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Faded Age Is Just a Number Or Is It?

Filed Under: BLOG, Life in General, Random Thoughts Tagged With: , ,

Pimples needing Noxema, Lip Smackers’ teen spirited drama, 90210 boy watching, MTV still playing videos, Seattle Pearl Jam grunge wearing, Girl Talk–Faded Memories for me back in the 1990s!

Whoa! - Age Is Just A Number Or Is It!

See as a 1990s teen, I can still clearly remember being a teen over 20 years ago and viewing TV shows based on the latest “He is such a Baldwin” heartthrob that graced the covers of Tiger Beat.  If you read issues of this magazine, then you are probably similar in age to me and also probably didn’t buy it so much for the articles, but for the hunky boys’ posters that were included.

I wish I had a picture of my then bedroom, where it was covered wall-to-wall in 1980s/1990s teen male hotness adorning my peach painted walls at this hormonal time of my life, because I guarantee all here would either die of laughter or hang their heads in shame as they might have had a similar decor in their own teen bedrooms.

But then again, better not to have any photographic evidence to incriminate myself any further.  Still yet, I will out myself a bit (hey it takes a secure women to admit this) by divulging to all reading this know my teen boy shrine included Kirk Cameron, New Kids on the Block (NKOTB), Johnny Depp, Christian Slater, Luke Perry (the ultimate 90s bad boy from that famous zip code) and even Joey Lawrence (Whoa!).

Joey Lawrence – 1990s Blossom Star and Hottie!

Seriously, I will admit that I didn’t watch most of these shows for their enthralling plots, but instead for the male hottie factor.

But cut me some slack, as I was a teen girl with raging hormones and most definitely wasn’t blind to guy’s looks back then.

Now though at 37, a bit faded and a reformed wife and mother of two, I would like to think I have matured and can see past the aforementioned looks department in the opposite sex. 

But yes, I do very much and very fondly remember this time in my life.  Hell, I would still watch one of these shows in reruns or even love to see any of these actors if they were indeed acting in new, updated shows or at least I would have thought.

Yet, this all was about to change drastically for me.

It was a Wednesday night, when I normally watch ABC for The Goldbergs and Modern Family.  But they were airing older episodes that I had already viewed. 

So, began the channel surfing here on my part.

We have cable TV and over 900 channels and yet I couldn’t find much I did want to watch.  Go figure!

However, I stopped when I came to ABC Family Channel, where the channel description listed two actors names I recognized who were similar to my age appearing.  Upon seeing the names I thought, “Why not?”

That was my first, fatal mistake.

So, what show and what actors, you are probably wondering (if you are as curious as I usually am)?

The show – Melissa & Joey (this is where my husband asked me simply, “Why?”) and the actors, Melissa Joan Hart (of Sabrina the Teenage Witch fame) and Joey Lawrence (yes the same Joey Lawrence from Blossom that had my teen loins a flutter back in the day).

Granted 37 may not be old (or at least I keep trying to tell myself this). But when I was 16 it was ancient to me.  So seeing these two actors, who are similar age to me all grown up, sent me reeling.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I get it I am 37 (just about middle-aged) and yes I am not a spring chicken myself with gray hairs, as well as wrinkles that were not there only a few short years ago sprouting up more and more each day.

But this totally hit home for me to be quite honest, as much as I tried to remain calm.  Thank god, I have never suffered from depression (don’t get me wrong I am not making light of anyone who is or has suffered from this), because I got to tell you though if I did, I might have just ended it by putting faded self of out of my misery right then and there.

Poor Sabrina, the Teenaged Witch is definitely no longer a teenager and looks like she could be one of Sabrina’s much older aunts who took her under their wing.

And that isn’t even the worst of it, as she actually makes her co-star, Joey Lawrence look good in comparison.

I honestly am not even sure where to begin and if the classic, “Whoa” could describe it I would leave it at that, but sadly it is just so much worse.

Make no mistake his physique is still stellar, but his face for starters with this fake, almost orange tint half-baked glow and his matching reddish/orange flock of seagulls hair makes the former hottie teen star seem like a caricature of his former self.

Joey Lawrence – ‘Whoa’ What Happened?!

It was just a sad day for this former, teenage, drooling fan seeing the once teen heartthrob that sang all about, “Nothing My Love Can’t Do” all grown up and middle-aged.

I get it now, if I didn’t before that evening, “Age Really Just Isn’t a Number”.  We all grow up eventually (myself included) and my own former youth has all but faded now.  

If nothing else though I have been cured of mindless cable channel surfing, because this proved that nothing good will ever come from it.

Now, please excuse me while I remain calm as I drown my middle-aged woman sorrows in a nice glass of wine, some Chunky Monkey Ice Cream and curl up with old reruns of 90210, where my faded memories still remain young at heart!

[Tweet “Age, it is just a number? #1word #generationx”]

This post was written for the One Word Blog Linkup that is hosted by Lisa of The Golden Spoons and yours truly, too.

The words for this week were: Faded or Calm.

 

Signature 2015

About Janine

Janine is a published author of the books, The Mother of All Meltdowns and Only Trollops Shave Above the Knee. She has been featured on The Huffington Post, Mamapedia, Today Parenting Team and SheKnows. She also runs her own graphic design company at J9 Designs.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Bev says

    Haha, I had a feeling when you started talking about channel surfing that you were going to mention Melissa & Joey (which I sadly admit I started watching on Netflix when I was still nursing Eve and I needed something tame to watch). I don’t know what’s going on with his hair, but it didn’t look like that in the earlier seasons. Yikes! And it’s so strange seeing the stars you grew up with as adults themselves now. I mean, obviously it happens, but it’s also a bit strange!

  2. Allie says

    Well, you can’t go home again, right? Hahaha I had most of this same teenage heart throbs on my walls but was never a Joey Lawrence fan. I’m in awe (in a bad way!) of that picture of him! WTH???

  3. Seana Turner says

    Well, I’m about a decade older than you, Janine, so my list a bit different. I think I had Tom Selleck and Rob Lowe on my wall.. good memories of innocent gawking:) It is crazy when you see people age, especially celebrities whom are frozen in the memory in their younger years. I can only imagine what people who knew me in high school must think when they come across a current photo of mine! But hey, aging is normal, so I’m ok with it!

    • Janine says

      Seana, aging is totally normal an yet I admit sometimes I do forget that I am almost 38 years old (as crazy as it sounds), but this definitely was a not so gentle reminder, I suppose! 😉

  6. Lisa @ The Golden Spoons says

    Ha! I totally get this. It does make me feel so old to see these stars who I used to think we such hot teenagers now as adults themselves. Since you are already feeling bad, how about this – did you know that Luke Perry is ten years older than us? He is 48 – that’s almost 50!!! Dylan is almost 50 Janine!!!!! Whoa!!!

    BTW – did you see the Jimmy Fallon/Saved By The Bell clip that was going viral a couple weeks ago? If not, you need to go watch it! 🙂

    • Janine says

      Lisa, I had known he was older than us, but 50 just blew my mind! And I did totally see that Saved By the Bell clip and couldn’t stop laughing at the time, but now that you mentioned it definitely could add that to aiding in feeling just that much older now, too! 😉

  8. Emily says

    Oh Jeez, you’re right – Joey Lawrence does look kinda scary now! Definitely agree – depressing! The one actor who I drooled over who still looks good – John Stamos. I think he looks almost exactly the same! Let’s face it – most people just don’t age well in general and if you’re in Hollywood, sometimes you look even worse when you try so hard to fight it…

  9. Kelly Suellentrop says

    Did you ever watch Boy Meets World? Because Cory (aka Ben Savage…who wasn’t exactly a heartthrob) and Topenga (aka Danielle Fischell) look almost EXACTLY the same now on the Disney Channel spinoff Girl Meets World. Sure, the show is meant for kids my daughter’s age, but I must confess to watching it. It takes me back 🙂

  10. Liz Mays says

    I tend to forget about my age until a scenario like you mentioned happens to me, and it FREAKS me out! I always think, oh my gosh, do I look that old too? We still think of ourselves as youthful (and those celebrities too) and reality just isn’t the same. Yikes!

  11. Ginny Marie says

    Age is definitely just a number…when I was your age, I was pregnant with Emmy and had a rambunctious 2 year old! My OB complement me on my energy! I’ve been enjoying my 40’s…it’s not as old as it sounds!

  12. Jennifer | The Deliberate Mom says

    Ha! I got flashbacks reading this. As you know, I just turned 40 in December. I surprising did well… I didn’t wallow in self-pity and I’m quite ready to take on the next decade.

    I loved Beverly Hills 90210 and my walls used to be covered with photos from Tiger Beat magazine… LOL. Yes, when I look back I feel “old” but when I look forward I see all sorts of excitement and adventure.

    Thanks for sharing.
    xoxo

  14. Echo says

    Whenever I see the “heartthrons” or stars of my youth, I always wonder what the hell happened. I am then left thinking that it is going to happen to me or has it ALREADY happened?!

  15. Diane Roark says

    Janine,

    I barely remember the 90’s from working full time, going to school full time and then later having kids. I have never heard of Joey Lawrence. I know I was living under a rock, but I will say he did look much better when he was young. He does not even look like the same person. WHAT HAPPENED??
    We are truly all getting older. I never realized that more than this year when I turned the BIG ONE. You know that number I cannot even say out loud much less right it down. What happened to time? I just pray I am living a life that is making a small difference in the lives of others.
    Thanks so much for sharing!
    Caleb is our channel suffer in our house. Fortunate for me He loves Hallmark movies. YES!
    Blessings,
    Diane Roark

    • Janine says

      Diane, I won’t utter the number or word – promise! And love that Caleb watches Hallmark movies and seriously think I may need to watch more myself if and when I do get some free time 😉

  16. christina says

    My daughter has had Melissa and Joey on a few times, and I never realized it was THAT Joey! Holy Cow. I loved him too…omigosh. Definitely need those memories to fade!!

  18. Marcia @ Blogitudes says

    I don’t think there’s anything quite as enlightening about our own age as seeing one of our idols aging. Wow! I’m a good bit ahead of you age-wise – so my celebrity idols are from the 1970s. Like you, they made my heart pound way back when. The walls of my room were covered with their pictures, and my stereo blasted their music almost continually. David Cassidy. Bobby Sherman. Peter Frampton. I was a bigger fan of Pop music, not Rock – so I also liked The Carpenters and Olivia Newton-John. About 12 years ago, my sister surprised me with a ticket to go see Olivia in concert. The last time I’d seen her was 1982 when she was doing her ‘Physical’ tour. She was in her early 30s and at her prime back then. She had just recently filmed Grease. That’s the way I wanted to remember her. I was only in my 20s in 1982 – and that’s the way I wanted to keep remembering myself, too. Flash forward 20-some years later. Wow! Olivia stepped out onto the stage … and suddenly I felt ancient! She’d changed A LOT over the years! She still looks good and still sings wonderfully, but she’s no longer in her prime … and that night as I sat watching and listening to her, I realized for perhaps the first time, that neither am I. Makes me sad even now to think about it. 🙂

    • Janine says

      Aw, sorry to make you sad thinking about that Marcia, but like you I truly was an eye opening experience to say the least seeing my former teen idol crush no longer a teen anymore.

  19. Kenya G. Johnson says

    OMG I wouldn’t have guessed that was Joey in a million years! I wonder if I’ve seen him on any show and just didn’t recognize him. Wow. First of all he should have left his hair and eyebrow dark and his eyebrows he should have left alone period. Wow!

    I think you saw FB post about Judd Nelson. He was such a cutie in the 80’s. He was about 10 years older than me so “older” man. But on the show Empire I swear he looks old enough to be my father – ok maybe great Uncle but geez. I don’t know if they made him look old or if he really looks like that.

  28. Kim says

    This made me laugh for sure!!! I don’t really like to see a lot of the “kids” as grown-up actors because it makes me feel old. I would rather just watch the reruns:)

  29. Amanda @ Growing Up Madison says

    I’m a year older than you so I totally remember those days. NKOTB were my all time favorite band and I had quite a few crushes on those teen hearthrobs. I now look back and wonder what was up with me? btw I totally get you about having those 900 channels and nothing to watch. Guess it’s time for me to cut the strings to cable. 🙂

  30. Meredith says

    Haha! Being the exact same age, I LOVED this. Joey lawrence was definitely a heart throb. What happened is right! I also desperately wish I had a picture of my bedroom back then. My brother used to bring his friends in there kind of like a show and tell, and then make fun of me event since there were literally wall to wall posters I had torn out of Bop magazine. 🙂

    • Janine says

      I love that we are the same age here and my brother was 6 years younger than me, so he couldn’t truly make fun of me, but still now not sure I would have blamed him if he would have 😉

  32. Nina says

    Wow, Joey, no! You know what though, if you scroll his image where his hair is cut off, he doesn’t look that bad. But that hair, oh man.

    This brought back so many memories. I was a Christian Slater girl myself (somehow the guy made eyebrows look cute) and loved 90210. I was teasing my younger coworker because I mentioned Brandon and Brenda offhand, and she had no idea who they were. She barely knew the show, much less the characters in them. That was just so mind-boggling to me lol.

  34. Jack says

    Now you made me feel old because I just realized your are younger than my baby sisters, they’ll be 41 in a couple of weeks.

    Ok, I don’t feel old. old, whatever the hell that means but I am far more conscious now of the clock than I ever was. But I can say that when you realize 50 is only a few years away it no longer seems or sounds old.

    • Janine says

      Jack, I think it is truly all relative and yet sorry to make you feel old by my admission, but I think maybe we can just call it a draw and say that neither of us are really old, but just much wiser than we once were 😉

  35. Charlene @Teacherbytrade-Motherbynature says

    “teen loins flutter” – that made me laugh out loud! Oh yes I remember Joey Lawrence , Blossom, LOVED 90210, I remember them all! In fact – Do you remember Boy Meets World? well my 10 year old daughter watches the spin-off series Girl Meets World – Cory & Topanga’s teenage daughter! Definitely makes me feel old!! Although it’s like they grew up with me. Thanks for the #flashback. Happy Easter

  38. Corinne Rodrigues says

    I thought age was just a number till I saw those pictures of Joey Lawrence, Janine! Ha…just kidding. Enjoyed your post. My idols and teen memories are from the late ’70s and early ’80s, so it’s ABBA, the BeeGees and John Travolta for me!

  39. lisacng @ expandng.com says

    Faded age, an interesting term! Maybe that’s why I don’t like to see my childhood TV stars in their roles today. I’d rather keep their memories of them pristine ;). Well, except the cast of Saved By the Bell. They were awesome on an episode with Jimmy Fallon!

  41. April G says

    Funny that in some ways we both focused on age. Mine more the dreams of my past. Yes, I have also glanced at an episode of Melissa and Joey and also disappointed was in the same lame jokes as i was when they were teens themselves.

  42. Terri says

    I definitely have to agree with you – Joey looks interesting. I don’t know what they were thinking with his hair. It was a huge mistake! It definitely didn’t look like that in previous seasons though. I think Melissa still looks great though. The show isn’t too bad – you should think about watching it. For a show that’s on the ABC family channel, I can’t believe how much they talk about sex though!!!

  46. Rea says

    You’re the second person I know of who wrote something about 90210 today. Hehehe. Is there some kind of a reunion or something? LOL. I’m a serious fanatic of some boy bands before. It’s funny, hehehe, but I still love their songs.

  47. Allie @ The Latchkey Mom says

    Really, it is just a number:). And yours is so little. You’re a baby! I don’t even know those shows (very well), because I was in my twenties, partying it up:). No TV.

  48. Kate says

    I actually found some pictures of my high school bedroom a couple weeks ago and it was too funny. So many magazine cut outs and posters hanging on the walls. I want to play Girl Talk again!

  49. Tamara says

    haha, now you’re making me laugh! I love the ABC Family lineup but Melissa and Joey leaves me cold.
    I’ve always been such a fangirl. I wish we had been friends in the 90s!

  50. Stephanie @ Life, Unexpectedly says

    Oh my goodness the “matching orange/reddish flock of seagulls hair” make me giggle so hard! I agree, most of my idols from my teenage years absolutely look like losers to me today (mentioning a certain Nick Carter). When you mentioned your room, I did recall a specific poster I put up to annoy my parents, featuring a very much stark naked Ronaldo (Brazilian soccer player of the day), covering his privates with a soccer ball. My mom was not amused, but ignored it, and I was slightly disappointed and kept it up a little longer than necessary to make a point 🙂 I’m so glad I’m not 15 any more!!!

  51. The Pinterested Parent says

    Janine, I was at the doctor’s office the other day & Kevin Costner was on the cover of the AARP in the waiting room. I almost died. How could this be. Granted he is older than us, but still he was a sex symbol for me in my day. I felt so old. I am definitely starting to realize that I am not a young hot chicky anymore. Lol!!Joey once was amazing. He was adorable. All the plastic surgery and stuff these actors are going through is just plain nasty. They should just let themselves age naturally.

  52. Chris Carter says

    OH this is so fun!!! HA! I remember my room was filled with Rocky and Prince… PLASTERED all over my walls!!

    And Scott Bao…

    All of which have aged drastically.

    I’m a decade older than you… so I feel ya sister!! It’s quite appalling when we see our crushes aging… and then I wonder, “Gosh, I must be too!!!” Neh… only them!!!

  53. Jen says

    Oh my goodness, it’s just a number, it’s just a number!!! Even though my wrinkles and gray hair would say otherwise…. I don’t like seeing my teen “idols” all grown up and old looking. It is sadish! Well, except for Jennie Garth she is still pretty cute 🙂

  56. April says

    Whoa! I am in my mid-30s too, so I loved this post. I had those posters on my wall too! I was also a fan of Fred Savage of The Wonder Years. Ha! I think Joey still looks really good, weird hair do aside…..Now I really want to watch this show! But yes, we are old. It is sad, and it is wonderful, and I kind of love being old. 🙂

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