The Facts of Life

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think they were supposed to be wealthy boarding school girls, so that is what they were going for.

that doesn't explain frumpy.

OP - I've watched a little and natalie and tootie were really short and didn't carry weight well. jo and blair exspecially looked decent. i think blair or the real life actress may have battled an eating disorder IIRC.

anywho i loved this show growing up and this show did not age well but i love it for that. (i'm the hart to hart poster

I always thought Jo was a lesbian.

Can't say much about a fictional character but Jo had romances with men while on the show, especially toward the end. She even dated her college professor.

Didn't Jo have a big romance with a biker dude from her neighborhood in the Bronx or wherever she was from? Or am I thinking of Mallory from Family Ties Loved both of those shows!

Yes, they went to a motel and were going to get married. She borrowed Blairs nightgown, right?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think they were supposed to be wealthy boarding school girls, so that is what they were going for.

Jo wasn't wealthy.

I don't remember thinking Natalie was from a wealthy family. Was she somehow related to the "Dorm mom"? Mrs. Garrett???

Blair was definitely from a privileged family.

Can't remember about Tootie's family status.

Tootie was black and it was the 80's, so obviously she had to have been a scholarship kid, right?

Her parents were dentists or doctors, I think.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think they were supposed to be wealthy boarding school girls, so that is what they were going for.

that doesn't explain frumpy.

OP - I've watched a little and natalie and tootie were really short and didn't carry weight well. jo and blair exspecially looked decent. i think blair or the real life actress may have battled an eating disorder IIRC.

anywho i loved this show growing up and this show did not age well but i love it for that. (i'm the hart to hart poster

I always thought Jo was a lesbian.

Same. It was so obvious, even to my 13 year old self.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think they were supposed to be wealthy boarding school girls, so that is what they were going for.

that doesn't explain frumpy.

OP - I've watched a little and natalie and tootie were really short and didn't carry weight well. jo and blair exspecially looked decent. i think blair or the real life actress may have battled an eating disorder IIRC.

anywho i loved this show growing up and this show did not age well but i love it for that. (i'm the hart to hart poster

I always thought Jo was a lesbian.

Can't say much about a fictional character but Jo had romances with men while on the show, especially toward the end. She even dated her college professor.

Didn't Jo have a big romance with a biker dude from her neighborhood in the Bronx or wherever she was from? Or am I thinking of Mallory from Family Ties Loved both of those shows!

Yep--actually that episode was on yesterday evening...I sorta hate myself for knowing that.
Yes, they went to a motel and were going to get married. She borrowed Blairs nightgown, right?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They dressed the way the style was back in the 80s. The 80s were totally frump. I should know, I was a produce of that era. I think it was the pendulum swinging back from the 60s and 70s where girls wore mid drifts and short shorts.

The word was "preppy" not frumpy. But yes, it's a fine line.

Yes, a very fine line. I'm a product of that era as well and remember the thick, wool sweaters (monogrammed, of course), LLBean duck shoes, turtlenecks, "mom" jeans, etc. Very frumpy/preppy.

Exactly. Even the purses looked like old lady handbags. Did you have a Bermuda purse, PP?

NP, but I had a purse like that. And when we dressed up in high school we all wore calf-length Laura Ashley (or LA type) dresses with huge collars.

[Anonymous]

Everytime cousin Gerri was on I cant help but think "this is a very special episode." Tootie was whiney but I still liked her. Jo was always bitching about something. Natalie...I liked her. Blair...I liked her too. Those early episodes were golden. Especially the one where Blair accuses Sue Ann of being a little to friendly with the girls. My daughter and I were watching an episode during the TV Land marathon and she says to me "mom, this episode stinks, where is Ms. Garrett?" And yes...she can now sing the theme song.

[Anonymous]

This thread has made me want to watch FoL again. I don't remember some of the episodes based on their one word description. I'm sure I'd remember them if I saw them again. I watched all the episodes from the early years, and likely all of the seasons.

[Anonymous]

I love the show! And yes they were FAT. its so unsual too based on how skinny girls on TV are now. A whole shoe of chubby girls would never air today. They look frumpy but were generally stylish for that time. I graduated HS in 91 and we were wearing baggy levi's, sebagos, and lots of rugby shirts! I swear they added 20 lbs to me in every picture. The girls today just dress super skany, everything is so tight and so short and thats what they wear to school. I can't believe the shit by young cousins wear to family dinners in bethesda.

[Anonymous]

The most memorable episode to me was the one where one of the secondary characters went on a crash diet and was exercising all the time. I think she was eating only rice and ended up passing out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think they were supposed to be wealthy boarding school girls, so that is what they were going for.

that doesn't explain frumpy.

OP - I've watched a little and natalie and tootie were really short and didn't carry weight well. jo and blair exspecially looked decent. i think blair or the real life actress may have battled an eating disorder IIRC.

anywho i loved this show growing up and this show did not age well but i love it for that. (i'm the hart to hart poster

I always thought Jo was a lesbian.

Same. It was so obvious, even to my 13 year old self.

There's a scene in the first episode where Blair says "Who's that cute boy?" as Jo comes in on her motorcycle. There is a plethora of Jo-Blair fan fiction. So many lesbian girls I know who watched the show probably had a crush on her. I liked the tall dark haired one on the first season, personally.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The most memorable episode to me was the one where one of the secondary characters went on a crash diet and was exercising all the time. I think she was eating only rice and ended up passing out.

Oh yeah, Sue Anne. I recall Blair kept teasing her about being fat which led her to go overboard on the diet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The camera adds pounds. I bet they weren't as "fat" as everyone is saying.

This. Back the nthe aspect ratio of TVs was 3:4 (so kind of square) and now we all have widescreen TVs. How to fit a square picture into a widescreen? Stretch it (or cut off the top).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I love the show! And yes they were FAT. its so unsual too based on how skinny girls on TV are now. A whole shoe of chubby girls would never air today. They look frumpy but were generally stylish for that time. I graduated HS in 91 and we were wearing baggy levi's, sebagos, and lots of rugby shirts! I swear they added 20 lbs to me in every picture. The girls today just dress super skany, everything is so tight and so short and thats what they wear to school. I can't believe the shit by young cousins wear to family dinners in bethesda.

graduated in 91 too!!!
and i have to agree w/all above. cousins at cookouts this summer w/family looking like they're trying to snag a guy. hello these are all your relatives!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The camera adds pounds. I bet they weren't as "fat" as everyone is saying.

This. Back the nthe aspect ratio of TVs was 3:4 (so kind of square) and now we all have widescreen TVs. How to fit a square picture into a widescreen? Stretch it (or cut off the top).

They certainly were not fat. Alarming that people think this. IRL I might smack someone upside the head.

And thanks PP for the PSA about the aspect ratios for the kids who don't know. That may explain why some but not all posters are calling the characters fat.

[Anonymous]

Blair on the Survivor episodes is really great. She actually seems really likeable. The amazing thing is that none of her competitors recognize her--they all just treat her like the stock middle aged mom that they always have on survivor. I was like yelling at the screen "That's Blair, you idiot! She was TV royalty! She made out with Clooney!"