Things you wish you'd had as a teen (lighthearted)

[ruethewhirl]

Inspired by the 1986 thread, as it got me thinking about how I used to battle as a teen with my hair which has always had an unruly kink: straighteners.

Had too many crap hairstyles (including horrendous perms) to count, and my hair still rarely did what I wanted it to. If straighteners had been a thing back then, my world would have been complete. 😄

Freedom!

Body confidence.

Public transport
A bike
Freedom to dye my hair
Clothes allowance

Straighteners too, I went through High School looking like Hermione Granger Year 1 at Hogwarts. I asked for straighteners for Christmas and my parents bought me a 3in1 babyliss wave/straight/crimp set and it was just the worst although they weren't to know that. I had extreme hair envy for those with silky, swishy hair.

Decent curly hair products, a diffuser and the knowhow to use them. I used to get my wavy hair permed and now all it needs is mousse and a a diffuser to get the same effect.

Decent glasses, the options were TERRIBLE when I was a teenager, switched to contacts at 17 and never looked back (as it were).

Trainers for every day wear - I live in them now and cringe at the court shoes of my teen years and the damage it did to my feet.

More sex.

I'm in my mid 40's now and when I look back I definitely wished I'd had more sex.
I've been with my husband for 24 years, only two partners prior to him.

Oh god yes to straighteners, I was a teen through the 90s and styles were geared towards curtains/bobs. They did creep in at the very end, but by then I’d had years of being called Bungle (the bear from rainbow) or worse. There weren’t even any good products around, the options were lackered solid which just locked in how terrible my hair looked or mouse or wet look gel, the same but it looked wet and crispy.

I tried blow drying, going to bed in a hat, ironing it with my mums iron and a tea towel over it (I’d seen that in the film ‘hairspray’). When I got my first job I bought a chemical relaxer, my hair was still curly, but somehow even drier. I realised later in life how to actually treat curls, which is to encourage them and not try to flatten them, I wish I had known before, I got that advice from a lovely barber I started using at about 19. After all that suffering I now just have to crop it because I’m a stupid man with stupid man balding genetics. I’m a bit jealous that curly hair is so fashionable for youngsters at the moment, I would have been top dog, but not jealous at the bullying potential that social media would bring a nerd like me.

Platinum blonde hair and boobs like Pamela Anderson, also the thin eyebrows.
The last thing I have, due to thyroid issues.
😂

A long shining curtain of jet black hair that flowed as I walked, instead of the dry curly red mop that just stayed there.

No freckles.

long strong pointed fingernails, mine are like flaked almonds.

a really long cigarette holder (I smoked for about two years)

Self respect.

Well I basically wanted to be an American teen like you see in 80’s movies so I wanted: a car, a phone in my room I could gossip on for hours, a mall to hang out at with all the other teens, to have an allowance to buy my own clothes, handsome boys at school who I actually fancied (literally didn’t fancy one boy at my high school, ever) and to go to prom and be given a corsage by my date 😂

• clothes
• money
• a small nose
• a rich boyfriend
• no siblings

Clothes or toiletries allowance even if very small, just something
Hair straighteners
Parents that were together and happy
Better self confidence
A big sister

A horse! (Worked in a stables at the weekend and every year I’d pray my parents had decided to get me a horse even though now I laugh at how I could have expected it given the cost!!)

Electrical goods that weren't branded things like 'bush' or 'goodmans' (Argos basic own brand)

A couch. I had to sit on the floor while my parents each had a chair.

My dad still being alive after I just turned 13. Alive and well though. I'm quite relieved he went quickly rather with a long term illness like dementia or terminal cancer.

Enough money to get taxis everywhere, as we didn't have a car so had to do a lot of heavy lifting shopping on busses with my mum.

More confidence in my appearance. I looked lovely but thought I looked awful. All I can say to my younger self is, enjoy it cos it will only get much worse! Lol

Giggorata · Today 15:47

a really long cigarette holder (I smoked for about two years)

I bet you smoked these, didn't you?

https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=adb9b9861ab1efe9&q=sobranie+cocktail+cigarettes&udm=2&fbs=AEQNm0AeMNWKf4PpcKMI-eSa16lJoRPMIuyspCxWO6iZW9F1Nu5UXlEfGU2YX1CrW9Nmm9Q3JIJZUqyMsLxos5tPU_UnqJ9Yac9VVJRGWfC4j5Vo8m7Mlt4ff7AZsgxj4YvbRt-9Wl-zNhUK7E5vq_dODPLADalc4lefWVXSdtkHoC0OmEl41dgSIVaSM1LxArG3o7H3C3lSBG5yaKvA2zgbZVjlLUSEnA&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj71qr8mJiJAxWmTUEAHSDFBIcQtKgLegQIERAB&biw=1745&bih=835&dpr=1.1#vhid=YqW2hpLmhKzDaM&vssid=mosaic

Sorry for the massive url....

OMG! I loved Sobranies!

Better parents..

I too smoked sobranies! My bf and I thought we were IT!!

Supportive parents.

a hatred of alcohol

Soubranie, yes, that brings back memories! And we had some very long black ones, too, I forget what they were called.

Boobs and no spots. The spots disappeared in my late teens and the boobs appeared when I got pregnant at 30. Still only a B cup...oh and I hated being tall, love it now.

Decent straighteners would definitely have been a game changer for teenage me. My hair is neither straight nor curly and won't hold any particular style for long. As a teenager I had perms which looked fine for a week or so, but quickly became frizzy with a flat bit on top where it started to grow out. When my hair was not permed I spent hours attempting to either blowdry it straight with a variety of brushes or make it curly with tongs/hot brushes etc. The result was always hair that looked OK for 5mins if coated in hairspray but returned to doing its own thing as soon as I moved or went outdoors. I even had an early version of straighteners with that you put water in to and it created steam like and iron- they did not work and looking back it was amazing I was never injured attempting to use them. Nowadays I can have straight hair within about 10mins and it lasts all day (sometimes more) thanks to proper straighteners. I feel this would have been more use to me as a teen/20something

I should have included no spots in mine too, damn things hung around till I was in my 20s. I got very good at makeup because of it, but it did affect my confidence.