Massive shoulder pads, bright neon colors, and rad tunes blasting from boom boxes were all the rage in the 1980’s. If you were around back then, you may remember the joy of popping Madonna’s cassette into your Walkman or renting the newest John Hughes movie from Blockbuster on VHS, no less. Kids today may have TikTok, but they’ll never understand how totally cool doing aerobics in brightly colored leotards complete with leg warmers truly was. Let’s show our age and go down memory lane to revisit some awesome trends considered lame by today’s standards.
Wearing Neon Colors
The 1980s were a decade marked by innovation and economic prosperity. Thanks to advances in fabric dyeing technology, neon-colored clothing became cheap and easy to mass-produce. Naturally, the public fell in love with boldly colored garments. Soon enough, everyone was sporting these vibrant hues. Such extravagant fashion choices were fun and symbolized the era’s youth desire to rebel against their parents’ more subdued dress style.
Scrunchies Were So Very
There’s a good reason the movie Heathers features an iconic red scrunchie. The colorful fabric-covered hair tie became popular in the 1980’s because it was stylish and caused less breakage than traditional elastic bands. Every self-respecting fashionista had at least one in their box of hairstyling accessories.
The Big Hair and the Timeless Mullet
Living your best life in the 1980’s meant embracing the era’s over-the-top everything, including hairstyles. Celebrities like Billy Ray Cyrus and David Bowie popularized the mullet as a symbol of manly rebelliousness. Inspired by iconic stars like Madonna, women used plenty of hairspray to achieve the decade’s voluminous hairstyles to exude confidence and glamour. Hair trends today are almost boring by comparison.
Video Game Arcades
When gaming was still in its infancy, and few families could afford an Atari 2600 console, kids would spend every cent of pocket money at the arcade. At the time, those dimly lit rooms were the peak of coolness, and classics like Donkey Kong, Galaga, and Rampage continue to inspire gaming developers. Youngsters today may never experience the pure joy of spending hours feeding quarters into the Pac-Man or Asteroids machines.
Choose Your Own Adventure Books
Based on his style of reading bedtime stories, American author Edward Packard popularized the concept of a “gamebook.” Each novel presented plot choices at critical points, directing the reader to different pages based on their decisions. These books were beloved by ’80s kids, and they’re considered the precursors of modern-day RPG games.
The Gift of a Mixtape
Back then, there was no better way to show your crush how much you cared than a mixtape. People would create these personalized playlists by recording tracks from other cassettes, vinyl records, and radio broadcasts. Some would even decorate the case with custom artwork before gifting it to a friend or loved one to be forever cherished.
Impressive Swatch Collections
If you weren’t collecting and flaunting your colorful Swatches, you weren’t a real ’80’s kid. These watches were not just affordable but were also representative of the decade’s unique fashion style.
Passing Notes in Class
School kids from the ’80’s could be just as uninterested in their education as today’s youth. Before texting, students used to communicate by passing hand-written notes. The practice might be viewed as archaic today, but it is still commonplace in schools that have banned cell phones.
Hanging Out at the Mall
Back in the ’80’s, the mall wasn’t just a place you went to shop. Teens could spend hours there without making a single purchase.
Waterbeds
Unsurprisingly, the idea of sleeping on a bed filled with water fascinated people living in a time of extravagance. Waterbeds were marketed as a highly comfortable, luxurious, and futuristic alternative to the boring spring mattresses furnishing the average bedroom. But it wasn’t long before buyers would regret their purchases. The beds were highly impractical. They needed regular maintenance and any leaks could cause thousands of dollars of water damage.
MTV Music Videos
Music videos still exist, of course, and you can watch them on YouTube. But unless you lived through it, you can’t grasp the cultural phenomenon MTV started in 1981 when they debuted “Video Killed the Radio Star” by The Buggles. Soon enough, everyone was glued to their television screens, and artists were tripping over each other to produce high-quality visual narratives to accompany their singles.
The Members Only Jackets Everyone Had
Members Only jackets still occasionally pop up as a must-have vintage item. But back in the ’80’s, they were the equivalent of today’s Stanley cup craze. Thanks to a name implying you were part of an exclusive club, wearing the comfortable, stylish, and versatile item was a status symbol. Everyone from celebrities to high school kids had to have at least one in their wardrobe.
The Slang
If anything, the era was known for innovation. This love for novelty also applied to the English language, and people who grew up in the ’80’s added several “improvements” to it. Gen Z-ers might frown in confusion if you told them to “gag you with a spoon,” describe anything as “dweebish,” or complain about a “major bummer.”
Smoking Anywhere
Today, over 80% of American lungs are protected by regional or statewide smoke-free laws. Back in the ’80’s, cigarettes weren’t necessarily seen as healthy, but the media would often downplay the dangers. Popular movies from the era, like The Breakfast Club, Wall Street, and Blue Velvet, made the nasty habit look cool and mysterious. As a result, people would light up everywhere, and those who didn’t smoke had no choice but to put up with leaving every social gathering smelling like an ashtray.
Phone Calls
Nowadays, you can’t scroll through social media without seeing a meme calling out the “weirdos” who call instead of text. When texting wasn’t a thing, teens would spend hours on the phone gossiping with friends and chatting up their crushes. And the adults were far from thrilled about their kids keeping the line busy when expecting an important call.
Calling Radio Stations
Broadcast radio was central to the cultural landscape in the 1980’s. People tuned into their favorite frequency for entertainment, information, and community engagement. Calling radio stations to request and dedicate specific songs for friends and loved ones was not just cool, but the pinnacle of thoughtfulness.
Family Game Night
Before video game consoles and smartphones, people would gather around to play board games. Monopoly, Trivial Pursuit, and Mousetrap were the staples of family nights, especially during big holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas.
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