The 80s Fitness Craze

When one looks back on the 80s, it's pretty remarkable to think how much the fitness craze of the decade permeated every nook and cranny of pop culture. From Olivia Newton-John's music video for "Physical" to Nike's infamous "Just Do It" advertising tagline, 

Americans sweated and jazzercised themselves through the era. Jane Fonda was everywhere, although she wasn't the only celeb putting her workouts on VHS: my mother still has a copy of Debbie Reynolds' fitness video released in 1983, called "Do It Debbie's Way." Sweats, spandex, leg warmers and high top sneakers even became part of everyday streetwear...I should know, since I wore them all--at once! In late 1981, Time ran this cover. Ask yourself when you last saw this headline--anywhere--in the news: 

Photo copyright Living Pages

That's a pretty sharp contrast compared to today, where it seems the media makes an announcement about the growing obesity epidemic at least once a week. So what the hell happened to us?

I've seen many other blogs and sites attempt to answer this question. Some blame the revised USDA food pyramid, others the supersizing of McDonald's menu choices, and still others on the fact that Americans are stressed and overworked. I think there's no one clear answer, but a cumulative effect of all of these factors. One thing's for certain: as a nation, we're not as healthy and active as we used to be. In some ways I think the 80s took the fitness fad to the extreme, but that's certainly better than the stagnant lifestyle many people lead today. 

Anyways, let's look back on this craze via some photos, shall we? Some of these were apparently scanned from muscle magazines and exercise equipment catalogs, so they're extra fun!

Copyright Living Pages

Copyright retro-space

They are wearing inappropriate shoes for aerobics which tells me this is some sort of dance/performing troupe, not a gym class. Nonetheless I would love to know what the instructor is saying to the other ladies...he's definitely checking out his example's gams. 

Copyright glen.h

Copyright Living Pages

I'm sure there's a perfectly good explanation why he's working three hula hoops around his crotch area at once...damned if I know what it is, however.

Copyright Living Pages

Damn, whoever took these shots is one pervy photographer. Is she working her glutes, or waiting for her pelvic exam?

"Have fun"...maybe. "Look great" while doing it? Not so much. I never understood workout records vs workout tapes...it's hard to do the moves without actually seeing them. 

Wow. She looks like she's having too much fun on that machine, huh?

Definitely would have been a good one for my Things That Look Gay But Aren't post. "Teal is definitely your color, Rico!"

Three words: not tan enough. 

On second thought, maybe it was all of the ridiculous workout clothing that led people to the couch. 

Continue Reading... Label: 1980s, Retro fads

And the Winner Is...

Amanda H, come on down! You're the winner of the Welcome Back Giveaway!

I used a virtual slot machine to pick a name. I know you can't see everyone's names on the screenshot, but rest assured I entered the user names of everyone who left me a comment on the post.  

I will be sending Amanda an email with the promo code good for $25 off any purchase at Daddy-Os. Congratulations, and thanks to everyone who participated! Now back to regularly scheduled retro goodness...

Continue Reading... Label: Retro contest

The Coolest Commercial Ever

A couple dances through 100 years of fashion in this awesomely executed ad for East London clothing. Somehow they even manage to make the 80s and 90s look good. This commercial has gone viral in recent days, but just in case you haven't seen it yet, enjoy!

Continue Reading... Label: 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, retro fashion

Announcing the Welcome Back Giveaway!

Yes, welcome back...to school, work, or the unofficial start to the fall season now that the Labor Day weekend is behind us. I know that most of us are not exactly jazzed up about the idea of saying goodbye to summer (as Vinnie Barbarino himself would say, "Up your nose with a rubber hose!") Before you know it, most of us will be cranking on the heat and eventually shoveling snow. In order to ease your pain, I've decided to do another giveaway!

I must confess, the giveaway prize has absolutely nothing to do with Welcome Back Kotter try as I did to create some sort of connection, but nonetheless it's a cool one indeed. In fact, I'll admit that I wanted to keep this one for myself! It's a $25 online gift certificate to Daddy-O's, "your one stop shop for rockabilly and swing clothes, bowling shirts, lounge wear, club wear and clothing inspired by the 1950's!" Daddy-O's has a great selection of vintage style shirts (the kind that Charlie Sheen wore on Two and a Half Men) and jackets for the cool cats, and sexy and stunning dresses by the clothing manufacturer Stop Staring for the foxes. They also carry shoes, hats, accessories and boys shirts. Check them out!

To win the $25 promo code, just leave me a comment about any ol' thing...and I'll draw a name Friday morning and announce the winner then. You must have an actual profile name with a way that I can contact you if you're the winner (so comments left anonymously cannot qualify.) 

Good luck, everyone!  To help sing you off, here's John Sebastian performing his signature solo hit "Welcome Back" on the 70s variety show Sha Na Na!

Continue Reading... Label: GoRetro milestones, Retro contest, retro fashion, retro TV

Whatever Happened to Visiting the Barbershop?

Photo via Waterbury Time Machine

Being a female, I don't have any personal experience with barbershops; however, I wonder how many modern men today visit one. (Yes, I know that some shops cater to women, but for the purpose of this post I'm talking about the barbershop as a male-centric business.) Back when I used to get my hair cut regularly at a local Supercuts (before I finally realized that they didn't know what they were doing and were butchering my hair) I noticed that the place was loaded with male clientele. It was always a little surprising to me, because in my opinion there's nothing manly about the inside of a Supercuts--there are screaming kids, perfume-y styling products and (often, but not always) incompetent stylists who don't know how to cut hair. 

A modern London barbershop. Photo via The Daily Mail

A barbershop, by contrast, is a testosterone filled establishment. I found a really great article on the blog The Art of Manliness on why every man should visit a barbershop. For starters, the author points out how the local neighborhood barbershop used to be the place where men went to discuss news, politics, women, and anything else on their minds. Secondly, barbers know men's hair and how to cut it properly--and into any style. Thirdly, they can get a shave while they're at it--a close, comfortable shave. The blog author says that getting a shave at a barbershop is an indulgent experience, because they know what they're doing. They have the right equipment (you won't find a single disposable plastic razors in sight), know how to moisten the face with a damp, hot towel first and use special moisturizers and lotions that prevent razor burn. According to The Art of Manliness, after a barbershop shave a man feels ready to take on the world. 

Image via Vintage Metal Art

I'd also like to add that visiting a barbershop can be a right of passage for fathers and sons. I know that today there are a few hair chains that cater to squirmy, frightened children getting their first cut, and that's understandable for kids who are still in diapers. The notion of bringing them into a dark barbershop devoid of balloons and chairs shaped like horses might be too scary for them. However, once a boy is old enough I would think a barbershop visit with dad might make him feel like a big kid. 

Photo via Mr Peacock

The barbershop's popularity definitely took a hit in the 60s when the Beatles introduced the world to longer hair that moved and was free of styling goop. Perhaps it's an exaggeration, but my mother has said that many barbershops went out of business during Beatlemania. The Art of Manliness mentions a few other historical tidbits that decreased the frequency of barbershop customers: the introduction of Gillette's safety razor in 1904, the Great Depression (no extra money for haircuts) and the dip in the American male population caused by WW2. 

Today, I think there are two factors that could potentially hurt the barbershop biz: mobile devices and impatience. In our rushed society, people want to be in and out of the salon chair, while the traditional barbershop is seen as a place where you're going to be spending some time and talking to other people. For those nostalgic guys out there that don't mind and are tired of the impersonal cookie cutter haircut chains out there, perhaps an old school visit to your local barbershop is just the ticket. 


Question for the boys who read my blog: do you ever visit a barbershop? Why or why not?

Continue Reading... Label: 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, Retro fads, retro fashion

Two Forgotten Friday Favorites: The Weather Girls

I think The Weather Girls would be awfully excited about this weekend's East Coast hurricane--it could start raining men. I don't care if the song became adopted as a gay man's anthem; the video is one of my favorite cheesy 80s videos. This hefty, man-hungry duo was made up of Martha Wash and Izora Armstead. Their original stage name was Two Tons O' Fun, and their self-evident sass and self-acceptance was sort of groundbreaking for women in entertainment during their time. Plus these ladies could really sing. After the success of "It's Raining Men", they enjoyed a few other minor hits such as "Dear Santa (Bring Me a Man This Christmas)" and "Well-A-Wiggy." Armstead passed away at the age of 62 in 2004, but her daughters are carrying on The Weather Girls legacy in Germany. 

So, for my fellow East Coast readers, stay safe this weekend and for my fellow single ladies, I hope you see a hottie or two float past your window on Sunday.

Continue Reading... Label: 1980s, Retro music

All We Are Saying...Is Give Pants a Chance

If there's one thing I've noticed when looking at pictures of women's fashion from the 70s, it's the plethora of pants. Much to the disappointment of men everywhere, many women traded their 60s minis for trousers and pantsuits during the 70s era. Part of the reason for this is because up until then, many women simply weren't allowed to wear pants at their place on employment. Despite the fact that 30 years earlier actresses like Katharine Hepburn and Marlene Dietrich sported trousers, as well as the working women of WWII, they were banned from the typical 1960s office. Even on Mad Men, you won't see any female employees at Sterling Cooper Draper Price wearing anything besides skirts and dresses. To quote a memo that was distributed to employees of CBS Broadcast Center in the early 70s:

Please be advised that it is not Company Policy nor the discretion of the immediate supervisor for female employees to wear slacks during the course of their normal working hours...Slacks may be worn going to and from the Broadcast Center in the morning and evening, and/or on a lunch hour, business, and personal errand. 


A week later, 30 female workers from the CBS offices in the Manhattan area organized and held a "pants-in" (not to be confused with a "pants-off"...ha.) These rebellions took place at high schools as well. 


Nurses also led the pro-pants movement for working women. Around 1970, if you got sick and found yourself in the hospital, you'd be cared for by miniskirted nurses--who struggled to keep their modesty while bending and lifting during their daily duties. Fed up with the idea of dirty old bedridden men (and doctors) looking up their skirts, seven nurses at Queen of Angels Hospital in Southern California petitioned for the right to wear pants, and won. Their victory was front page news and several other hospitals quickly followed their lead. 


Pretty soon, there was no turning back. In 1972, public education rules were reformed so that schools were required to treat boys and girls equally and that meant female students were no longer restricted to wearing only skirts and dresses. Women had won the right to wear pants in the classroom and the office. The fashion trend quickly made its way onto the TV screen, as characters such as Maude Findlay and Mrs. Partridge made pants a closet staple. And although many guys out there may not agree, women born after 1970 (like me) salute our sisters who came before us and gave us more workplace clothing options. 


That isn't to say that these new options were always sexy and flattering. I scanned the following images from a funky little book called 70s Fashion Fiascos by Maureen Valdes Marsh. Um, we fought for this?

Continue Reading... Label: 1970s, Retro fads, retro fashion

Beetle Love Through the Years

Make no mistake about it, the iconic Volkswagen Beetle is one of my favorite cars--ever. I owned the "New" Beetle when it was introduced in 1998, and admittedly still miss it. Supposedly, the latest incarnation of the model is due to start hitting VW dealerships any day now in the U.S. In the meantime, I found the coolest Facebook page dedicated to the Bug called Beetles, Bugs and Buyers. It has a most impressive collection of Beetle photos through the decades. Here's just a small selection of them...if you're a Beetle owner or lover, then check them out and enjoy.

Continue Reading... Label: 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, Retro cars, Retro fads

Now Vote for Me for Boston's Most Valuable Blogger!

Folks, we did it. The blogs that are in the running for Boston's Most Valuable Blogger have been announced, and Go Retro made the cut! I'm in TWO categories: "Lifestyle" and "Everything Else." I can't thank you all enough for your support, and for going out of your way to nominate me. 

Our work is not done yet, though...now we all have to vote! Voting opened today and runs through September 9. You can cast your vote once a day *per category* through then. Here's the link to all of the categories and you can vote for Go Retro under the Lifestyle category, Everything Else, or both!

It seems like an awful lot of work for me to win a $50 Amazon.com gift certificate, but no doubt the public link may direct some more readers and fans this way, so that's always a good thing. I plan on checking out all of the other Boston blogs as well. Good luck to all!


Vote away and THANK YOU again for your support!

Continue Reading... Label: GoRetro milestones

Vantastic Part 2: More Shaggin' Wagons

My first van post from a few weeks ago generated such a response that I simply had to do a follow-up. I must admit that the more I browse through scanned photos of customized vans, the more I can appreciate these forgotten painted beauties. While the sight of an old VW Bus on the street makes my heart go pitter-patter, I think the customized van is in an automotive league of its own. So get ready for some more van photos, van ads, and van tidbits...some of which my readers clued me into.

First of all, Luis reminded me that The Hardy Boys drove a van in the 70s TV series The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries. Perhaps I had forgotten because my five-year own brain was too distracted by the raging crush I had on Shaun Cassidy at the time, but the van was a fixture of just about every episode. There was even a toy model that you could assemble.

Joe Hardy looks a little young to be behind the wheel! And boys, where are your seat belts? Ah well, it was a different time for sure.

Funny, the model looks different than the on-screen van. 

The Charlies Angels gals drove a very Barbie-dollish looking pink van, perfect for helping to pat down the bad guys...

Next, I could spend hours, honestly, looking at scanned van magazines and advertisements from the 70s and 80s on Flickr. This Jaws themed one is pretty cool...and wait! Is that a racer or a van at the bottom? Very clever!

Copyright b9owner

Copyright matbergman

Copyright matbergman

Copyright matbergman

Copyright josephkenney2

Copyright josephkenney2

Courtesy JustACarGuy

Thrush, apparently, is not just a yeast infection but the same of a muffler manufacturer. There's a whole slew of old Thrush ads that I found selling the message that hot chicks love to handle hot pipes and other car parts. By the way, I found this ad over at a tremendous blog called Just A Car Guy. If you're an auto/motorcycle enthusiast, I highly recommend checking it out! 


Finally, there were several cheesy films that revolved around the van craze of the late 70s/early 80s. Brother Bill and Luis clued me in about a 1977 teen sexploitation movie simply called The Van with the rather far out tagline, "Bobby couldn't make it...'til he went fun-truckin'!" That pretty much sums up the plot...it's about a kid who blows all of his money on a customized van to win the girl of his dreams...but what a van it is! I haven't seen the movie yet, but I think you'll agree that you can't help but share Billy's anticipation and excitement in this scene where he views "The Straight Arrow" for the first time:





Some final words of advice, aimed at the American Pickers guys: ditch your Mercedes Sprinter for a retro American custom Dodge. It's groovier and better suited for vintage picking in my opinion!

Continue Reading... Label: 1970s, 1980s, Retro cars, Retro fads