On July 18th, 2000, You're Invited to Mary-Kate and Ashley's School Dance Party was released on VHS. It was the last installment of Mary-Kate and Ashley's "You're Invited" series, and the last half-hour video the twins would ever make.

The "You're Invited" series closed the chapter of the twins' childhood, and marked the beginning of a new era. So, to commemorate this milestone, we watched all of the "You're Invited" videos we didn't talk about last time: Mall Party, Ballet Party, Camp Out Party, Costume Party, Fashion Party, School Dance Party. We love them all.

Ok, no, we do not love them all. But watching them in sequence for the first time since childhood (some for the first time ever) was a fascinating journey. We recovered memories we had suppressed, grappled with the recurring unapologetically mean boys, unpacked the reasons why some of these captured us more than others, and discovered that Ashley and Mary-Kate's destiny as fashion designers was always in plain sight.

And much like the end of childhood, the culmination of this journey is jarring. In School Dance Party, the opening sequence is scrapped, the format is abandoned, and the outtakes seem to imply some deep frustration at best, and an existential crisis at worst.

So, come as you are, put some critters on your crackers and stop holding out on a homework party, because we're going to Fashion Junior High and figuring out the noise about boys.

The Row's Winter 2022 Womenswear Collection

Find us on Social Media!
Instagram: @theythoughtiwasyou
TikTok: @theythoughtiwasyou
Becca: @beccaroth
Lani: @laniharms

Thoughts/questions? Email us at: [email protected]

Support the show