When I was in the sixth grade, short white leather boots, called go-go boots, were all the rage. All the cool girls got them immediately. Not-so-cool girls got them in rapid succession. In a short period of time, anybody who was anybody had a pair, except for me.
At the time, my father was out of work, and had been for some time. I could hear my parents talking at the kitchen table, when they thought I was asleep, about how they were on the verge of losing the house. I was afraid to ask for money when the ice cream truck came around, much less ask for money for an expensive pair of boots.
As rapidly as the boots rose to the height of fashion, they descended to the status of hopelessly passe. I never did get go-go boots, and I survived. Those boots shaped my view of spending for the rest of my life.
I learned that I was the same person, no matter what possessions I owned. At 11 years old, I decided to spend my money on things that would last. Anything that I thought would be a fad would have to be cheap.
I tend to buy conservative clothing and furniture in neutral colors. The color of the year would be purchased as a scarf, throw pillow or another accessory. If I had gotten those boots, I am sure that I would have forgotten all about them, as did many of my friends who had them.
I owe a lot to those boots. They kicked my feelings of extravagance to the curb!
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Living without is a good lesson and it's something a lot of people this day and time have never experienced. I know from experience that it makes you stronger.
Thank you for sharing your story.
I am glad you enjoyed it.
Beautiful memoir...so very poignant and appropriate to now...you go-go, girl!!! ;>
Ahhh,yes! I had a pair of those boots! I thought they were referred to as Beatle Boots though...maybe a regional thing? These only came up to the ankle,though. They also came in black...I think mine were white. I do recall that first day I got to wear them to school-I thought that I was all that.....
I was thinking about those boots a few days ago. I had them too but they were above my ankles. We called them go-go boots too. They were alot of fun to wear. Good memories!
The boots came in various heights, from ankle to knee
That was 50 years ago but seemsi like just yesterday!
Some good advice interwoven in your memories, Judy. I thought I was hot stuff to visit places such as Whisky-A-Go-Go, Bourbon-A-Go-Go and the Playboy Club in Chicago. I saw a lot of your boots there.
Now I know, nothing has or ever will take the place of good 'ol Home Sweet Home.
I hadnt thought of those boots in a long time. One of the students in my school came in with a very similar pair and it brought all the memories back. A few days later, a class picture from that year was posted on a Facebook group I belong to and there they were again! I still remember how badly I wanted them. I was never a materialistic person, even as a child, but I really wanted those boots and felt very left out at the time.
I was in the 9th grade when go-go boots were popular, and my boyfriend gave me a pair for Christmas that year. I absolutely wore them out. What I really wanted though, were knee-high leather boots. I thought they were beautiful, and still do. One of the first things I bought when I was on my own at 18 was a pair of black ones.
I can understand when parents can't afford to get their kids what they want. What I can't understand is why my father could spend 15K on a tractor, but begrudge me a $15 pair of boots.
Roper boots in pretty colors are popular for little girls now. If I ever have a granddaughter, she's going to have every color she wants.
I never got them either and my dad was employed and the vice-president of a large chemical corporation. When dad took me shopping, he taught me to read labels and invest in quality not quantity.
I didnt get the Go Go boots either. I survived that and much more. Not a big deal now, but a learning experience.
I was the only girl in my sixth grade class that didn't get them for Christmas. My mother asked if I wanted them and I didn't. I have never been a fad person, there is nothing wrong with fads, they are not for me. I believe in buying things that last the test of time.
I have clothes now that are 15-20 years old that I still wear. I couldn't care less about fads, but I'm old.
But shoes for kids can't possibly pass the test of time. Kids wear out their shoes or outgrow them, and they still have to have them. So having go-go boots when you were 12-13-14 was like having any other pair of shoes.
Sometimes it's okay to have something just because you want it, not because you need it.
Me to! Most stuff these days , when it becomes popular is in the thrift shops the next year. I buy basic slacks, sweaters, t shirts and they never seem to go out of style. It is more important to be clean and neat. Rather spend my money on a nice haircut and even that can be done cheaply. I am old also, so dont need work clothes, or even many dress clothes.
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