# What were the fads when you were in school? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 16, 2012, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-fads-when-you-were-in-school/641243 "2012-11-16T20:57:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Taomist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/53a042/32.png) [@Taomist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taomist)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2012, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-fads-when-you-were-in-school/641243/41 "2012-11-17T01:16:22Z")
I still peg my jeans. Not sure if it was a fad in the 70’s/80’s or not, but I do know that being short and HATING wide-bottomed pants combined to force me to do my own adjustments, and I’ll still do it now if I’ve a mind to. Goes best with high-top sneakers, though; pretty sure THOSE are out of fashion by now, too. 🙂 psst…MCHammer pants are not parachute pants, pfft. Parachute pants are slim and shiny and have lots of zippers and snaps and make a noise like…parachute pants!..when you run in them, lol. Not that I had any… Oh, and wearing long sweatshirts with tights and legwarmers and aforementioned high-tops; yeah. That was kinda…popular…for a while, too. ---
**Author:** ![tomcar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tomcar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomcar)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2012, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-fads-when-you-were-in-school/641243/42 "2012-11-17T01:28:54Z")
> [@Sateryn76](#): > > Grade school - pulling your elastic legged sweatpants up to your calves. For some reason. > > Junior high - Tight rolling your jeans That is called pegging. ---
**Author:** ![tomcar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tomcar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomcar)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2012, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-fads-when-you-were-in-school/641243/43 "2012-11-17T01:31:45Z")
> [@11811](#): > > I was in grammar school in South Jersey from '66-71. Around '70 or '71 the guys all got Beatle Boots with the zip on the inside ankle. Chelsea Boots ---
**Author:** ![tomcar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tomcar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomcar)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2012, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-fads-when-you-were-in-school/641243/44 "2012-11-17T01:40:27Z")
How about Jams? The floral board shorts. Also mid cut mesh football jersey shirts. Coca Cola logo rugby shirts Wearing pegged jeans (very light colored) with Adidas sambas or campus. Panama Jack hats with the 2 pieces of cloth in the back Panama Jack sunglasses with cloth on the sides. Bugle Boy pants ---
**Author:** ![Lightlystarched](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Lightlystarched](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightlystarched)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2012, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-fads-when-you-were-in-school/641243/45 "2012-11-17T01:50:21Z")
I remember these barrettes we made - lacing thin ribbon in a criss cross pattern onto metal snap type barrettes. The ends of the ribbon were long and you’d string beads onto them. It was a girl scout craft for years. Plastic bead necklaces. 1981? leg warmers over jeans, headband thing - usually braided, worn mid-forehead, a la Jane Fonda. Bright blue eye shadow. 1983? Was this just a Phoenix thing? There was a hairstyle called a “crop” and it just involved taking a 1-2 inch diameter section of hair, right at the crown, and cutting it to 1 or 2 inches long. It just looked weird, like sprouting out of the top of your head. The stoners wore tall, lace-up moccasin type shoes/boots - knee high. Brands - polo, izod, Op, Guess, preppy stuff. Oh, those sandals with the woven straps, criss-crossed leather…what were they? Bass brand. Sunjuns? And weejuns? High school - shaker sweaters and stirrup pants. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2012, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-fads-when-you-were-in-school/641243/46 "2012-11-17T01:50:52Z")
> [@tomcar](#): > > How about Jams? The floral board shorts. How about JNCO Jeans. ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2012, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-fads-when-you-were-in-school/641243/47 "2012-11-17T01:55:42Z")
JNCO Jeans were the worst thing to happen to the world. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2012, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-fads-when-you-were-in-school/641243/48 "2012-11-17T01:57:41Z")
I had parachute pants. A friend of my Mum’s brought them over from America, but they never took off as a fad in New Zealand so I was uniquely stupid looking in them. No change there. Anyways, I was born in 1969, the trends I remember in my poky little country schools included: [Space Invaders Calculators](http://www.tmbsoft.com/tmbgames/mg880pc.html) (and other digital watch-type things) and [LCD handheld games](http://www.pica-pic.com/). Can’t remember too many other trends, except for very localised things like weird insults, such as “spoon” or “dry”. ---
**Author:** ![tomcar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tomcar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomcar)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2012, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-fads-when-you-were-in-school/641243/49 "2012-11-17T01:58:42Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > How about JNCO Jeans. Hahaha those were ridiculous. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2012, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-fads-when-you-were-in-school/641243/50 "2012-11-17T02:02:18Z")
Filas. ---
**Author:** ![tomcar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tomcar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomcar)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2012, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-fads-when-you-were-in-school/641243/51 "2012-11-17T02:04:18Z")
Here are some Jams on Ebay. These take me back… [http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Original-Jams-Shorts-Lot-Boys-Girls-Surfboard-1980s-Board-Shorts-Nice-/121020308149?pt=US\_Childrens\_Unisex\_Clothing&hash=item1c2d5f5ab5](http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Original-Jams-Shorts-Lot-Boys-Girls-Surfboard-1980s-Board-Shorts-Nice-/121020308149?pt=US_Childrens_Unisex_Clothing&hash=item1c2d5f5ab5) ---
**Author:** ![moejoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de053/32.png) [@moejoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moejoe)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2012, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-fads-when-you-were-in-school/641243/52 "2012-11-17T02:13:57Z")
> [@Lightlystarched](#): > > Oh, those sandals with the woven straps, criss-crossed leather…what were they? Bass brand. Sunjuns? And weejuns? I always wanted a pair of those. Still do. ---
**Author:** ![jabiru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bbce88/32.png) [@jabiru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jabiru)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2012, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-fads-when-you-were-in-school/641243/53 "2012-11-17T02:20:30Z")
> [@moejoe](#): > > I always wanted a pair of those. Still do. Still have mine. They’re tan leather - go with everything. I live in them in summer. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2012, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-fads-when-you-were-in-school/641243/54 "2012-11-17T02:33:39Z")
Nobody’s mentioned the tribal distinctions? Late 1970’s: Freaks (stoners) wore denim and nothing but for pants. Both male and female freaks wore some variation of the shag haircut. Concert t-shirts were uniform, the fashion winner being the owner of the most. Since most freaks were working class, this suited their means. Although there were some middle class freaks, they were all girls and dressed like groupies; appropriately enough, since that was their major interest. Jocks wore rugby shirts and could wear other kinds of pants besides jeans. All the jock chicks had Dorothy Hamil wedge hair, and all the jock guys John Denver-ish. The Straights (grinds) were oblivious to fads, and wore whatever their moms bought at Sears & Penny’s. Below them were kids like me whose parents couldn’t even afford Sears, and the poorer farm kids who wore barn clothes to school, and the overweight asexual kids. ---
**Author:** ![Cub\_Mistress](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea666f/32.png) [@Cub\_Mistress](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cub_Mistress)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2012, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-fads-when-you-were-in-school/641243/55 "2012-11-17T02:43:48Z")
1969 to 1980 or so [go go boots](http://www.target.com/p/gogo-boots-white/-/A-14102548): these are a cheap costume version, ours were leather, mid calf height and had black heels. I loved them! Big bell bellbottoms. ours had zippers from the knees down to the hems to reduce the size of the bell as demanded by school, the you could unzip them after school and let your freak lag fly! Peasant blouses that made 12 year olds look pregnant. Scooter skirts: short skirts with short short built in Hot pants :very, very short tight shorts. Do rags: a bandanna tied to a belt loop by one corner and trailing along behind you. No I don’t understand why either long, long long straight hair, parted in the middle. for girls and boys Low rise bell bottoms. I swear I had one pair where the zipper was only two inches long. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2012, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-fads-when-you-were-in-school/641243/56 "2012-11-17T03:23:13Z")
Loving this thread. Mid 30’s Chicago here. I immediately thought of pants pegging in Jr High when I read the OP. Of course, our uniform-enforcing Catholic school quickly banned it. I also clearly recall several of the shoe fads that have been mentioned already. I remember a friend very carefully writing AIR on the back of his Nikes to get a free shoe status bump. My mom made me get dorky British Knights. I thought parachute pants were a Michael Jackson thing, not MC Hammer. Z Cavariccis and later Girbaud jeans were red hot. I never had either one ☹ Freestyle and BMX bikes were ranked with the GT Performer near the top. Of course, I never got one. Front and back pegs were extremely important at that time, too. I think a bunch of my classmates got really into Ecto Cooler Hi-C. Good ol’ mom signed me up for milk, regular old 2%, not the available chocolate. Mullet haircuts weren’t such a bad thing in 9th grade. Banned at my high school, natch. My brother is a couple years younger than I am and his class got into pro wrestling and M.U.S.C.L.E Men wrestling figures. I thought they were neat but had outgrown figures by then. Mostly. Ooh! Thought of another one: Scratch & Sniff and puffy, plastic stickers! I remember Nerds candy were a pretty popular way to spend your allowance. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2012, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-fads-when-you-were-in-school/641243/57 "2012-11-17T03:29:56Z")
> [@jnglmassiv](#): > > Ooh! Thought of another one: Scratch & Sniff and puffy, plastic stickers. That just reminded me of something. [Puffy Painted sweatshirts](http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQ1DYxzsR2Z_pr9K9U0ec9HjU4mA9xJsXiRCEqSpLckW2vgKf_-c2TPw3_Y). Of course, while Puffy Paints were huge in the 80’s, I think painting up your shirts and jeans was just part of the whole neon everything phase. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2012, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-fads-when-you-were-in-school/641243/58 "2012-11-17T03:33:36Z")
Early 1970s. Wacky Packs. Those clacker things, you know the balls on the string? ---
**Author:** ![Becky2844](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@Becky2844](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Becky2844)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2012, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-fads-when-you-were-in-school/641243/59 "2012-11-17T03:59:10Z")
While I compile a list, here’s a regional fad…“spoolies.” Pink rubbery thread spool-looking things. You wrapped your hair around them and pressed down the top to cap off the curl. Only available in Cas Walker’s stores. East Tn. Late '50s, early '60s. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2012, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-fads-when-you-were-in-school/641243/60 "2012-11-17T04:55:43Z")
[Moon boots!](https://www.google.ca/search?q='80s+moon+boots&hl=en&safe=off&rlz=1C1LENP_enCA477CA477&prmd=imvns&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=WRinUOSCLarkiALvkYHACw&ved=0CB0QsAQ&biw=1440&bih=799) Lots of other things, of course, but these stand out as the most ridiculous, since parachute pants have already been mentioned. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-fads-when-you-were-in-school/641243.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-fads-when-you-were-in-school/641243.md?page=4)