Last night, Dan and I went to a truly fabulous concert by Jose Gonzalez at Washington University, where I went to grad school. When I was a student there, I mostly just went to classes in one building (which has no undergrad programs). It has therefore been a while since I have actually found myself among a group of undergraduate students. There were some non-students at the concert, to be sure, including an older couple who sat right in front of us. But for the most part, it was people in the 18-22 age range; I could tell just by looking at what they were wearing.
The first clue was the sea of skinny jeans surrounding me, combined with 80s-inspired fashion. Then there was the girl in her pajama pants and ruffled hair, clearly sporting the "accidental" I-just-rolled-out-of-bed look, followed by a girl wearing a slip. Not a dress or a skirt with a slip; just a slip. And not a nice, fancy slip; it was just a plain (rather flimsy) slip that could have been purchased in the lingerie section of any Wal-Mart.
And then there was me and Dan. "What the hell is up with all of these skinny jeans? No one looks good in those." "Look at that girl in her pajamas. She looks ridiculous. Can't she bother to put on real clothes before she goes out in public?" "Oh my god, that girl is wearing a slip. No, really, it's just a slip. Since when is it okay to wear your underwear for an evening out?"
And then I realized that I sounded just like my mother. I remember her berating both my sister and me for sporting our pajama pants around our college campus (and likely other places, too). It was one of those moments that reminded me that I am officially a grown-up, so much that I have started to look down my nose at younger generations with their silly ways and silly fashion and silly music.
After my realization that I had undoubtedly crossed the threshold into adulthood, there was a break between sets, and I took off for the bathroom. I ended up in line next to a girl sporting skinny jeans and an awful top and ridiculous hair. I looked down at my feet. She and I were wearing the exact same shoes.
2 comments:
I frighteningly feel this way sometimes about the younger women I work with.
It's funny to hear Anna talk about her students - I get all riled up about how silly and ridiculous they are, and then I realize that I'm two seconds away from ending my indignation with "Kids these days..."
Lol--I'm entirely with you, too.
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