CONFESSIONS OF A FAD

On the BRI’s Facebook page, we asked our fans: “What fad did you take part in that you are embarrassed to admit to now?” The responses were both surprising and amusing. (We left your last names out just in case any of you decide to run for Congress one day.)

• John L.: “Disco”

• Mike M.: “Disco”

• Rebecca G.: “Pet rocks”

• Sallie E.: “Mood rings and earth shoes”

• Rich G.: “Mullets”

• Carol M.: “Mullets and shoulder pads”

• Brian C.: “Mullet, overalls with only one strap buttoned lol”

• Jason L.: “Michael Jackson red leather jacket”

• Angie C.: “Pants pinning in the late ’80s”

• Darlene K.: “Button-up bell bottom jeans”

• Michelle W.: “I wanted parachute pants so badly. But we were poor, so my mom had to make them. Ugh!”

• Trina J.: “In second grade I made my mom do my hair like Princess Leia and went to school like that.”

• Erik A.: “Pogs…so, so many pogs”

• Jay N.: “Mullet and break dancing…at the same time”

• Loaf N.: “Fluorescent clothes”

• Lori L.: “Flash dance clothes”

• Darrell W.: “The ’80s Flock of Seagulls/Poodle haircut”

• Rae P.: “I had my hair cut like Olivia Newton-John’s in her ‘Physical’ video.”

• Avvy F.: “Victim of the stack perm, circa 1982”

• Joi C. “I streaked once.”

• Amber M.: “Scrunchies and trolls”

• Scott L. “Parachute pants. How f-ing dumb where they!?!”

• Franklin B.: “I owned a leisure suit in the ’70s.”

• Kayla S.: “Beanie Babies. I have over 200 of them in a bin in my basement.”

• Pradyumn D.: “Silly bands”

• Kimberly W.: “Tie-dyed stuff, parachute pants, jeans rolled up tight, scary high poofy bangs, denim jackets and denim shirts, acid-washed jeans, neon clothes, side ponytails. Yes, I was smack in the ’80s growing up.”

• Greg H.: “Bike shorts. And the less time spent thinking about it, the better.”

• Steven B.: “Popped collars, multiple popped collars.”

• Dave M.: “Nehru shirt”

• Marsha R.: “Neon everything!”

• Don A.: “Columbia House Record Club, Kay-Tel records (all the novelty songs of the ’70s), and all the fine merchandise put out by Ronco (Mr. Mike, pocket fisherman, GLH spray).”

• Jessica B.: “The side ponytail, crimping your hair, pegging of the pants, Popples, perfecting the macarena, and LOVING Crystal Clear Pepsi.”

• John G.: “I sported the rattail hairdo for awhile.”

• Jason W.: “Light-up sneakers lol”

• Jonathan L.: “Slice soda (I was the only kid in my class who actually liked it), a pair of parachute pants, Jordache jeans (finally got a pair just before or after they went officially out of style), and pogs.”

• Katie P.: “Feathered hair!”

• Russell C.: “I wore parachute pants for about a month during the ’80s. I do still miss my Members Only jacket though.”

• Sarah T.: “Rolled-up pants with stacked socks, sometimes 3 or 4 pairs lol”

• Scott W.: “Parachute pants, wow were they tight!”

• Matthew H.: “Hammer pants”

• Uncle John: “I once bought a very expensive TV because it had a ‘picture-in-picture’ feature which I could never figure out how to use.”

In 19th-century England, “pants” was considered an obscene word.