The first one that comes to my mind is female bodybuilders. I remember that when they first came out circa '79,early 80's,everybody was saying that they looked weird,disgusting,and too masculine. They also said it takes too much exercise and discipline for a woman to develop huge muscles,and this was a fad that would not last. Well it is 2004,now,and although many people still find muscular women to be unnatractive and masculine,many women and men accept them. There are tons of female bodybuilders across the world! Can you think of any other so called fads that stayed with us all these years?   Thanks! Sincerely,Steve.

During the 80's, a lot of people said rap/hip hop would die out like disco.

Quoting:
The first one that comes to my mind is female bodybuilders. I remember that when they first came out circa '79,early 80's,everybody was saying that they looked weird,disgusting,and too masculine. They also said it takes too much exercise and discipline for a woman to develop huge muscles,and this was a fad that would not last. Well it is 2004,now,and although many people still find muscular women to be unnatractive and masculine,many women and men accept them. There are tons of female bodybuilders across the world! Can you think of any other so called fads that stayed with us all these years?   Thanks! Sincerely,Steve.
End Quote

I think the phrase "Awesome" is still around and in popular use.
And let's not forget WalMart..that is still around and going strong, but I don't know if you would consider that a "fad".

Here's an article I found online about fashion fads that have stayed with us. Not all of them are from the 80's and b/c the article was too long I took out all the fashion fads descriptions NOT from the 80's. But here's the link if you want to see the whole thing..http://americandreams.msn.com/article.aspx?article=Wardrobe

Ten fashion trends we won't soon forget
By KAT GIANTIS
Special to MSN
Fashion is tricky. Sartorial selections that seem hip and edgy often end up looking foolish years, months or even days later. Who among us hasn't suffered the heartbreak of a Dorothy Hamill 'do or a pastel "Miami Vice" suit with matching Sonny Crockett stubble or, gulp, a Members Only jacket? See, many a fashion faux pas occurs when the unsuspecting victim jumps on a fad instead of a trend. The difference? Fads fade, while trends endure and evolve. Trucker hats and parachute pants? Fads. Denim and t-shirts? Trends.

To highlight the biggest fashion moments of the modern American era, which we loosely define here as from the 1960s to today, we decided to begin on a high note (thigh high, that is). And for those with closets crammed with outmoded outfits, take heart. We hear Members Only jackets are hip again ... well, at least they are this week.

10. The miniskirt

9. The preppy look
Named after polo-playing prep schoolers in classic casuals, preppy style exploded onto the cultural landscape with Lisa Birnbach's "The Official Preppy Handbook." Soon, people who'd never been at sea sported boat shoes, khakis, and canvas belts emblazoned with whales. Lacoste shirts, with their beloved alligators, had to be worn collar up. The preppy tide turned in the mid-'80s, with the arrest of the "Preppy Killer" and preppy Hollywood heavies, notably James Spader in "Pretty in Pink" and James Spader in "Less Than Zero." But the look survives, thanks to chains like the Gap and Abercrombie & Fitch and fans such as Charlotte on "Sex and the City," who put twin sets and pearls back on the map.

8. Workout wear worn everywhere
"Let's get physical, physical..." With that 1981 music-video mantra, a Spandex-sheathed Olivia Newton-John ushered in the fitness-as-fashion trend. Olivia wasn't sweating alone. Leotard-clad Jane Fonda urged millions to "go for the burn" on her 1982 exercise video; Jennifer Beals brought torn sweatshirts to the masses in 1983's "Flashdance"; and the kids from "Fame" leapt toward stardom in legwarmers. Those now obsolete items aside, not all fitness fashion fizzled. Run-D.M.C., like Bob Marley before, sported the classic Adidas tracksuit, a current staple in Madonna's wardrobe. The latest workout incarnation includes upmarket velour and cashmere sweats from brands such as Juicy Couture, which celebs have taken to pairing with pricey purses.

7. Anti-establishment attire
Any fashion that begins as a reaction to the establishment is almost always co-opted by said establishment. It happened with hippie duds — flower-power was used to sell sugary, carbonated beverages to peasant blouse-clad teens. The punk-driven Sex Pistols brought Mohawks, studded leather jackets, bondage gear, and safety pin chic to the masses. Madonna later adopted some of those elements for her corset-and-cone-bra phase, while Kelly Osbourne still styles a sanitized punk look on MTV. The anti-fashion of punk begat grunge, but the trend's flannel shirts, Doc Martens, and baby doll dresses wound up on the catwalk faster than you can say "smells like teen spirit." And the anti-fashion trend isn't over: In August, The New York Times, the arbiter of all things cutting edge (not), declared that grunge was officially back.

6. Disco fabulousness

5. Sneakers
Sneakers came out of the gym and into corporate America in 1980, when a New York subway strike forced business-suited men and women to ditch their uncomfortable footwear as they hoofed to work. A shoe trend was born, followed in quick succession by several others: skateboard punk (remember Jeff Spicoli's checkerboard Vans?); the sports hero as spokesman (Nike's Air Jordans, anyone?); the dressing down of America (Seinfeld and the computer geeks of Silicon Valley); and the mainstreaming of hip-hop, which started with Pumas and laceless Adidas and continues with shoe lines from Nelly, Jay-Z, and 50 Cent. And though it took a while for couture to catch up, gym shoes have now gone glam, with high-end kicks offered by Prada, Manolo Blahnik, and Christian Dior. Take that, casual Fridays.

4. Prime-time hair

3. The power suit
Giorgio Armani owes much of his superstar status to how hot Richard Gere looks in a suit. In 1980's "American Gigolo," Gere's metrosexual archetype boasts a closet of the Italian designer's suits, shirts, and power ties, which he blissfully color coordinates. The yuppified "greed is good" '80s saw the power suit become the dress-for-excess symbol, preferably with matching suspenders for men and, for women, shoulder pads so large that Joan Crawford would have shuddered. Power suit paradigms include "Dynasty's" cash-rich catfighters Joan Collins and Linda Evans, who faced off in Nolan Miller's silky ensembles, and Nancy Reagan, who wagged her finger at would-be drug users in a red Adolfo number.

2. Urban apparel

1. Designer jeans
Denim is an enduring wardrobe essential, but it wasn't until the '70s that Gloria Vanderbilt, Sasson, and others made big bucks by emblazoning their names on backsides. Calvin Klein put America forever in blue jeans, with help from his muse Brooke Shields, who famously cooed in that ground-breaking Richard Avedon-directed commercial that "nothing" came between her and her Calvins. For years, we wriggled into high-waisted, circulation-slowing denim (even — gasp! — acid-washed varieties). By the new millennium, jean fashion flip-flopped, with low-riding hip-huggers (some with the oh-so-forgiving stretch of lycra) becoming de rigeur. But the backlash against thong-baring brands such as Seven and Frankie B. has begun: Unflattering waist-high jeans are attempting a comeback.

Kat Giantis points out celebrity fashion blunders and wonders in MSN Entertainment's "Undressed!" column. American Dreams is a special report from MSN.

I think the most evil thing to come out of the 80's is still with us........Microwave Cookery!!!!!!! :'(