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AJC.com > Metro > View from the cop > Archives > 2007 > May > 08 > Entry
Ruffles gone wild
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Although I’ve forgotten many things over the years like where all my kids are and how that Miranda thing goes, I can still remember the prom.
The prom was about dressing up, having fun, and trying to convince ourselves that Cold Duck champagne was going to taste good.
The early 70’s were strange times in terms of fashion. My prom attire consisted of a traditional black tux with a purple shirt that was completely saturated with ruffles. These ruffles were not just a fashion note, they were huge purple ruffles.
We left for the prom in my father’s 1969 2-door Ford LTD. That year Ford made the world’s heaviest doors. They were about 8 feet long and weighed about 7 tons. It was spacious inside and fit four comfortably including ruffles.
Our prom was on the top of Stone Mountain. We took the cable car up to the hotel on the top of the mountain. I don’t remember too much about the prom itself other than I realized that some of the girls that I thought were nerdy in class now appeared in a whole new light, a happy light thanks to prom dresses, dancing up and down and cleavage.
My tux became increasingly uncomfortable. The shirt was ruffled down the front and on the sleeves and it seemed the ruffles were getting bigger. Dancing or whatever it was I was doing in the form of it made me perspire and soon the silk shirt with ruffles was drenched. Just about all the guys were in the same boat. It seemed as if the ruffles were reacting to the perspiration and actually growing. By the time we left I couldn’t tell who was who. We all looked like flower arrangements with feet. The perspiration and humidity sent our ruffles into some sort of frenzy. We stumbled around like blind mice looking for the stashed Cold Duck in the bathroom.
The drive home was uncomfortable. I put my tux jacket on to suppress the expanding ruffles which now made the jacket too tight. I looked like Liberace if he worked out. Speaking of working out, nothing did. The Cold Duck was so carbonated all I could do was burp. It was finally left in the bathroom almost full. All of the other plans didn’t materialize either, partially due to the fact that my ruffles had taken over like Kudzu and I looked like something on the Sci-Fi channel. Although I got home in time, I was a half-hour late trying to get out of the car.
Happy Prom Night.
Comments
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By kt
May 8, 2007 11:59 AM | Link to this
Cute :) My prom night (which was in 1997) was spent 4 of my girlfriends, none of us had dates due the lack of eligible bachelors at our school. The prom itself was fun, it was fun to dress up and dance in a formal setting. After the prom, was spent watching Children of the Corn at a friends house. :(
By CobbMom
May 8, 2007 12:07 PM | Link to this
As usual,I enjoyed most of what you wrote. I laughed out loud recalling those hideous ruffled tux shirts-the men in my wedding party wore pink! However, as the mother of two members of what has beened dubbed “The Drunkest Generation” (a college student and a soon-to-be college student), I think it’s irresponsible for you to make light of underage drinking. You’re undermining the message to kids from parents/schools/police that prom is no place for alcohol. Call me uptight, but IMO underage drinking is neither amusing nor a rite of passage — it’s a SERIOUS problem.
By Jennie
May 8, 2007 1:36 PM | Link to this
I went to five proms during my high school tenure. Yes, FIVE! I was actually a freshman in college when I went back to the senior prom with a buddy who got ditched at the last minute. He got to take a college girl to the prom to show up the ex and I got to have the most relaxed and fun prom ever. I had a blast at all of them but I’ve seen the big sweatty guys looking like they might burst from their tux at any moment. Poor guys. There must be more comfortable formal wear for you guys? Sleeveless tuxes and short pants for all!!!
By One
May 8, 2007 2:57 PM | Link to this
CobbMom You are soooo right!!!! How irresponsible to make light of underage drinking!! Steve, you should be ashamed……..and you could’ve left that part out!
By a high school mom
May 8, 2007 6:20 PM | Link to this
I think you should post a photo.
Way back when, when I attended my Sr. Prom in 1981, most high school seniors, and some juniors, were 18, the legal age for drinking. Alcohol was not permitted at school sponsored functions, so most likely, this was not underage drinking, rather just another example of poor decision making by a teenager.
By mustang100
May 8, 2007 7:10 PM | Link to this
O.K. CobbMom: you ARE uptight. Well, you said we could call you that.
By James
May 9, 2007 9:55 AM | Link to this
Sorry, I spent part of my time growing up in Germany. The whole issue of teen drinking is largely an issue of “forbidden fruit”. I could drink at home, so it was never a big deal for me, and getting trashed was never an attractive proposition - so I was usually the one keeping people from getting hurt and chasing off the party-crashers when my friends had parties. I’m now in my mid-30’s and can count the times I’ve been drunk on one hand.
By Jennie
May 9, 2007 10:11 AM | Link to this
My guess is few teenagers are reading cop blogs. Let us reminisce without being judgemental. The man is funny and honest. When did we get so uptight?!?!
By jack
May 9, 2007 10:16 AM | Link to this
Wow! You could afford Cold Duck? Man, all we could get was some Strawberry Hill. ;-(
You forgot to mention platform shoes! Them were some tough suckers to gyrate (dance) in. LOL.
By Starwood
May 9, 2007 12:34 PM | Link to this
Steve,
My prom (w-a-y back in 1965) saw the guys in ruffled tuxes and the gals in hooped gowns! ALL of us were uncomfortable!
By Annt
May 9, 2007 1:40 PM | Link to this
My prom was back in 1962. My date was a college man from GA TECH. He didn’t have the outragious ruffels of the 70’s but he wasn’t very comfy either. To this day, he still hates formal wear. We went to Stone Mtn after the prom. I got home as the sun was rising. I think that my mother was ready to kill both of us. We have been married now for 44 years. I think that we may make it. Thanks for the memories.
By Lynette
May 9, 2007 1:47 PM | Link to this
The first real arguement my now ex hubby and I ever had was over ruffles. In 1983 they were on the way out. He still thought they were cool. I said no way and threw a brizilla type fit.
I won there were no ruffles. I can’t believe I married a guy who would willingly wear ruffles. HMMMM.
By Cassie
May 9, 2007 3:08 PM | Link to this
Cold Duck? Man, that’s high class! We had corn liquor and Bartles and James winecoolers.
Seriously, though, people get ALL out of hand about teens drinking. My parents didn’t want me to be an idiot about it, and so let me drink at home. I could in fact drink whenever I wanted, but after drinking enough just once to get sick, it lost it’s allure for me.
The problem lies where parents are irresponsible. I could drink at home, sure, but I couldn’t go anywhere, certainly couldn’t drive or have company, and had to be in bed by TEN on those nights.
As a culture we have a romance with alcohol much like we have a romance with sex - someone else earlier alluded to the forbidden fruit. Strip the mystery out of it, let your kid in the privacy of your own home with your LOCKED liquor cabinet get drunk enough to puke, and be hungover, and that takes care of that.
By Larry W Anderson
May 9, 2007 3:56 PM | Link to this
I think it is good to mention the dumb things we did at Prom night. It doesn’t mean we condone that as adults. Since our children are doing the same thing it means 1. they are about as dumb as we were at the same age. 2. As adults we do a good job of monitoring our kids as they don’t (for the most part) do anything worse than what we did. I remember the Cold Duck but I also remember who really got drunk and paid a price for it.
By tgp
May 9, 2007 10:29 PM | Link to this
Way back in the 70’s the legal age to drink was 18.I went to proms from 1969 to 1974.But you still could go to Underground,which back then was great and you could have any I.D. and they did not care if it even looked like you they would serve you.But the thrill was just to get it, not really the drinking and it was so differant from the usual Boone’s Farm strawberry.
By Fred
May 9, 2007 11:38 PM | Link to this
I reckon policing in Sandy Springs has gotten sparse. I guess the Sandy Springs yuppies are happy about the lack of crime and whatnot. Guess it’s not so easy to thug them like one does a typical Fulton County “scumbag” as those folks have money for lawyers and such. Doesn’t this so called “view from the cop” belong in the living vent or something along with comments from Blo or Clo, or wait, I mean Jlo, (I think one of them lo’s anyways). Just my thoughts anyways. But Steve, let me offer you a cyber daisy for your lapel. I mean it’s the least i could do. Could I have my thirty seconds back though that I wasted reading this crap? I’m return I’ll give you the ten minutes you spent having someone read my reply to you.
By Tom
May 10, 2007 11:46 AM | Link to this
I had a ruffled shirt…and a crushed baby blue velour jacket. It was the worst possible outfit anyone could ever have worn to a prom and my date’s mom and dad just loved it. Guess the figured it would make me look so comical there was no way I was going to keep their daughter out that late….