I cleaned out my office this past weekend, a task that was long overdue. Boxes of office supplies that we never unpacked were stacked in front of the closet, blocking any reasonable access to the filing cabinet, which itself was a nightmare mess.
In the interests of sanity and tax write-offs (I want to be able to claim the space as a business deduction this year), I spent nearly four hours sorting, filing and tossing stuff so I can work in there without my head exploding.
Somewhere along the way, I found this photo:
That’s me on the left, and my friend Michele on the right. The year is 1992, we are college seniors, and the setting is Urban Outfitters on Mass Ave in Boston.
We are dressed up in expensive “grunge” clothing and another student from the photojournalism school is taking this shot.
The final required class for our major in magazine journalism called for us to produce a mock magazine, from start to finish. We chose to draft a “sassy and smart” teen publication, and this photo was the back page.
We doctored the photo to show the high prices of these grungy clothes, trying to point out the hypocrisy of the slacker movement.
Yeah.
When I found this I had to stop working for a minute. My friend lives in Australia now, married and with a couple kids. The last time I spoke to her was 1995.
I look at my face in this photograph and I see a very young girl who had very big plans.
Now I know her story, and it isn’t quite the one she expected to write.
As embarrassing as this photograph is, I’m glad I found it. It captures a part of my life that would be so easy to forget.
I don’t want to forget that girl.
{ 33 comments… read them below or add one }
Awesome photo!
wow. i know those outfits like i slipped out of them just yesterday and left ‘em lying by the bed, waiting for me to step back in. except i had army boots from the thrift shop, because i was still saving for my knee-high Docs.
how strangely familiar. we are so freaking exactly the same age.
Great photo! In 1992, I was a college junior. You just took me back years …
I had that same project — design, mock up and pitch a magazine.
All of my college newspaper friends were in that class. We spent an entire night in our newsroom putting together our magazines the NIGHT BEFORE our projects were due. When we gave our presentations, we were all wearing our clothes from the day before.
God, I miss those days.
Fancy grunge clothes – great pic. Flannel still finds a place in the northwest, even today.
You do look determined. I think you still are.
Oh flannel! I had a closet full of it. I miss those days, but the flannel? Notsomuch.
Nice Photo. Sometimes I miss being young, Not that often but sometimes
That picture is awesome!! And look, you are still determined and still have a journalism career ahead of you. Nothing has changed.
None of our stories is “the one we expected to write.”
If I had followed my original plans, I’d be a lawyer working 80 hours a week. Blah. And making my way into the political world. Double blah.
Then had I followed my dream as planned, I’d currently be a pastry chef.
But thanks to an asshole ex who talked me out of going to cooking school after I was already accepted and packing my bags, I now have the wonderful life I have. I’m not rich. I’m not glamorous. But I have a great family and I’m stable.
I wouldn’t have *this* husband or *these* great kids.
I still itch to go to cooking school, but that’s ok. Maybe later.
(So funny, because my husband and I were just talking about this and I was going to write a post about how life turns out differently than expected.)
I’m loving this photo! You do like a woman with big plans. Life is never what we expected it to be and I try to remind myself that when I think about the future, too. I can totally relate to that style, not that I wore it in 1992 but I certainly remember it. And I used to live very close by that very store, just a few years later, when I was in grad school.
Sometimes I miss being young, Not that often but sometimes
You and I must be eating the same cereal this morning, huh?!
Expensive grunge. That is funny!
I love your picture.
Fantastic!
no one could forget that girl. that girl is going places. that girl IS going places.
An old boyfriend recently emailed me pictures from our senior prom.
I remember the pictures being taken and how ugly and fat I had felt at the time.
Now, when I look at those pictures, I see a kid who was actually pretty and “normal”.
Isn’t it funny how a few years can change your prospective?
‘92? I was a junior in college – doing pretty much the same assignment! I miss the classes, the freedom, the passion that I had back then. But since I married my high school boyfriend…I’m never very out of touch with the “me” of back then. He doesn’t let me forget. =)
Nice post!
I used to dress almost exactly like that. Oh, the memories…
Great photo.
I wouldn’t, either
I think that photo of you is FANTASTIC!
That’s a great photo, and a nice stroll back in time. It’s nice to be reminded of who we were, every now and then.
- Heidi
I loved this post – beautiful story and beautifully written. Thanks for sharing it. See ya.
You showed us yrs; ,a href=”http://www.flickr.com/photos/lisabk/284984138/”>I’ll show you mine.
This was the summer after The Teenager ™ was born, so I guess it was 1993. I worked PT at a record store in CHGO when I wasn’t writing about music or interviewing bands or actively parenting (we split when The Teenager ™ was 6 months old, so we did the 50/50 thing)
He’s out tonight at an all-ages show while I wonder how early I can get to bed without being lame.
Crap. Sorry about the bad code – I’m in an awkward position on the couch and Pokemon obnoxiousness distracted me -
Don’t forget her. The big plans are still nice to think about.
What was *with* the grunge look?! I was so glad that leggings went away and then…BAM…they came back this season. I won’t go there again, but they look cute on my 6-year-old.
What a great photo to have!
It seems life rarely goes where we think it will. And most of the time it’s for the better, I think.
Someone asked me the other day if I thought I was self-actualized…if had achieved all of the dreams I had for myself. Partly? Yes, but sometimes I can’t decide if the younger me was just too unrealistic or the older me has failed to get a firm grasp on “having it all”. And another thing…you should definitely try to find that girl.
I think our stories get edited as our lives change.
Great memory & photo!
Ha – gotta love the 90’s fashion! Some days it’s hard to remember the young dreamer . .
Just came across your blog and wanted to let you know about a free giveaway I’m hosting – come check it out! Thank you! Have a great weekend!
You were ready to go see Pearl Jam – and take on the world!
Out blog walking this late Friday night. Stumbled across yours and loved your writing. I think we might live in the same area.
I’ll be back to read more, hope you don’t mind if I link you.
I am in the process of moving and sorting and I discovered that going through old photos and letters is the best part of this process. Im thinking of making a montage. Anything to procrastinate packing another box
Great picture! I so remember the agonizingly deliberate efforts to look like, Hey, I just picked these clothes up off of the floor and layered them on. The $60 already-torn flannel shirts! Hilarious.
In 1992 I was starting to write about eight years’ worth of a story that I’d rather not have lived. But what we do then gets us to where we are now–and now is pretty darn sweet.
So was that one of the earliest Urban Outfitters?
- L
Gorgeous post. It pained me somewhat, reminded me of my friend Alyssa. She was telling me how she found her HS yearbook and was reading all the signatures and how moved she was. She said it made her sad to remember how she felt at that point – she said, “I really thought I was going to be someone. I thought I was going to make a difference.” And I knew what she meant and it hurts a little, but it’s the change from idealism to realism really, not some failure of potential (Alyssa is, after all a mother of 3, Harvard Grad, and practing attorney doing the good kind of law work…)
Sigh.
Awesome picture…the memories and the dreams must be powerful.