1995

Oh yes, the joyful years of High School, where our mascot was the Warrior and when I felt more awkward than ever, and everything dramatic was the end of the world. Our click of girls was made up of 2 groups, that until the 12th grade was just one group. In our senior year of high school the group was divided into 2. One group was made up of the girls who attended church every Sunday and who's morals consisted of not attending any parties where there might be alcoholic beverages and the temptation of a strapping young lad. And, there was us, the ones who spent most of our 12th grade weekends drinking wine coolers and taunting the boys with our freshly developed curves and our bubble gum lip gloss. Ready to Hussy it up.

If I may add, I didn't lose mine until after High School, when I gloriously managed to get deflowered AND knocked up, all in the same year. There was only 3 of us in this picture who were not sexually active, but never passed up a chance to ask my friends who had the sex ,what it felt like and how much did it really hurt.The truth is, I didn't even really see a penis in real life until this very year. They scared me. They were ugly. Who knew I would grow up to be such a penis connoisseur and eventually scaring the penis away. The irony, Eh?

I was inspired to write about this when I was in the dressing room of Forever 21 over the weekend, and over heard a group of High School girls in the fitting room chatting it up. I couldn't help but giggle at some of the stuff they were talking about. Realizing that one point in 1995 I was talking in the same high pitched voice and complaining about how like my history teacher couldn't keep his eyes off my like under developed breast. Like, you know?

One thing did stand out about their conversation. Something that made me so sad. The way that these girls were talking about their own bodies. At one point one said to the other "I can't wear this. I'm so fat". I don't remember ever dealing with weight issues in High School. My issues with my weight and food didn't come until my mid 20's, when I developed (and still deal with) a "problem" that I may some day share with you guys. These girls also talked about how they had to get home to dinner. One said that her parents always cook and they always wait for her and never eat without her. The other girl told her how lucky she was because her parents never cook.

Looking at this picture and realizing how different all of our home life's were. And how different they still are in the homes we have now built as grown ups.

The Hussies

1. Shannon- 2. Heather 3. Kim 4. JO 5. Jennifer 6. Jolene 7. Brooke 8. Amy 9. Hussy


* 1995 I was listening to Veruca Salt, Pearl Jam, Bjork, Live, The Cranberries, NIN, Garbage, Bad Religion, Candlebox, Portishead (the album "Dummy is still one of my all time favorites) and the year that Radiohead's "The Bends" album changed me forever. Aww, the memories...Where were you in 95?