I want to wake up and go-go back to the happy 80s
OK, so I know we’ve come a long way.
But I am not at all surprised to hear that new research reveals we were happier 40 years ago.
Despite — or is it because — of the fact that there was no internet or social media and only four TV channels, it turns out the 1980s really were the glory days.
In a survey of more than 2,000 people for King’s College London, more than two-thirds said they thought life was happier in the Eighties because there were fewer problems. And 60 per cent wished modern life could be more simple.
I completely relate to this. In my memory the Eighties were a time full of optimism and opportunity.
But also Dallas, George Michael, Duran Duran, ra-ra skirts, leg warmers and pixie boots. God, I miss those days. I was still a teenager and spent my evenings listening to the radio, jumping up to record a song on my tape deck every so often (there was no MP3, Apple Music or Spotify in those days).
My prized possession was my Sony Walkman, on which I’d listen to Bruce Springsteen.
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And then there were the fashion . . . fluorescent pinks and greens, crimped hair and acid-washed jeans, not to mention the power suit — padded shoulders, large lapels and sharp tailoring.
The style symbolised what women could achieve, a uniform that meant you demanded respect and authority. It summed up everything I wanted to be.
There was more to the Eighties than the music and the telly. It was a time of opportunity and expectation, inspiration and ambition. No one was shy to say they wanted to be successful and make money.
And it was such a great time for a young woman to come of age. It was a time of equality and attitude, when it was possible to be both feminine and ballsy.
We had a female Prime Minister who stood up to men and had a can-do attitude.
I grew up thinking women could expect anything. There was a sense of self-worth and equality.
I knew I wanted to make a go of my life, and the prevailing climate was that I — we — could do anything.
It was also a good idea to try, and it really didn’t matter if you failed. In every sense I knew I was equal to men.
Of course, the biggest difference between then and now is the internet and social media. Both have enhanced our lives in many ways but the trolling and “cancelling”, aimed at women in particular, is a huge negative.
The pressures are immense, not so much on women who grew up in the 1980s but on their kids, who are bombarded with images of perfection that are totally unrealistic.
Growing up without a mobile, I had to wait for the home phone to ring, and with only one line, I was always being yelled at to: “Get off the phone.”
In our own worlds
The alternative was going to the phone box with 2p coins, having memorised my friend’s numbers.
I roamed London freely. I felt totally safe with my friends and I sometimes left the house in the morning and didn’t return until dinner. I’d get the bus to Wood Green. We formed clubs with silly names and unknown purposes. We were in our own worlds.
These days, everything is open 24/7 and so are we. People can access us day and night on our phones and emails. There is no longer a day of rest with shops shut on Sunday — it’s frenetic and non-stop.
Having said all that, the 2020s aren’t all bad. We still have a way to go when it comes to equal pay, but there are more women on boards than ever before.
I’m very happy to be working in my dream job as vice-chairman of West Ham — and hopefully acting as a role model for a whole new generation of young women hatching their own dreams.
These days men and women can take shared parental leave, although it would be great to see more men taking companies up on that.
We’ve also come a long way when it comes to equality in general, tackling racism and making gay marriage legal, as well as creating a more tolerant society.
So although life may have been more fun in the Eighties, when it comes to progress, 2022 is a pretty good place to be.
But in the Eighties things were much more chilled. You did everything with a cigarette and a drink in your hand.
Life was simpler, with fewer distractions and better human connections.
I know people always glorify the good old days but if I had to choose between growing up now or in the Eighties, I would choose the Eighties in a heartbeat.
It really was a glorious time to develop — a magical combination of economic success, ambition, freedom, great music and movies, perms, mullets — and shoulder pads.
Facelift isn’t the same as a mood lift, Katie
KATIE PRICE this week debuted her new doll-like face, having spent an estimated £10k on yet another eye and brow lift and chin liposuction, the latest of many ops.
I think for anyone to have all that surgery means they cannot be happy, and honestly, I feel sorry for her. It’s very invasive, painful and takes weeks to recover.
And yet she keeps on doing it. The same goes for social media star Mary Magdalene, above, who at the age of just 25 has spent nearly £75,000 on an ever more extreme series of plastic surgeries.
She has just had “cat-eye” surgery to create a more slanted eye in a bid to look like a “forest fairy elf” and her fourth – fourth! – nose job to create a “Barbie” nose.
“It’s a very fake-looking Barbie nose, which is exactly what I asked for, and so many surgeons said it was not possible for me to have this type of nose because of my three prior nose jobs,” she said.
Mary’s surgeries have included a brow lift, fat transfers, multiple nose and boob jobs, veneers, liposuction, butt injections and three Brazilian butt lifts.
She is soon to have an eyebrow transplant and procedures on her jaw and lip.
“I like to look really trashy and cheap and sl*tty,” she said in a podcast last year, which to me just sounds heartbreaking.
This amount of surgery is a form of extreme self-harm. It should be illegal to do this to someone who appears to have mental health issues.
The surgeon who agreed to do it all – when so many others have refused – should feel ashamed.
Live by Laila's lesson
IT’S always sad, often devastating, when relationships end.
But without wishing to sound too judgy, it’s hard not to compare how actresses Laila Rouass and Alice Evans are handling their break-ups.
Laila, who split with snooker player Ronnie O’Sullivan, shared an Instagram post saying splits “don’t have to be sad” and can mean the “beginning of new adventures and learnings”.
She added: “It can be a wonderful teacher. Using self-compassion and manifesting a new life without someone you love can still lead you to a place of joy.”
That sounds healthy. When one door closes, another opens.
Maybe Alice needs to take note. Clearly, her break with actor Ioan Gruffudd is painful. They were married for 14 years and have two kids.
But sending him 113 pages of abusive text messages and laying into his new actress girlfriend Bianca Wallace will just make things a whole lot worse.
Indeed, Ioan has now applied for a restraining order after claiming Alice threatened to paint him as a drug-addicted abuser.
One of her texts to him said: “You think you have a bad reputation now? Lol! I am going to dedicate the rest of my life to spreading awareness of what you have done.”
Let’s just hope the threat of a restraining order will make her see that doing so will harm her much more than him.
KEEP IT SIMPLE
COULD it really be true that some schools are considering bans on phrases such as “boys and girls” due to fears of “sexism”? It just seems mad, doesn’t it?
In many ways it is right that teachers are being told not to give one-sided accounts of national heroes such as Winston Churchill, who has been branded racist by some activists in recent years.
But it does seem like the classroom is becoming a political battleground. Being a kid used to be so simple.
Ooh so vicious to Syd
IT’S depressing to hear how Sydney Carter, an assistant basketball coach, has been getting abuse about her fabulous appearance.
She faced a backlash after wearing stilettos and tight-pink PVC trousers to a recent game in Texas, and believes race is a factor.
She said: “People are uncomfortable with a black woman in a power position. When you see a black woman confident and embracing herself, that’s intimidating.”
There is doubtless some truth in that but I think it’s all women.
Our clothes, hair and make-up are commented on before our brains, our careers, our contribution to society or our industry. Annoying, isn’t it?
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It’s important to live and let live. People should feel free to do what they want with their bodies, and that includes dressing however they like.
But sometimes I wonder where the line is between someone doing something to feel better, or because all is not well.
STILL STANDING TALL
IT’S always a pleasure to see footage of the Queen.
She received incoming Defence Services Secretary Major-General Eldon Millar, and his predecessor Rear Admiral James Macleod, at Windsor Castle this week, above.
Although admitting to feeling frail, she still managed a laugh. She stood up to meet them, although leaning on her stick and telling them she couldn’t move, pointing to her left leg or foot.
You have to admire her.
She is still turning up, no matter what. She has had such a difficult few months, with both her son and grandson causing her such grief.
Most of us having to deal with this stress would just stay in bed and pull up the duvet.
Yet she is still serving the nation at 95.