opinion blog – jessbobess

Harem Jumpers: Stylish & Comfy Style or 80’s Fashion Relic?

I am a child of the late 80’s/early 90’s and I loved every wacky, bodacious second of it. Although as we reflect back on those years, it is undeniable that an overwhelming majority of our most painfully awkward and embarrassing pop culture moments occurred in the 80’s. It was a decade that produced some of the most memorable cringeworthy style fads of all time, such as: Acid wash jeans, scrunchies, hairspray and perms, neon colored wind suits and of course harem pants. Inspired by the greats of the era, MC Hammer and Vanilla Ice.

(I still firmly believe those were the greatest fashion years of my life. Sometimes I wonder if it was growing up in the late 80’s early 90’s that gave me my flare for the dramatic when it comes to clothes (hence wearing an oversized jumper in 2015 and loving it))

Just recently I saw a picture of everyone’s favorite overgrown man child, Justin Beiber, wearing some serious harem pants and I literally said outloud: “Hammer did it better.” Bc. how could anyone forget this:

or this:

and while we’re at it, this:

unfortantly, hammer pants were one of the few fashion items my parents refused to purchase for me (along with glittery pink, fringed cowboy boots). I see now that my parents were doing me a favor because i have a feeling my hammer pants wouldn’t have gone over very well with all the kids at my school in West Texas. So, thanks guys for that.

But that doesn’t mean I can’t fulfill my Hammer Time fantasy as an adult! I am free to make my own bad decisions! Sometimes being an adult IS great, because no one can tell you “no” if you want to buy an oversized diaper jumper and wear it in public!

I was pleasantly surprised with how it fit, although it’s a very thin jersey knit fabric so it attaches its self to unappealing areas (the crutch and the butt). I did wear it on a really windy day which didn’t help with that though. It is really comfortable and I actually really like the styling and draping of the fabric. I had to be careful when I walked because this particular jumper always ended up giving me a wedgie. The jumpsuit I purchased was the cheap version (as usual) which may speak to the thinness of the fabric. Shopbop has a designer brand option which is undoubtably better quality in their Basic Terrain Harem Jumpsuit, for $158.00:

to wear or not to wear:

It’s not an item I will be wearing very often but it’s really fun to have in my closet for days when I am feeling bored with everything else in my closet and also because I like to put it on and do the Hammer Time dance in the mirror when I need a quick trip down memory lane. Plus, I bought mine on Amazon for less than $15.00

In conclusion: no one pulls it off like the Hammer but I have a feeling the harem jumper hasn’t had it’s final style moment yet…
My Outfit details: Spaghetti Strap Harem Jumper, $14.95, vintage tooled leather bag, Gottex Women’s Laurent Felt Hat, $79.00 on Amazon, Yara Birkenstock Thongs $120.00

so the final question is: would you? I am totally okay if your answer is a resounding no.

Love Wins. (I’m Just Gonna Set This Here).

This is an easy one for me and maybe it is for you too. I know that if you have spent any time on social media these last few days, you’ve been bombarded by news of the the Supreme Courts’ ruling regarding same sex marriage equality nation wide. Unless of course you’ve been living under a rock and if that’s the case….is there room for me under there?)

It seems like everyone and their uncle (especially those cranky old uncles) have been putting their two cents in on the Supreme Court’s ruling in the case of Obergefell vs. Hodges that passed marriage equality rights to same sex couples Nationwide.

Why do I feel the need to add my voice into the mix? I probably don’t. No, I most likely don’t. In fact, I’m still trying to talk myself out of adding to the noise.

But after much thought, I begin typing…. if only just to settle my restless heart a bit….it’s important for me as I come from a religious background where my opinion is not popular.

And just to be safe, here is where I put my personal disclaimer regarding this post:

{I should state that I am only speaking from my personal experience growing up in the church. My personal opinions on this subject (and others) differ quite a lot from the Evangelical Christian Church’s stance and I do not want to mis-represent myself by claiming that I speak any religious or political groups, these are merely my experiences and opinions}

I come from a family of pastors, Evangelical Christian preachers, to be more specific. Both of my grandparents were pastors. My father is a prominent, well known pastor in the Chicago suburbs as are his siblings in their respective areas around the States. My father and his siblings all pastor large congregations in various parts of the United States.

AND make no mistake- I love my family with all my heart. My parents are kind, generous, thoughtful, loving people. My father and his siblings are passionate, people of faith, who together have raised millions of dollars for all types of people in need around the world. I have witnessed nothing but integrity and love from my family. I have also witnessed the Church when it is at it’s best- fulfilling it’s true purpose, being a community, and welcoming in and being family to many hurt and lonely people.

My dad pastored his first church in North Carolina, where I was born but remember nothing of because We moved to West Texas when I was 11 months old where my dad pastored another growing church. At the age of 12, we moved back to North Carolina where my dad pastored a church for a few years until moving to Illinois when I was 15.

All of that basically to say that…you know those people on your Facebook feed, the ones who shocked you with their angry and sometime hateful posts about the perilous state of America now that same sex couples could marry legally? Yeah, I know those people. Some of them I know better than I wish I did. I grew up in ‘Merica, amidst confederate flags, racial tensions, and Jebus. Shockingly, I never learned about Evolution (other than hearing that it came from the bowels of Hell) until High school. I never allowed myself to even question the sheer awesomeness of the Universe because when I did, I couldn’t reconcile it’s magnitude with the the seventh day creationism I was taught in SCIENCE CLASS.

Sorry, I am already rambling on a bit… but needless to say, I was, and am a bit of a weird one and I never fit into the preacher’s daughter mold or the preacher’s wife mold even though I tried and wanted to, for my family’s sake. My parents always tried their best to let me be and to love me for me, and I have met some of the most amazing and loving people in the Church- who loved me at my darkest and most prodigal daughter moments (Wanda Burgund).

I was always surrounded by love and that is the message I chose to take away from the church. Love. I know if I was to walk into the church today, I would leave feeling loved. I read the other day that the young man (whose name I refuse to acknowledge) who walked into the Emmanual African Methodist Episcopal Church and killed Cynthia Marie Graham Hurd (54), Susie Jackson (87), Ethel Lee Lance (70), Depayne Middleton-Doctor (49), Clementa C. Pinckney (41), Tywanza Sanders (26), Daniel Simmons (74), Sharonda Coleman-Singleton (45), and Myra Thompson (59), when being questioned after by the police he said he almost didn’t go through with his plan because of how nice everyone was to him while he was there. Wow.

http://sarahgreenillustration.tumblr.com

It’s funny because as a kid I loved my WWJD bracelets, and was especially fond of my rainbow colored one, oh if only I could find that one now I would wear it with gusto. Because it is true- Jesus would love- not just love but he would be right up there shaking peoples hands at the Pride festival. In my mind he’s covered in glitter and shaking his bon-bon too but maybe thats a little bit too much of a stretch for most people. Who am I to judge someone, anyone else? I am a sinner- I am divorced, a sin. I have lied, a sin. I am guilty of gluttony and lazinessness, both sins. I have gossiped, I have been selfish and most recently I haven’t stood up for what I believe in to be right when I know I should have because I was too scared of offending other people. Let love in, let love transform you. Hate and anger will harden your heart and destroy you slowly. And if that isn’t enough of a reason…

Let he or she that is without sin throw the first stone. So let’s all put down our rocks and use them to build something USEFUL together.

This is a place where all are welcome to voice their opinions…and you are most welcome to converse here about your own stories or opinions.., although anything hateful will be deleted. I would love to hear from you guys on this. Don’t be afraid of telling me how you feel.