23 May 2012

Cultural Icon

Back in the day, junior high school that is, we had to wear gym suits - at least the girls did. I'd forgotten all about my gym suit, until - of course - it turned up in a box at my mother's house. Of course, I brought it home for the girlie.



She put it right on, and I'll be damned but the thing fits her perfectly which just doesn't make any sense given that she's in third grade and I wore it in seventh, eighth and ninth grades. Great mysteries of life. She then threatened to wear it to school; I dissuaded her. [She also pointed out that it doesn't really fit her; it's got boob darts and she's got no boobs.]

It looks a little like Rosie the Riveter's jumpsuit, it's made out of some unfaded perma-magic everlasting fabric, and my name is tidily embroidered in script - needlework by Moky.

Is there a gym suit museum somewhere?

17 comments:

susan said...

We had gym suits, too! Which I figured was some sort of weird Catholic-girls'-high-school thing, actually. Mine was polyester one piece--blue shorts on the bottom and a striped top. You're bringing back hideous memories.

Rabecca said...

We had the same kind Susan described. Baby blue in Jr. High and navy in HS. They were awful! And there was the "Dummy Suit" if you forgot yours at home--some gross leftover suit you had to wear as punishment.

Also, my gym teacher in 8th grade referred to feminine products as "saddles and torpedoes," which I've never heard since. Thank goodness that didn't catch on.

Anonymous said...

Ours were just that style, but sea-foam green, and then they were replaced by the stripy numbers described by Susan. Mine, however, did not have my name embroidered on it!

edj3 said...

I hated mine in junior high--polyester heat waves with zippers. Yuck.

Jennifer (ponderosa) said...

We didn't have gym suits, but my mother still has my gymnastics suit -- not the leotard but the pants and jacket. "Mountain Flyaways." I wonder if it would fit my son. WEIRD! Feels like I quit gymnastics just five days ago...

Carol Steel said...

Ours were two piece...hideous white baggy blouse and even more hideous bloomers... Yes, there was the extra outfit that I had to wear if I forgot mine. It was a one size fits nobody sort of thing. I was able to get a note from my doctor that said I couldn't go to gym because it was too stressful for me. The only time that lying ever really paid off. It was the outfits and the screaming gym teacher that really pissed me off.

Anonymous said...

Early polyester, can smell it still, one piece with snaps.
Hated wearing that gym suit, 1960's and early 70's.
Memories, Sally on "Mad Men" must wear one;-(
Linda

Mental P Mama said...

I had that kind, too!! Oh the memories....

SLO said...

So funny... Just this week my under 30 colleagues were laughing about someone who referred to their dungarees... That started a whole string of "I bet you can't remember" and I brought up those lovely blue gym uniforms. Did they have a name?

Jenn @ Juggling Life said...

We just did basketball shorts and tees; I do still have the coveted aquatics sweatshirt from high school-field hockey players didn't get as cool of sweatshirts so we had to figure out a way to "liberate" the aquatics ones.

She looks great!

Varda said...

Wow, I haven't thought of those in YEARS! We had 2 kinds in our school. The "old kind" - just like yours, but in dark red (school colors were crimson and silver) and then the "new kind" as described by Susan.

Even though if you purchased one new - from the school store - you got the evil polyester stripe top one, either were acceptable (I guess so you could use an older sister's hand-me-downs without penalty). So my friends and I sought out used old=style ones because they were waaaaay cooler.

Thanks for the walk down memory lane!

De said...

Polyester, with a brown bottom and a gold striped top, even though the school colors were blue and white. That was junior high; I don't remember gym in HS. I probably skipped it.

mayberry said...

I thankfully missed out on this in my junior high days, but she looks ADORABLE.

heidi said...

Mine was burgundy polyester.
You were SO lucky.

V-Grrrl @ Compost Studios said...

I had the same gym suit as Susan and Rebecca mentioned above. I remember the humiliation of the bust darts and the way the suit would give you a wedgie if you had a long torso (as I did).

Jocelyn said...

Boy, I dunno. Don't you think a GOOD mom would get her third grader a bra and stuff it with Kleenex, just so "the look" really works?

Not very Kardashian of you to fail your girl thusly.

S said...

Remember the book by Paula Danziger -- The Cat Ate My Gymsuit?