Flashback Friday (sort of)--Anniversary-inspired Edition





Ben and me on our first anniversary

Tonight, my boyfriend Ben and I are celebrating our two year anniversary, which is funny because the both of us have said on several occasions that it seems like we've been together much longer than that! Maybe it's because we were crushing on each other for months before our first date, but had no idea the feeling was reciprocal. Or perhaps it's because our personalities are very similar--we're both creative, sensitive, goofy, loyal, affectionate, giving individuals. Or maybe it's because we have found in each other a person who  makes us really happy in a multitude of ways--someone supportive, nurturing, and engaging. I could go on and on with theories!

Now let's flashback to 1986. I was eleven-years-old and not quite loving my life. I had a bad, short, done-at-home-by-my-dad haircut. My teeth were as crooked as Lehman Brothers. I wore large glasses and Star Trek t-shirts. Surprisingly, there were no boys interested in me! And this made me feel super self-conscious because all of my other friends were holding hands with boys and sharing their McDonald's French fries with them.

My first name ain't baby, it's Janet:
Miss Jackson if you're nasty!

Then I discovered Janet Jackson's Control album. It was filled with messages of female empowerment and catchy songs that you could dance to--i.e. Pleasure Principle; Nasty Boys; and What Have You Done For Me Lately. Who needed boys when you had a fierce sistah like Janet, with her spiral perm and her shoulder pads? Uh...not me!

But all of my tween feminism evaporated when I witnessed the brilliance of the When I Think of You music video, which was on high rotation on MTV. (In fact, back in the 80s, my friends and I used to argue about who was better--Whitney Houston and Janet Jackson? I would always use the awesomeness of this video to prove my point--Whitney. Houston. CAN'T. DANCE!) Anyway, the choreography was amazing; Janet Jackson looked so young and beautiful; and the lyrics made me hopeful that one day, I would find a love so wonderful that any time the world got crazy, all I'd have to do to calm it, is just think of someone special. 

Well, folks, the dream finally came true! And I couldn't feel more blessed. So enjoy this YouTube link to Janet skipping throughout da hood, thinkin' of her lovah man. Oh, and take note of the way the video is shot. It's actually filmed with only one camera and there aren't any edits either.

PS: HAPPY HALLOWEEN! (And yes, there will be a Halloween related blog post after this festivities this weekend, so stay tuned...)