parents

You can make a difference in the lives of children like these. The trauma of ugly clothing can last a lifetime. Please help to end this needless, but all too common tragedy with your check or money order to..." (via)

Thank goodness the interweb allows such victims to come together, healing themselves by helping another.

Share your pain here. Email your photo and story to myparentsmademewearthis at gmail dot com

I hated this dress

Sometimes, that's really all we need to say. I hated this dress! (And it doesn't matter how cute everyone else might have thought you looked.)

"pretend you like each other...ooo I hated that dress." (via)

"I hated my dress." (via)

"I hated my dress." (via)

Okay, I've really got to agree with her about that one. Lace, ruffles, the hat--that's a lot of look.

"My sister and I used to hate wearing the same clothes as each other but my mother still made the same clothes for us anyway. I was exceptionally proud of wearing this though because I had two additional straps and my sister didn't. Back then, I felt that Ma used extra cloth to make my set so I felt that I've won." (via)

You showed her! Ha!

Of course, big sister did get the red shoes, so who really won here?

"...in March of '58, the school had a formal awards banquet and dance. Mama and I went to Wichita Falls to shop for a formal. It took us an entire exhausting Saturday on sidewalks from one shop to another, in and out of fitting rooms. There was a strictly limited amount of money available to spend, and Mama had strict ideas about what was appropriate to wear.

She wouldn't approve, or couldn't afford, any of the dresses I wanted. I wanted floor length. She demanded street length. I wanted strapless. That was out of the question for her. I wanted white, pink, or black. White showed stains too easily, she said; redheads just don't wear pink; black was 'too old for me.' She liked stiff, rustling organza, and I wanted soft satin or velvet, or at least crepe de chine.

Mama picked my dress over my objections and I hated it. The shoes were hand-me-downs from her boss' daughter who had gone away to college. The nylon stockings had seams in back, opaque reinforced toes that showed in my sandals (i watend seamless sheers, of course), and were held up by a white garter belt.

Mama even bought my corsage, from a florist who was one of her regular customers...Our landlady wanted to take a picture of me in my 'pretty dress' before I left for the dance. Or maybe she wanted to get a picture of her new color TV and her grandson's portrait. She didn't even get all of my dress in the shot." (via)

As far as I am concerned, all this woman had to say was "OPAQUE REINFORCED TOES THAT SHOWED IN MY SANDALS." A fashion crime against nature. Of course, I could argue that just the concept of the stockings with sandals at all is the real crime, but when you add the double offense of the reinforced toe, it simply not right.

The final dress-hater for today is also not a fan of pink.

"As a young girl, I was forced to wear pink. I had pink receiving blankets, pink hair accessories, pink ballet clothes, and pink dresses. Just by being a girl, everyone assumed I liked pink.

WRONG! WRONG! WRONG!
I HATE PINK!

I am in the back row of this photo looking miserable, bored, and humiliated. Calgon, take me away!" (via)

Strangely, she does not mention the ridiculous hair bow, which I find the larger issue-badumbum.
And is that a Raggedy Ann and Andy theme on the recital dresses? When I took ballet, I seem to remember a dance called the Rag Doll, but no costumes as spiffy as these.

Have a dress you hated? Send it along to myparentsmademewearthis at gmail dot com.

Because plaid looks good on everyone

Today, I am thinking plaid, liking school uniforms--and hoping to inspire some of you to send in your own hated school apparel.

Here's why I think this qualifies for My Parents Made Me Wear This: In my house, my son is resigned to the idea of school, and feels that the only reason he must go is because we force him. A uniform would merely be the icing on the forcing him cake.

The first photo for today is a bit confusing. Was it communion day? Why were these girls wearing veils in addition to their uniforms? And why did the girl in the middle not have one?

Here is what one of these women has to say about this lovely ensemble:

"The fashion dictated by my Catholic grade school...Green and gold plaid jumper no higher than an inch above the knee, preferably below. A choice from a wide selection of either white or green socks. Shoes judged to be sensible by a panel of nuns. Failure to comply resulted in death." (via)

She doesn't mention the veil, but I'm sure it was considered a critical part of the equation.

As a woman with olive skin, I find the next photo even more appalling. Who thinks that YELLOW is a good choice for these poor girls??

"...It often takes quite a while till we can bring ourselves to wear anything the colour of our old school uniform. The colours of mine were maroon and yellow.

Here you can see Class 2X, with form teacher, Miss Cooper (alias Kiss Mooper) in the summer of 1970. The uniform was in the transitionary stages from belted, gathered, solid yellow dress to shapeless sacks with a patter of fine white grid lines on yellow. I can also see the two allowed styles of regulation indoor shoes, for of course, no young lady would dare to wear her outdoors, indoors...I am horrified to note that sevearl members of the form appear to be flouting the 'no more than 3 inches above the knee' rule. Kiss Mooper's hemline seems dangerously high as well. It is no wonder that by 1972, one or two of the staff began to wear trouser suits." (via)

Trouser suits sound lovely too, don't they? Were they worn with shirts that had large bows at the collar?

There are also a few girls in the front row who do not have their legs crossed at the ankle. Sluts!