Roach clips with feathers
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tripdownmemorylane remembers...My school actually banned these from being worn. More »
Posted on 04/25/07
They looked like funny little barrettes with pretty feathers. You had a vague idea that they might actually be something bad, but that just made them cooler.
Roach clips were tiny metal clamps with teeth, originally used for holding small marijuana cigarettes. But when decorated with colorful feathers dangling from strips of leather, they made cool hair accessories. You wore them because your friends wore them, and somebody’s older brother might have explained what they were actually for. So you could be bad, without really being bad.
Girls could clip the roach clips into their feathered hair, letting the feathers dangle down. Boys wore the clips attached to the back of straw hats, or if they were lucky enough to have a car, from the rearview mirror. Local carnivals often sold feather clips, so kids could come by and stock up. After all, mom, it’s just a hair barrette. What’s the big deal?
