Do You Ever Wish You Were Born in a Different Decade?

(originally written April, 2008)

For some odd reason, I've always felt as though I was born in the wrong decade. Don't get me wrong, the 90s were great and all. Gellie sandals and Tamogachis were the shiz, and I can safely say that the Spice Girls changed my life. But still, the 90s were just lacking... something.

The 20s were roaring, Prohibition must have been a crazy time. I would have loved being a daredevil jezebel, cutting my hair and hemming that skirt ~GASP~ above the knee! People were having fun and being rebellious. There wasn't any Nintendo or Facebook to distract people, it was just good, semi-clean fun.

The 40s were fabulous. I may love the 40s most of all. The days of pinning and going steady were all so romantic. Though I would have needed a pretty liberal and non-sexist husband, I would have made a pretty good 40s housewife. Kind of like an old-fashioned trophy wife! The men in the 40s knew how to woo, and the girls knew how to play coy. It was all so uncomplicated and very Pleasantville.

The 70s (minus the drugs and disco fever) would have been crazy. Even if you weren't a full-fledged hippie, you still wanted to be independent and free. Simon and Garfunkle, the Stones, Jonie Mitchell. The 70s were about music and expression. People weren't afraid to be crazy, they just did what they wanted to do. Also, no one cared if you drank 3/2 beer, so people went out but didn't get sloppy drunk. According to my parents it was a hell of a time.

I think maybe it's not that I should have been born in another decade, but that my life should be more like the movies from those times. It kills me to watch Breakfast at Tiffanys, Sabrina, Casablanca, The Great Gatsby... I think every girl wants to be an Audrey or a Marilyn. We all want that romantic life full of extraordinarily handsome men, exciting parties, and class. There was just an order to things, and it took something special to stand out. 

Nowadays, girls will act crazy and do almost anything to stand out from the crowd. We've made it too easy for guys. We've taken away any motivation to genuinely impress someone. And I'm not trying to bash my own sex here, it goes both ways. An interesting girl will be passed up for that girl wearing the low-cut top. And vice-versa, and interesting guy will be overlooked because of the smooth-talking player. There was just a way of acting in the old days that people really made an effort. I can't quite find the words to explain it, it was just different...

I guess the one thing I really love about the 90s is that I can do whatever I want with my life. I don't have to be a stay-at-home wife, unemployed and focused only on the kiddies. But then again, I wouldn't pass up marrying Linus Larrabee and living the life of luxury either! It's just daydreams I guess.

While I'm talking about it, I wish my life had a soundtrack.