Studying Sassy: May 91

Sassy May 91 Is that any way to talk to your mother? No. 38

As another school year comes to a close, this issue of Sassy reminds me that 25 years ago, I was about to graduate from elementary school. In my final days as a big fish in a small pond, this magazine was introducing me to 1940's inspired glamour and lots of features about boys. I was still super awkwardly in that state between a little girl and a young woman, physically maturing at a rapid pace but unable to keep up emotionally. And I was about to get my braces put on. Hot stuff.

I distinctly remember wanting to look something like this when I grew up:

I somehow imagined having dark hair in a wild tangle, and deep suggestively smirky eyes. What I actually looked like was more like this:

So..... clearly I was in touch with my imagination more closely than I was with reality.

The 1990's were still high from the joyful excess of the 1980's, and I probably thought anything was possible.... Tall hair--

Being in sportswear but not looking sporty--

That a razor that looked this strange would actually accomplish anything on my previously never-shaved legs--

That Vanilla Ice actually wanted to talk to his fans on the phone--

Fantasy was inevitable. As was ingenuity. I wouldn't attempt anything even close for about 4 more years, but here is an example of a creative 90's teen at work:

Kool-Aid was an absolute nightmare to remove, we would all discover later. But, that's for another time.

No bother taking the quiz, I know that then, as well as now, I was not a wild and crazy girl. I tried that stuff in high school and college, and it's just not me. Weird? Yes. Introverted? Yes. Bore? Probably not. But also not easily identifiable in this quiz.

I do remember really wanting the postcard print babydoll dress pictured here. I still kind of do.

This issue taps into what was a fairly new interest for me at the time: boys. As I mentioned before, my body was very quickly becoming ready to bear children while my brain was still a child itself. I played with Barbies, but mostly in an attempt to make their worlds as detailed and accurate as possible. That included much smooching and betrayal, like soap operas where someone is always stealing someone else's man. Apparently, I was beginning to think that boys were cute. Please look closely at the following:

I DREW A HEART IN RED BALL POINT PEN AROUND THIS BOY'S FACE. OMG.

Why this guy? I dunno. Clearly his hooded sweatshirt and messy curls spoke to my 9 year old hormones. He doesn't seem at all my type now, other than I like a dark haired gent. His answers to the question make him seem like the kind of guy I'd actually try to avoid as an adult woman. But it delights me that, as a child, I felt compelled to mark the face this regular guy over Joey Lawrence or any of the other celebrities in this magazine. Including Bathazar Getty.

Once again, Sassy's progressive nature blows me away. Knowing that at the time, HIV and AIDS were something that not a lot of people understood, and many people were super scared of, I think it's amazing that they had an article about a young woman who was very easy to relate to and who just happened to be HIV positive.

Since our current fashions are a throwback to the 90's (and the 70's), it's super cute to see the 90's throwing it back to the 1940's..... Even in some of the more modest shapes of swimwear and summer clothing featured. It really was a slightly simpler time to be an adolescent.