I’m ecstatic that it’s retro day! Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE being in my late 50s – and unlike many others my age, I do love much of the music today (Billie Eilish, Sierra Ferrell, St. Vincent). However, I have to give credit to the 1980s for shaping who I am today. Music was always my life. Early 1980, I saw The Clash, and it empowered me. I was always bullied in my childhood and teens, but once I got into punk rock, I fought back. People still didn’t leave me alone, but showing I wasn’t afraid was really cool. I am so proud of my young self!
Then by mid-80s I was a working girl and changed my style altogether. Yet, I fell victim to the “big hair.” This is me in the Bahamas, 1985.
From 1985 to 1986, I was part of the stage show for Pharoah, a 1980s glam rock band. Who would have known back then I’d marry the bassist, Dennis Lords, in 2011?! I was shy and barely talked to him, but I always thought he was cute!
By 1987 big hair was on its way out, but I still held on to it. Around this time many people told me I looked like Pia Zadora, who was a famous singer/actress, big in the 1980s. I was known as “The Pia Zadora Girl.”
Lucky me, I got to meet the late Tiny Tim in 1988 when he performed in NYC. My hair was now all grown out, but still “big” on the sides.
Late 1980s, a softer variation of “big hair.”
From 1986, onwards, I started getting into goth. But not being one to follow the crowd with a typical gothic look, this was my version of it, black hair, but embracing color like red and a pink lei at a party.
When I look back at the 1980s, I think of music, having a variety of friends, and the fact that my beloved grandmother was still alive. It was a time of going out A LOT. It was a time of seeing bands all the time (which I still do). And it was a time for dancing (which I only do on rare occasions). It was a time for clothes and experimenting with hair and make-up. I experimented plenty, because in your 20s you never feel “good enough.” While they were fun times, I look back and cherish, but I certainly DO NOT want to re-live them. Plus the fact that it wasn’t until the mid-1990s that my writing career took off. But that’s another decade I’ll revisit another time. 🙂
Maryanne Christiano-Mistretta can be reached at: maryannechristiano@gmail.com.
She is the author of the following books:
“Be (Extra)Ordinary: 10 Ways to Become Your Own Hero” is available on Amazon. To get your paperback or Kindle version, visit:Be (Extra)Ordinary
“I Don’t Want to Be Like You” is available on Amazon. To get your paperback, Kindle or audio copy, go here: I Don’t Want To Be Like You
Her fiction book “Love Cats” second printing is now available, under the pen name Krystianna Mercury, from Pink Flamingo. You can purchase it here: https://eroticbooknetwork.com/product/love-cats/
Maryanne is also available for book editing and coaching. Rates are competitive.
And for positive messages, visit Be YOUnique, the Anti-Bullying You Tube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLq6J9MSvcjd-haQ30ycLWA/videos
Maryanne Christiano-Mistretta 