TEEN IDOLS

My friend Library Lady reports recently being around some teens playing a trivia-type game when she became appalled at hearing something like the following:

Teen #1 "Who's John Travolta?"

Teen#2 "Oh, he's some old fat guy."

Some old fat guy?? John Travolta? Vinnie Barbarino? Tony Manero? Danny Zuko? Say it isn't so!!!!

Well, come to think if it.....it's SO.

John Travolta was born in 1954. He's close to 40 years older than these Travolta-trashing girls who know nothing but the Jonas Brothers, Justin Bieber, and the werewolf from Twilight whose names escape this old gal. Taylor somebody. Of course, to these girls John Travolta is just another pudgy, hair-receding has-been. He's not the gorgeous, gangly lothario that we old gals remember shake-shake-shaking his tight booty across the disco floor.

The other day I received an email that had pictures of famous men at the peak of their hunkiness and then years-later pics of what they look like now. Clint Eastwood, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Val Kilmer, and the like----all wrinkled up chubs without muscle tone. I think the whole idea of the email was to make women feel less depressed about their waning foxiness. Since I was never foxy in the first place, it's not too hard to deal with losing what I never had, but I guess there IS some consolation in knowing that the rich and famous eventually end up looking like everyone else.

I still cling to the idea, however, that age doesn't mean we lose everything. I can still ride a bike and tie my shoes and spin a hula hoop around my bulging middle, even if I do look stupid doing it. And I suspect that as long as he is "Stayin' Alive," John Travolta will still be able to out-dance most clueless teenagers today, even if he is "some old fat guy." He just won't be wearing a tight, white, 3-piece, polyester suit, which is just as well.