Being a girl who likes to sing and play guitar many of my role models and heroes are singers. Paula Abdul was a huge inspiration to me in the early 1900s, I must have listened to Spellbound hundreds of times – in fact it plays while I write these words.
Forever Your Girl came out in 1988; a Reebok ad in 1989.
Opposites Attract also 1989 and the cover of People in 1990.
Her fashion was a reflection of the excess of the times, lets take a look back. A covered up Paula, wow is right with that catastrophe of a blouse in that first pic but her hat was chic, then we’ve got blazers, shoulder pads and big hair.
Performance Gear; lots of cleavage with low cut bustiers, metal bras and more hairspray.
Sassy off stage as well with more cleavage, embellishments and fishnets, the hoop earrings were her signature.
Were you a fan?
Also see previous Inspiration Flashbacks on:
Little House on the Prairie
Molly Ringwald
Debbie Gibson
My So-Called Life
October 24th, 2009 4:03 pm
I have never been much into 80’s music. I came of age in the late 90’s, so my musical interest stated with N’SYNC and Hanson and Spice Girls. Before that it was all Disney music and a little bit of old school ska.
October 24th, 2009 4:50 pm
Oh, Paula. I do have fond memories of Opposites Attract, although I think my 11-year-old self was more interested in the cartoon kitty than anything else.
October 24th, 2009 4:57 pm
I own and always got a kick out of the photos on that Forever Your Girl Album. She sort of looks one ethnicity on one side and another on the other side. Back then, record sales were still very much about black and white artists. She has somewhat of an “ethnic” look but they weren’t sure how to play her…
She’s very cute – very petite! I always liked her…
October 24th, 2009 5:44 pm
I was never really a fan of Paula Abdul, but I am a fan of that yellow blazer! <3
October 24th, 2009 6:12 pm
i have fond memories of paula abdul dating all the back to elementary when my mom would blast that song rush rush on the stereo during general cleaning saturdays.
October 25th, 2009 7:02 am
- the video for “Opposites Attract” was one of the first which blended a real person & a cartoon character-
more artists did vdo’s like that once they saw how much people enjoyed Paula’s.
October 25th, 2009 7:58 pm
My brother was the biggest Paula Abdul fan! He wrote her a couple of letters. My mom kept forgetting her name and would call her Paula “Badoom.”
October 26th, 2009 11:00 am
Oh my gosh.
Paula Abdul. I had the 7″ single of Opposites Attract!