Last week, Iz came home from school and something was a bit different about her. It wasn’t that she could explain the theory of relativity, name all the Presidents of the United States or complete a number grid on her own. She hadn’t gained significantly in her brain; however, she had gained a significant number of colorful rubber bracelets around her wrist.
When I asked what they were, she proceeded to take one off and held it up for me to peruse. She said, “Look, it’s a bracelet and a dinosaur!” I said, “Wow,” as I thought, today’s rubber bracelets were yesterday’s Japanese collectible erasers.
Of course, I had been through fads before. I had been through them when I was young; some of mine growing up were pet rocks, friendship bracelets (they weren’t like the ones they have now; they were ecru and resembled a thick braid), the Coleco Quarterback football game, and the Bonne Bell lip smacker.
I had been through fashion fads. I had sported Earth shoes, a perm, shoulder pads, and stirrup pants. Though I have to say, unlike most fads, fashion fads seem to repeat themselves; this was evident to me when I saw that the blousy peasant top was back in style, and I subsequently had received numerous compliments on all my 70s Mexican embroidered tops lately.
Nate had gone through his fads, too; the most memorable ones were Crazy Bones, Pokémon cards, and Rumble Robots. Pokémon seemed to be the longest lasting fad; with every pack of Pokémon cards purchased, Nathan held his breath as he opened one hoping to find the elusive Charizard card. Two years later, all of his Pokémon cards lay dormant in his closet gathering dust, and so the fad goes.
After I looked at Iz’s rubber bracelets, I thought, “Okay, this is yet another fad.” She loved taking off each of her bracelets to identify, with some element of fascination, each animal or thing that she was wearing around her wrist. It’s not just a bracelet; it’s something else too!
I thought she might lose the bracelets or lose interest in them after a few days. That never happened. She took them off, she put them back on, and she knew exactly how many she had and what thing they were when they were not being bracelets.
I had said that fashion fads seemed to repeat themselves; however, after looking at Iz’s bracelets for over a week, I knew this fad seemed familiar to me. I only had to think back to the 80s. Madonna sported many rubber bracelets.
Though, they were not animal shaped nor were they strawberry-scented flowers. When I was at a vintage store last Fall in Cambridge with Melissa, the owner of the store told me that Madonna’s rubber bracelets were really some kind of plumbing seal. We were so much more practical in the 80s, weren’t we?
After Iz and I had our hair cut today, we got into the car. She said, “Mom, can we go get more bracelets,” as she pointed to her wrist. I, not wanting to go anywhere other than home, said, “I don’t know where you can buy those. Let me check it out, and then we can go some other day.” In a second, she responded, “Walmart or The Paper Store.”
Obviously, she was keen on the fad, and she knew exactly where to fulfill her fad. I said, “Well, I…” and then I looked back at her. I’m a sucker for the “Please, Mom. I will never ask for anything ever again” look; however, you always know that they will ask you for something else the next day.
I said, “Ooooooh, okay. I know there’s a Paper Store nearby.” She said “Thanks, Mom!” in her “Mom, you’re going to be my BFF for life” tone. Even though I knew she would be my BFF on and off again for the rest of her life, I knew that I was just as intrigued by these plastic bracelets as she was.
When we arrived at The Paper Store, I saw a TJ Maxx nearby. After we got out of the car, I said, “Oh, I want to go there to look for shorts.” Iz said sternly, “That’s not why we’re here, Mom!”
I said, “Excuse me?” She had a quick think, probably remembering that she had no money, and then she said, “Can we go there after we go to the Paper Store?” I said, “Okay.”
When we entered the store, the first thing I saw was a stand that was covered in these absolutely fabulous fad bracelets. I said, “Iz, here they are.” Of course, as with any fad, you have the original and then you have the imposters. It didn’t seem to matter to Iz as she turned the rack round and round trying to decide if she wanted Dogz, Spring, or Sports-themed bracelets.
As Iz tried to decide which two packages she wanted, a woman about my age came up to the rack. She said, “Oh, these are those bracelets.” She pulled a few packages off of the rack to look at them; then she then put them back. She giggled and said, “I think they’re cool,” and she walked off.
I should have gotten her number. She said the same thing I was feeling just then. I was hoping Iz would pick the strawberry-scented bracelets, because I really wanted one!
After she left and while Iz was still pondering her choices, another woman came up to the rack. She said, “Oh, they have plenty of stock here.” I gathered from the way she said it that Iz and I had stumbled upon a bracelet goldmine; we were there before the rest of the bracelet prospectors had figured out that the Bracelet Rush was happening at the Paper Store.
While Iz pondered and pondered, the door to the store opened. A mother with a daughter who was about the same age as Iz walked in; like a magnet to steel, they walked right toward the rack of rubber bracelets. The Mom said, “I can’t believe it’s so expensive to buy a bunch of rubber bands.” Each bag of original bracelets would set you back $5.99; they imposter bracelets were only $2.99.
After Iz selected Dogz I and Noah’s Ark, we headed to the cash register. As we waited, I looked behind us. There was another Mom and daughter in line with two packages of rubber bracelets. I laughed; Iz and I were totally fad.
Upon leaving, I noticed the rubber rain boots on display. I took a look at them. I knew they were a fad and would make my feet sweat horribly, but I wanted a pair nevertheless.
When we were in the car, I told Iz I’d like to go look for some shorts. She said, “Mom, can I put some of these on first?” I had forgotten a fad rule; once purchased, apply immediately!
She ripped opened Dogz I. She handed me the trash as she put each dog around her wrist. Once applied, the fad seemed to make her patient enough for me to try on a few pair of shorts; speaking of fads, why is it that shorts are now only two inches long or long enough to be pants?!
Today, like Crocs, I wish I had invented these rubber bracelets. And, yes, I had fallen victim to the Croc fad; mine were pink with Hello Kitty accents. Though fads were momentary things that we spent money on, they were fun and absolutely fad-uolous for as long as they lasted, especially if you had a BFF to enjoy them with. ♥
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