Friday Flashback

While I was blowdrying my wavy/curly schizophrenic hair straight and looking at my bare, pale face in the mirror this morning, I thought about the difference that a little makeup and some mousse can do for a girl. It's downright miraculous.

Which brought back the memory of the 1989 movie "She's out of control" with Tony Danza and Ami Dolenz (the daughter of Micki Dolenz of my favorite childhood band, The Monkees. Yes, I admit it.)

I was about 12 when I saw that movie, which is about a nerdy 15 year old with braces and thick glasses who transforms into a total bombshell after a trip to the salon. Basically, her merciful stepmother waits until Tony Danza leaves town for a weekend then rips his daughter out of her ugly duckling phase by having the kid's braces removed (probably way too early), putting her in a tanning bed, getting her eye contacts, paying a stylist to run a comb through her head and buying her some new clothes.

At that age I was completely awkward and oblivious to the ways that us women are able to trick people into thinking we are naturally pretty. It was a revelation, really. After watching that movie I wished a fairy godmother would come along and take off my braces, buy me some hot 80's outfits and throw a little blush on me. Though it probably wouldn't have helped much during those pre-teen weird-looking years. And here's how I know:

When I was in college, I'd come home on the weekends sometimes and one weekend, I ran into my sixth grade Spanish teacher. He looked at me for a moment, squinting, thinking, and said, "Bridget, is that you? You look great! You weren't so pretty when you were a kid, you know?"

Thanks buddy. I know.