In case you weren't here last week. I inaugurated a tradition of posting something from the old blog archives every Saturday night. Since I posted the following last year, I came upon this photo of myself (above) in the described bedroom. I was actually only ten or eleven in this photo, apparently still wearing Danskins and not yet a teenager, but the canopies had come off the bed, and the decor coming was only a twinkle in my eye.
Teenage Bedrooms
10/24/2011
Mine had green and white shag carpeting and two single beds, canopied, with green and white polka-dotted bedspreads. I hid racy books under the mattress that I found lying in my parents' room or den: copies of Jaws by Peter Benchley, books by Harold Robbins andLooking for Mr. Goodbar. I had a record player/stereo with a smoky plastic cover that sat on a low chest in the bay window (one of the perks of being the oldest of three daughters was getting the room with the bay), and I'd lie on the rug and play music for hours, The Carpenters and John Denver, the Beach Boys and the Mamas and the Papas -- later the Beatles and Van Morrison and Boston and Fleetwood Mac. I'd lie on my back with those huge squishy black headphones on.
Oh, the seventies.
I was powerfully awkward, a bookworm behind glasses, sweet and smoldering all at once. The photo above is around sixth grade, so I was on the edge of being a teenager, still confident, for the most part. I think that's a Holly Hobbie necklace, and I must have taken off my aviator framed glasses for the picture and endured the giant blur.
On one wall was a giant cork bulletin board, filled with photos and awards, swimming ribbons and magazine covers from Teen and Seventeen. On the back of my door was a life-size poster of Clark Gable. Weird, right?I think it had something to do with living in Atlanta and being enamored of Gone with the Wind for a time. I had my own bathroom then which was also carpeted in shag. I had a bookshelf in the bathroom, and on top of that resided my owl collection. Over the bookshelf and all those owls, I hung a circular hook rug that I'd hooked myself -- a large owl. It was green and orange and spectacularly ugly. I wish I still had it -- I could probably find something similar, though, in Anthropology. On the bathroom sink lay an array of big, fat Bonne Bell Lipsmackers, a Clairol hot roller set, my rouge (that's what we called it, then) and mascara, Love's Baby Soft and Jean Nate.
I was reminded of all of this when I stumbled upon this website:
http://teenagebedroom.tumblr.com/
What did your teenage bedroom look like?
Dang you were cute!
ReplyDeleteMy teenaged bedroom...well. Quite frankly I'd rather not talk about it. Or my teenaged years either, for that matter.
However, I did have a record player which I loved and I listened to the Beatles more than anything else and because of that, I am still here.
my teenage bedroom was rather boring. we weren't allowed to put up lots of things on the walls, for 'marring' walls with tape and thumbtacks was frowned upon. But I did have one large poster of a psychedelic cat that I loved. And when younger sis moved into vacated older sis' bedroom, I pushed the twin beds together for a king! Covered it with one of those woven cotton Indian print bedspreads that reeked of incense. My guitar propped in the corner, always at the ready. Love the photos of others' teen rooms -- how I wish I could have been that creative with all the photos I had.
ReplyDeleteyou are so adorable! you sent me on a search for photos of my teenage bedroom, but all i could find were photos of my family and friends in my teenage bedroom. in the picture taking department not much has changed. but you did bring back memories of my white twin beds and pink walls and oversized antique desk from my grandfather and the tiny verandah brushed by mango trees that my room opened onto. in retrospect, my teens were charmed. in truth, my life is. thanks for the gift of that consciousness this morning.
ReplyDeleteMy bedroom was very similar--canopy bed, grass green carpeting, cherry pink spread, etc.. I remember most the book that I tried to hide and read: Tobacco Road. It was off the bookshelves in the den but I knew it was taboo. The cleaning lady found it and ratted me out to my mother. I've never read that book!!
ReplyDeleteBest,
Bonnie
Look for that rug on Ebay!
ReplyDeletemy God you look so much like sophie in that first picture! incredible.
ReplyDeletei always wanted a canopy bed but my mom was totally not down with that. she was totally "against" all things typical and girlie. she did indulge me in a lavender flowered bedspread and i believe she sewed matching valences and bedskirt. no shag carpet though. i did have a trundle bed which was awesome for sleepovers!
Such sweet pictures of you. You as the you I know through this blog are right there, present and accounted for.
ReplyDeleteMy bedroom was yellow, hardwood floors, a double bed with a soft, silky bedspread printed with pink and yellow flowers on a white background. The south wall had a window seat with closets on either side. They had glass-knobbed double doors made of teak. One of them contained shelves filled with school projects, piles of the stories I was constantly writing, and books; the other closet held clothes. Both had drawers down below for my rock collections. I often sat in the window seat looking out at the long stretch of back yard, reading a book or writing, or daydreaming, and sometimes smoking a forbidden cigarette. It's still my favorite bedroom of all time. Thanks for bringing me back to it for a few minutes today.
Teenage bedroom -- now this is a great idea for a blog post! Hmmm...
ReplyDeleteIt IS a great idea for a blog post. You pushed buttons here that opened an old file drawer. Thank you. I think.
ReplyDelete