What is Age Appropriate Slang for my Decade?

My HE is many things in my life...most recently, my censor.  He gets my blog post sent to him every morning and 90% of the time, he either says nothing or gives me some sort of positive reinforcement.  Following my last blog post on the HCG Diet, he said, "I can't believe you used the word XXX in your blog".  One of my readers said the same thing to be in e-mail (thanks K).  As such, the word has been removed.  


In all honesty, I struggle with age appropriateness in several aspects.  Every party, every girls night out, every special event....I never know what to wear. Too old for a mini-skirt?  Too young for a sensible shoes?  Too old for thigh-high boots?  Too young for a blazer?  I ascribe to the belief that just because they make it in your size, doesn't mean you should wear it.  But there's quite a bit of wiggle room in there!


Now about the word, XXX.  Of course, I would never use such a word at work.  In fact, I'm working on a book that was inspired by inappropriate use of slang in a professional environment.  My working title is, Never Say Pimpin' at Work (officially trademarked as of right now).  And yes, I actually had to have this conversation with someone who worked for me at a Fortune 500 company.  I also had to tell a young female that it's not okay to wear a purple Victoria's Secret under a white shirt.  It doesn't matter how professional and conservative the shirt is, it's just never okay.  And this rule spans all ages...even when worn with sensible shoes and a blazer.  

It's the other areas of life where I struggle with the appropriate use of slang.   Interestingly, I did some research and what starts as edgy slang often ends up as common language at some point.  For example, being "decked out" in your mini-skirt and thigh-high boots is actually slang that was started in the 1940s.  The word "scumbag" was started as derogatory slang around 1970 (but was originally used in the '60s to describe a male contraceptive device according to entymology dictionary...who knew?)  I have used these slang words in several contexts and they do not seem to be inappropriate or offensive for any age/sex group.

Now the "d" word that I used in my previous blog originated as slang in the 1960s.  But for whatever reason, it hasn't really caught on as part of the adult-not-offensive-vernacular.  And I find that to be a travesty.  (just kidding) 


So just to sum up...my apologies if I offended anyone with the XXX word and I promise not to use it again...pimpin' is not appropriate slang for professional settings...I need to buy some thigh-high boots because I keep talking about them, which obviously means I want them regardless of my age...and when I use the word scumbag, I now have an entirely different picture in my mind.