It turns out this ‘Weird Science’ post wasn’t my first foray into the crop top. For a Valentine’s Day shoot I did with Andy many, many years ago, I slipped into these 80’s-inspired looks and held a bottle of beer to add to the trashy scene we hoped to conjure. It exemplified an opposites-attract vibe, while playing up people’s perceived images of what we were like together. (Nothing is what it seems.)
As the world grows ever-darker around us, we need these moments of play and memory. They illuminate the blackest of hallways, lighting the way around the shadiest corners. They give laughter and life to days in which many of us are struggling to find that touchstone of humor. I never expected that half a wig and a trucker’s cap would lift my spirits, but here we are. It’s a brave new world. Hang onto your hats. And your crotches.
When the time is fraught with danger and uncertainty, I find myself looking back to such vintage moments and remembering how things used to be. It’s strange and unsettling, and probably to the best way of coping. My usual stance is looking unflinchingly forward to the future. That keeps me going. But when that path is laden with doubt, perhaps these vintage recollections aren’t entirely bad. Happy memories can fortify the heart in unhappy times.
