i'm a contradiction or product of the 80s

the other night while going through the dolls that were not part of the immediate "get the hell out of my house" group, my husband caught me happily sniffing her.

repeatedly.

he gave me a weird look, deserved, of course and i said, "this is so weird, you have got to come here and smell her. she still smells just like she used to..."

and he stopped me and said no.

"come on," i pleaded, inhaling her sweet strawberry synthetic scent again.

no, he said, more horrified than before.

"i'm surprised that you would be doing that," he continued, "you of all people, so concerned with toxic chemicals and artificial scents and dyes..."

"yeah, i know. me. the one who was massively allergic to these dolls as a child," i say, as i take another intoxicating whiff, "it's just so weird that she still smells!!!"

"uh yeah. it is." he said.

see, by massively allergic, i mean i would get a head to toe rash whenever i got a new strawberry shortcake doll. it was so alarming that my mom didn't let me collect them all. i only had six.

part of me thinks it should have been so concerning that my mom wouldn't have let me have any at all but then part of me loved them so much that i'm sort of happy that i was subjected to whatever toxic mess lies within a strawberry shortcake doll. if toy recalls had been popular in the 80s it's likely i wouldn't have had any.