overalls

General discussion about the nineteen episodes of "My So-Called Life". Note: Our episode guide can be found here.
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Natasha (candygirl)
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overalls

Post by Natasha (candygirl) » Dec 13th 2002, 11:22 pm

Is there some sort of deep underlying meaning to overalls? Throughout the series, a lot of the characters wear overall, which I'm sure is just because people wear overalls. BUT in Betrayal, everyone (Rickie, Corey, Sharon, Rayanne, and Angela) except Brian and Joran wears them at one point.

On a related note, did anyone use their frame by frame to look at the pictures posted on the yearbook office window? One of them was of Sharon.

:D
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Post by Megs » Dec 14th 2002, 10:56 pm

I just think that overalls were really in at that time. I remember I loved my pair.

I did think that Shane looked stupid in his in Why Jordan Can't Read. Guys shouldn't wear overalls, especially with tanks. Unless you're a farmer... or Chris Penn in Footloose.
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Post by emmie » Sep 11th 2004, 7:02 pm

that's so funny! I just watched Betrayl and was wondering what was up with the overalls. I kept looking at Sharon and thinking....why? I also began to wonder if Devon Odessa was pregnant. she looks so frumpy. and it seemed to me that in the later episodes, she was wearing quite a lot of loose clothing. but I haven't read anything about that, so it's probably me just being silly. afterall, it was the early 90s and loose, baggy clothes were in.

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i still wear them

Post by catalano_16 » Sep 11th 2004, 10:09 pm

i still wear overalls occasionally....it's funny, sometimes i feel like angela when i wear them! their not really out of style, b/c students @ my school still wear them.. i think the 80's & 90's r starting to come back!
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Post by TomSpeed » Sep 12th 2004, 10:59 am

One of the reasons why overalls are popular is because they cover more of a person's body. A teenager is very self-conscious about his or her appearance. Also, overalls take no preparation. You just put them on. They are perfect clothes for budding slackers.
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Graham: And how much of you?
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Post by Jody Barsch* » Sep 12th 2004, 2:00 pm

My friends and I wore overalls a lot in high school, and I have had many conversations about them with a lot of people. I knew a lot of guys who just loved girls in overalls, it was their favorite thing to see girls wearing. Here is why: overalls are a mix of youthful playfulness and sexiness. With the three side buttons on either side, overalls are pretty “easy access”. Un-hook the clasps and they’ll basically fall right off (especially when talking about high school girls, who have not developed their hips yet). Also, at the time when my friends and I were wearing them (the time of MSCL), the little baby-doll tees were in, so you’d have girls wearing small cute little tees with big old raggy overalls – often you could see girls’ waists, and sometimes a glimpse of underwear (keep in mind that this was before it was the fashion for your thong to be above you pants line.) Overalls downplay being sexy while still being alluring – they are exciting but not threatening or blatant. I think that might be why we see them so often in this show; all of the characters, not just Angela, are in an ambiguous place in their lives – they are exploring their sexuality, rebelling and pushing limits, but are still very young and childlike.

In “Pressure”, Angela wears overalls to both her doctor’s appointment and on her date. Although it very much makes sense to me, as a viewer, I’ve always been a little irritated that she wears this totally cute outfit to the doctor’s, but this totally not so cute outfit on her date. Yes, I love how the show makes it seem like she wears whatever happens to be clean in her closet, and, it totally makes sense that since she is apprehensive about sleeping with Jordan, she would choose an outfit that does not put her at her most desirable, covering up her body and sexuality, wearing youthful clothes, and not making herself feel sexy. On earlier “dates” with Jordan (getting the ID, waiting for him to meet her parents, and the dance), Angela tried on different outfits, got dressed up (always in a dress), but when it comes to actually sleeping with him, Angela shows her reluctance by her choice of clothes. Not trying to turn Jordan on, and not allowing herself to feel sexy (kind of like purposely not shaving the legs if you know you don’t want to let things go that far), Angela selects burgundy overalls.


I also agree with Tomspeed that another attraction of overalls is that they do cover up a lot. I haven’t seen “Betrayal” in a while, but I’m guessing Rayanne dons her overalls after sleeping with Jordan, which makes sense – she has made this decision involving sex that has hurt people and which she regrets, and so she withdraws into a more youthful and innocent persona. Sharon, who also wears overalls in this episode, finds herself in a situation she wishes she didn’t have to deal with – telling her best friend that her new best friend slept with her ex-boyfriend. I agree, Shane in those overalls was a bad call, (but I think a lot of the choices they made about Jordan’s friends are little bit off). Maybe Corey wears overalls because they are kind of an ambiguous article of clothing – when we are young, both girls and boys wear them, but as we grow older, they have recently become more and more something girls wear. Also, they are work clothes, Corey is all about his painting.
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Post by Nothingman » Sep 12th 2004, 5:34 pm

I love a girl in overalls. Something about a chilly sunday and girl in overalls that's just adorable. They are very nonthreatening and cuddly, kind of like a fuzzy sweater. And the easy access is great, it's not just that they come off easily, but you can slip your hands down the sides of them. :D

It's sunday and I have bit of a cold, I could sure go for a girl in overalls about now.
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Post by Natasha (candygirl) » Sep 12th 2004, 5:51 pm

Nothingman wrote:kind of like a fuzzy sweater.
As long as the cute overalls aren't worn in conjunction with a fuzzy sweater (see Sharon's faux pas in Betrayal). Ugh!
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Post by Nothingman » Sep 12th 2004, 6:06 pm

candygirl wrote:
Nothingman wrote:kind of like a fuzzy sweater.
As long as the cute overalls aren't worn in conjunction with a fuzzy sweater (see Sharon's faux pas in Betrayal). Ugh!
Agreed, that's a bit too much. I like the baby tee combo, a little enticement is nice. Plus a bulky sweater plugs up the access points.

I dated a girl who always wore overalls when she had cramps because they were comfortable, which is understandable. Problem is when you find them attractive, the timing wasn't exactly condusive to a good time. I had another bad experience when I couldn't put my hands down the side of them anymore because there wasn't room, kind of turns you off when you remember how much fun these used to before before her butt got this wide. Despite the pitfalls I still like overalls, afterall, it wasn't their fault.
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Post by TomSpeed » Sep 12th 2004, 7:44 pm

That gives a new answer to the question, "Honey, have I gained weight?"

"Well, I can't fit my hands into your overalls anymore."
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Patty: If Rayanne's not seeing you, and we're not seeing you, who is seeing you?
Graham: And how much of you?
Angela: Dad!
Graham: Oh, I'm sorry! I asked a question about your life, didn't I? Woah, what came over me?
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Post by Natasha (candygirl) » Sep 13th 2004, 2:56 pm

I thought of you guys as I put on my overalls this morning. I think there is a picture of me wearing overalls in my photos link. It's the picture with the big drag queen.

:mrgreen:
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Post by TomSpeed » Sep 13th 2004, 3:28 pm

I watched some of "Pressure" last night. Angela looks so childish and lost sitting in that abandoned house with Jordan, waiting for an empty room. The overalls and the expression on her face say volumes.

Of course, the naughty part of me wonders what the real-life Claire would look like in overalls today.

<sigh>
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Patty: If Rayanne's not seeing you, and we're not seeing you, who is seeing you?
Graham: And how much of you?
Angela: Dad!
Graham: Oh, I'm sorry! I asked a question about your life, didn't I? Woah, what came over me?
http://www.last.fm/user/TomSpeed/

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Post by emmie » Sep 13th 2004, 3:30 pm

TomSpeed wrote:That gives a new answer to the question, "Honey, have I gained weight?"

"Well, I can't fit my hands into your overalls anymore."
ROFLMAO!!

I had always equated overalls with farmers, so the idea of them being sexy never entered my mind. :oops: but now I can understand....they've taken on a whole new meaning for me.

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sarahr_81
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Post by sarahr_81 » Sep 13th 2004, 5:52 pm

lol, i remember having a pair of overalls at that time as well and loved wearing them, mine were denim i remember.

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Post by MyLifeIsBrians » Sep 15th 2004, 2:50 am

I remember the Overall phase. I looked really ridiculous. Overalls do not suit me at all. On Angela they looked pretty good but on Sharon it was just one big fashion catastrophe.
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