Too many 90's-10's threads, not enough 80's threads. Let's go!

- Everyone wore super tight fitting clothes, had long shaggy 70's hair and tucked their shirts in all the time looking more like 1956 than 1996
- If they didn't look like Beaver Cleaver then they dressed like a member of Earth Wind and Fire
- Nobody had cable TV, that was invented in 1991 or something
- The internet didn't exist until way later! Computers didn't exist in the 80's either. Neither did cell phones or VCR's. Blockbuster wasn't even a thing!
- There was no Alt Rock in the 80's, Nirvana was the first real rock band to ever hit the charts. Every rock band in the 80's was glam!
- The 90's was the decade that looked towards the future and the 80's had nothing to do with all those amazing technological developments!

(Based off real quotes. Yes, I'm serious. : P)

That every girl dressed like Madonna. I'm sure that wasn't true.

There was nothing to worry about in the 1980's. It was this cheesy, careless, buoyant, time! Uhh, threats of nuclear war, anyone? Don't forget, the Berlin wall didn't fall until 1989.

That every girl dressed like Madonna. I'm sure that wasn't true.


Only when she had her live concerts.

Only when she had her live concerts.


Like The Virgin Tour in 1985.

Like The Virgin Tour in 1985.



every young girl dressed like her.

Everyone wore "stereotypical '80s clothes" (Coogi sweaters, neon clothes and polo shirts with the collar turned up) in the early '80s.

* That the decade was really conservative across the board. It was certainly fiscally conservative, but socially, televangelism, Just Say No, and AIDS-related gay bashing were balanced out by further integration of black culture into mainstream media, androgynous fashion, and increased awareness and support for gay rights (yes, I'm dead serious; despite increased homophobia, support for gay marriage increased a fair amount by 1985 compared to 1977).
* That the Nintendo Entertainment System saved gaming in 1985. Not only was it only given a test release in New York at the time, it completely tanked that holiday season. Home video games in America were still doomed. It wasn't until Nintendo gave the NES a full release in September 1986 that the country finally started to change its mind about gaming consoles.
* Thriller's impact on popular music. Not only did Off the Wall precede it, it's pretty much just a melting pop of pop styles already significant in the early 80, just done better than most. Now the music video for the title track, on the other hand, is a different story.
* That MTV popularized new wave. The first mainstream glimpses of new wave were from the late 1970s, with "Heart of Glass" and "My Sharona" being among the biggest hits of 1979.

* That the decade was really conservative across the board. It was certainly fiscally conservative, but socially, televangelism, Just Say No, and AIDS-related gay bashing were balanced out by further integration of black culture into mainstream media, androgynous fashion, and increased awareness and support for gay rights (yes, I'm dead serious; despite increased homophobia, support for gay marriage increased a fair amount by 1985 compared to 1977).
* That the Nintendo Entertainment System saved gaming in 1985. Not only was it only given a test release in New York at the time, it completely tanked that holiday season. Home video games in America were still doomed. It wasn't until Nintendo gave the NES a full release in September 1986 that the country finally started to change its mind about gaming consoles.
* Thriller's impact on popular music. Not only did Off the Wall precede it, it's pretty much just a melting pop of pop styles already significant in the early 80, just done better than most. Now the music video for the title track, on the other hand, is a different story.
* That MTV popularized new wave. The first mainstream glimpses of new wave were from the late 1970s, with "Heart of Glass" and "My Sharona" being among the biggest hits of 1979.


and after 1985, you had games like Super Mario Brothers, Donkey Kong and The Legend Of Zelda to name a few that kids started to play.

Everyone wore "stereotypical '80s clothes" (Coogi sweaters, neon clothes and polo shirts with the collar turned up) in the early '80s.


That is very true. Stereotypical 80's fashion didn't really come in until around 1983 and was full-force by 1984. The early 80's were very bland.


* That the decade was really conservative across the board. It was certainly fiscally conservative, but socially, televangelism, Just Say No, and AIDS-related gay bashing were balanced out by further integration of black culture into mainstream media, androgynous fashion, and increased awareness and support for gay rights (yes, I'm dead serious; despite increased homophobia, support for gay marriage increased a fair amount by 1985 compared to 1977).
* That the Nintendo Entertainment System saved gaming in 1985. Not only was it only given a test release in New York at the time, it completely tanked that holiday season. Home video games in America were still doomed. It wasn't until Nintendo gave the NES a full release in September 1986 that the country finally started to change its mind about gaming consoles.
* Thriller's impact on popular music. Not only did Off the Wall precede it, it's pretty much just a melting pop of pop styles already significant in the early 80, just done better than most. Now the music video for the title track, on the other hand, is a different story.
* That MTV popularized new wave. The first mainstream glimpses of new wave were from the late 1970s, with "Heart of Glass" and "My Sharona" being among the biggest hits of 1979.


I agree with all of this. The first point especially is true 100%.

A common misconception is that songs such as "Pop Muzik", "Video Killed the Radio Star", "Heart of Glass", "My Sharona", and "Cars" are 80s songs, when they're actually 70s (very late 70s, but still 70s nonetheless).

They usually get put on "Best of the 80s" compilation CDs, even though not a single one of them came out in the 80s.

That is very true. Stereotypical 80's fashion didn't really come in until around 1983 and was full-force by 1984. The early 80's were very bland.


Those fashions were still around in the early '90s. I think of them as '80s and '90s clothes.

Those fashions were still around in the early '90s. I think of them as '80s and '90s clothes.


Oh yeah, I totally agree about them remaining through the early 90s but I was also agreeing with how the early 80s were very, very different from the rest of the decade fashion wise.

Two misconceptions: People wore Daisy Duke shorts through the entire decade. That's more a 70's-early 80's thing. By the mid 80's (starting around, you guessed it: 1983/1984), shorts got pretty close to the knee. If one takes at look at brands like Jams Shorts and Vision Street Wear they'd see how low they actually hang!

People wore acid wash through the entire decade. This one's not too bad since acid wash is an actual definitive 80's element and not some lame 70's holdover. The style of jeans were introduced in 1986 and were popular from around that year til sometime in the 90's. They're not too far off since Stonewash jeans (fun fact: acid wash came about due to a malfunction by Rifle jeans while making a batch of stonewash so it's pretty much the same thing) are just a less-crazy acid wash and those were introduced by Guess in 1982.

Two misconceptions: People wore Daisy Duke shorts through the entire decade. That's more a 70's-early 80's thing. By the mid 80's (starting around, you guessed it: 1983/1984), shorts got pretty close to the knee. If one takes at look at brands like Jams Shorts and Vision Street Wear they'd see how low they actually hang!

Shorts like these were still being worn in the summer of '89:

http://underscoopfire.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/adam-f-goldberg-toys_opt-1.jpg

I remember seeing them a lot in the mid to late '80s.

The style of jeans were introduced in 1986 and were popular from around that year til sometime in the 90's.


1993

You're a little older than me so you probably remember it better but I don't remember seeing those shorts in 1989. I think they're more of a 70's thing, really. I guess people wore 'em when they had nothing else? But I don't think they're were in style after 1982/1983.

These seem to be what 80's (1984-onward) shorts were:

http://www.liketotally80s.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/jams-2.jpg

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/9e/14/38/9e14383d655a2d810d60e1017f49329e.jpg

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/f5/9a/a2/f59aa233c48aff5bf7cd755f8ca5c212.jpg

http://www.inthe80s.com/clothes/images/user-image-1202560066_thumb.jpg

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/CGgptWdX-BQ/hqdefault.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/LlgANpc.jpg

The hemlines are still a bit high but overall a lot lower and closer to the knee compared to what people were wearing even back in, say, 1981. Even just by looking at these photos you can see how clothing in general just got a whole lot looser by 1983.

My main 80s influences as a child in the 90s was Michael Jackson and Prince music videos and reruns of Miami Vice.
So I spent a while in my adolescent years believing that if men weren't wearing heavy beaded jackets or purple trench coats with ruffled collars, they were in Armani suits and loafers with NO socks. On the flipside, I literally thought all women wore gobs of makeup, double belts and had their hair "Jacked to Jesus" when it wasn't true. Most folks in their daily lives dressed relatively normal, wore moderate makeup and didn't look like gender-bending pop stars or vice cops. LOL. But I will say this, no woman before or since has ever rocked the hell out of some silver shadow like my mama used to.

I find that a good amount of people see the early 80's as the most definitive part of the decade with it's 70's-lite mood and conservative dress style when that only really encompasses the first 2/3 years. The other 7 years were wildly different being more expressive and colorful.

What people think the 80's were:

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/b9/12/74/b912747da8fc8075790f47df5d393e40.jpg

https://www.yahoo.com/sy/ny/api/res/1.2/YNEODQjijSEwREru34DL9A--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjtzbT0xO3c9ODAw/http://media.zenfs.com/en-US/homerun/elle_570/963849441019e9a4a3fa443e8705435d

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_mJhtf0fqf7s/TAvOVvynAbI/AAAAAAAAEBw/KkZuecLxRmE/s1600/1720031046_b6a771773d_b.jpg

What the majority of the decade actually looked like:

https://gaminghistory101.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/nintendo_love.jpg

https://a2-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/65/bb2d4f1d972d083da865ed0a30316bba/full.jpg

http://nahright.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/tumblr_mm0ohpuPhe1qzbwkjo1_1280.jpg

My early childhood (mid 80s-mid 90s) looked exactly like what Jordan said, right down to the Nintendo my babysitter had and I played Duck Hunt on and kept shooting the damn dog. I just remember alot of neon in my early life. Bright clothes, loud clothes. Everything was vibrant. My toys, my bedding--mama bought alot of licensed bedding so I was sleeping with Rainbow Brite, the Carebears, the Muppets and for a very long stretch, Robin Williams as Peter Pan. I had alot of Barbies so there were 2 or 3 pink plastic cars laying around, tons of clothes and mama was always stepping on little plastic shoes. Everything was just so damn cheery and vibrant.  :)

My early childhood (mid 80s-mid 90s) looked exactly like what Jordan said, right down to the Nintendo my babysitter had and I played Duck Hunt on and kept shooting the damn dog. I just remember alot of neon in my early life. Bright clothes, loud clothes. Everything was vibrant. My toys, my bedding--mama bought alot of licensed bedding so I was sleeping with Rainbow Brite, the Carebears, the Muppets and for a very long stretch, Robin Williams as Peter Pan. I had alot of Barbies so there were 2 or 3 pink plastic cars laying around, tons of clothes and mama was always stepping on little plastic shoes. Everything was just so damn cheery and vibrant.  :)


Mine too! I remember all the bright colors and funny haircuts back in the mid-late 80's/early 90's. We listened to a lot of the radio back then so I have good memories of driving to an arcade or sitting in the living room playing NES and hearing some 80's music with artists like Billy Idol, Deniece Williams, Michael Jackson, Madonna, Eurythmics and The Bangles. I didn't have licensed bedding but I did have a lot of t-shirts! I had G.I. Joe, Star Wars, like 6 Coke shirts (one had Coke Is It! written right across it), Skeletor and a whole bunch others. Even back then I was a cool looking dude. 8)

I found this NES ad yesterday when looking for some 80's photos and the kid in the back of this photo with the spiky hair looks almost exactly like my brother did back then. He had a similar haircut:

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/60/32/e5/6032e573b31c009161e3b412896dda69.jpg

I wonder if the kid in this photo had a rat tail in the back! 8)

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/b9/12/74/b912747da8fc8075790f47df5d393e40.jpg

But wasn't this what they normally wore? ???

Mine too! I remember all the bright colors and funny haircuts back in the mid-late 80's/early 90's. We listened to a lot of the radio back then so I have good memories of driving to an arcade or sitting in the living room playing NES and hearing some 80's music with artists like Billy Idol, Deniece Williams, Michael Jackson, Madonna, Eurythmics and The Bangles. I didn't have licensed bedding but I did have a lot of t-shirts! I had G.I. Joe, Star Wars, like 6 Coke shirts (one had Coke Is It! written right across it), Skeletor and a whole bunch others. Even back then I was a cool looking dude. 8)

I found this NES ad yesterday when looking for some 80's photos and the kid in the back of this photo with the spiky hair looks almost exactly like my brother did back then. He had a similar haircut:

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/60/32/e5/6032e573b31c009161e3b412896dda69.jpg

I wonder if the kid in this photo had a rat tail in the back! 8)


I used to enjoy playing The NES.

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/b9/12/74/b912747da8fc8075790f47df5d393e40.jpg

But wasn't this what they normally wore? ???


In the early 80's, sure, but that was but the mid-late 80's?

This was the look for the majority of the decade:

http://www.liketotally80s.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/jams-2.jpg

http://www.liketotally80s.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/homemade-jams-short-80s.jpg

Even women's shorts lowered hemlines in the 80's.


I used to enjoy playing The NES.


Me too! I had so much fun!

That everyone had permed hair. I certainly didn't. I hate curly hair!
That the music was good!  :P

In the early 80's, sure, but that was but the mid-late 80's?

This was the look for the majority of the decade:

http://www.liketotally80s.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/jams-2.jpg

http://www.liketotally80s.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/homemade-jams-short-80s.jpg

Even women's shorts lowered hemlines in the 80's.

Me too! I had so much fun!


remember the hot bathing suits women and girls were wearing back then? :o

That everyone had permed hair. I certainly didn't. I hate curly hair!
That the music was good!  :P


and a lot of Aqua Net.

A common misconception is that songs such as "Pop Muzik", "Video Killed the Radio Star", "Heart of Glass", "My Sharona", and "Cars" are 80s songs, when they're actually 70s (very late 70s, but still 70s nonetheless).

They usually get put on "Best of the 80s" compilation CDs, even though not a single one of them came out in the 80s.


It's funny you mention this because I was listening to a radio station that was playing 80s hits, and I actually heard a couple of songs from The Cars' debut album, which was from 1978!

remember the hot bathing suits women and girls were wearing back then? :o


I remember Samantha Fox looking hot in some bathing suit photos but I discovered those in the 90's. I was too young to admire the women of the 80's as I lived them. :-\\

It's funny you mention this because I was listening to a radio station that was playing 80s hits, and I actually heard a couple of songs from The Cars' debut album, which was from 1978!


Which songs were they? ???

I remember Samantha Fox looking hot in some bathing suit photos but I discovered those in the 90's. I was too young to admire the women of the 80's as I lived them. :-\\


Are you referring to the nude ones?  :o

Are you referring to the nude ones?  :o


No, but I have also stumbled across those ones at one time or another back when I was younger. ::) :-X

No, but I have also stumbled across those ones at one time or another back when I was younger. ::) :-X


I did the same thing.

I did the same thing.


I remember flipping through channels seeing her videos on MTV way back but in the 80's I was too interested in Skeletor to care about Samantha Fox and other attractive women. ;D ;D ;D ;D

I remember flipping through channels seeing her videos on MTV way back but in the 80's I was too interested in Skeletor to care about Samantha Fox and other attractive women. ;D ;D ;D ;D


How could you not enjoy oogling Samantha Fox's hot body?  :o

How could you not enjoy oogling Samantha Fox's hot body?  :o


I agree! Even back in the late 90's when she was in her early 30s I still found her pretty hot.

I didn't ogle Samantha Fox. But then I am a woman!

Tomas Ledin, however...  ;)

I agree! Even back in the late 90's when she was in her early 30s I still found her pretty hot.


Too bad she apparently only has the hots for other women! :P

I agree! Even back in the late 90's when she was in her early 30s I still found her pretty hot.


till she turned lesbian.  :(

Too bad she apparently only has the hots for other women! :P


Haha, yeah she does. :P


till she turned lesbian.  :(


There goes your chance at a prom date, dude. :P ;D

I think it's just because she didn't age well. Like, halfway through the 00's she started looking really bad. She was an 80's star so... Probably the drugs?

Haha, yeah she does. :P

There goes your chance at a prom date, dude. :P ;D

I think it's just because she didn't age well. Like, halfway through the 00's she started looking really bad. She was an 80's star so... Probably the drugs?


http://img.huffingtonpost.com/asset/scalefit_630_noupscale/577d0b3e1800002400fa4200.jpeg?cache=05ffdpxjoq

not bad for a woman nearing 50 years of age.  ;)

Shorts like these were still being worn in the summer of '89:

http://underscoopfire.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/adam-f-goldberg-toys_opt-1.jpg

I remember seeing them a lot in the mid to late '80s.

1993


Man, those Power Ranger zords in the 90's totally were inspired by the idea of Transformers. And also Japanese shows too!  :o

Man, the 80's had to be one of the best decades for pop culture.....ever!

http://img.huffingtonpost.com/asset/scalefit_630_noupscale/577d0b3e1800002400fa4200.jpeg?cache=05ffdpxjoq

not bad for a woman nearing 50 years of age.  ;)


Ehh, she could of aged a lot better. She looks kinda scary now. :-\\

http://img.huffingtonpost.com/asset/scalefit_630_noupscale/577d0b3e1800002400fa4200.jpeg?cache=05ffdpxjoq

not bad for a woman nearing 50 years of age.  ;)


I'm sorry, she'll be 51 in April.

Ehh, she could of aged a lot better. She looks kinda scary now. :-\\



How is she scary? ???

"Short shorts" were still common in basketball up until the early 90s...

My early childhood (mid 80s-mid 90s) looked exactly like what Jordan said, right down to the Nintendo my babysitter had and I played Duck Hunt on and kept shooting the damn dog. I just remember alot of neon in my early life. Bright clothes, loud clothes. Everything was vibrant. My toys, my bedding--mama bought alot of licensed bedding so I was sleeping with Rainbow Brite, the Carebears, the Muppets and for a very long stretch, Robin Williams as Peter Pan. I had alot of Barbies so there were 2 or 3 pink plastic cars laying around, tons of clothes and mama was always stepping on little plastic shoes. Everything was just so damn cheery and vibrant.  :)
I was born 10 years after you, and my early childhood was also vibrant and colorful, albeit in a different way.

A common misconception is that songs such as "Pop Muzik", "Video Killed the Radio Star", "Heart of Glass", "My Sharona", and "Cars" are 80s songs, when they're actually 70s (very late 70s, but still 70s nonetheless).

They usually get put on "Best of the 80s" compilation CDs, even though not a single one of them came out in the 80s.


During their TV ads in 1980, K-Tel ended their commercials with "In tune with the 80s", and that included the songs "Is She Really Going Out With Him", "Call Me", "Heartbreaker", and "Cars". But I'd even say that Cheap Trick's "I Want You To Want Me" (1978) is sometimes even misinterpreted as "80s". This also leads us to the next misconception based upon the "There was nothing to worry about" post: the economy was good throughout the decade. Well, for the early '80s, that is anything but true. The decade began with high inflation, fairly high unemployment, very high interest rates, and a recession and it seemed that the post-industrial stigma of losing jobs to Japan and emerging economies like China at the time would lead many to say that America will never be good again. You also had lots of Savings & Loans institutions collapse in the late '80s as well. Finally, the economic expansion didn't proportionally benefit as many as previous ones did, and was the beginnings of the wealth gap problems that we have today.

How is she scary? ???


She just hasn't aged well. Not just her, either. A lot of stars from the 80's had bad coke habits. I think the best looking from that era nowadays is Molly Ringwald. She's still very attractive. Ally Sheedy isn't bad either.


"Short shorts" were still common in basketball up until the early 90s...


That's true but, in general, hemlines for shorts got a lot longer as we entered the mid 80's.

That's true but, in general, hemlines for shorts got a lot longer as we entered the mid 80's.


I wasn't around/able to remember, but in athletics at least, "short shorts" were still in up until the very early 90s.

1990 NBA Finals:
https://s31.postimg.org/5zqioodaz/99546625_10.jpg

1990 World Cup:
https://i.ytimg.com/vi/QoiiH1pIMLM/hqdefault.jpg

By the summer of 92, they were noticeably longer (though still shorter than today):
https://i.ytimg.com/vi/gyu22Afr0xE/maxresdefault.jpg

I wasn't around/able to remember, but in athletics at least, "short shorts" were still in up until the very early 90s.


That's pretty interesting! If there's one sport that really dropped the hemlines on shorts, it's skateboarding. Freestyle skaters wore short-shorts up until 1990/1991 (right up to when the style died) but riders of the dominant street/vert styles for the most part preferred them longer.

Here in 1980 you can see the short-shorts:

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/2f/2a/1a/2f2a1a31dd8734a1b51a293aa9554aaa.jpg

1985, however, is a totally different story:

http://www.j6x2.com/IMG_PHOTO/ss03_SM.jpg

That 1983-1989 were '80s.

That 1983-1989 were '80s.


Errrm.

Do you mean that some people consider only those years to be 'true 80s'?

Errrm.

Do you mean that some people consider only those years to be 'true 80s'?


psst


I'm trying to troll a certain user.  :-X

Oh brother. ::)

The worst misconception ever about the 80's is that they were just an "updated 70's." I just can't believe some people actually think this...

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3b/Paris_Tuileries_Garden_Facepalm_statue.jpg/300px-Paris_Tuileries_Garden_Facepalm_statue.jpg

I've only heard this being said a very few couple of times but every time I do it really irks me! Both decades are like apples and oranges - totally different flavors. The early 80's, yeah, they were fairly similar to the 70's but with some updates and more 80's coming in but once you hit 1984 you're on a totally different planet than what the 70's were all about.

The 80's and 90's, however, actually have a hell of a lot more in common than (typically really young) people seem to think.

The '80s was disco and big hair.

The '80s was disco and big hair.


Oh yeah, sure. Lot's of disco in the 80's... ::)

Oh yeah, sure. Lot's of disco in the 80's... ::)


Yeah, it's a common misconception!

Yeah, it's a common misconception!


Oh, I thought you were trolling me for a second. :P

You're right, though. The 80's didn't have disco, they had Hi-NRG music! And what good music it was. 8)

Oh, I thought you were trolling me for a second. :P

You're right, though. The 80's didn't have disco, they had Hi-NRG music! And what good music it was. 8)


I was. That was my backup excuse. I guess this is double-trolling.  :-X :-X

I was. That was my backup excuse. I guess this is double-trolling.  :-X :-X


Dammit! >:(

Oh, I thought you were trolling me for a second. :P

You're right, though. The 80's didn't have disco, they had Hi-NRG music! And what good music it was. 8)


Unless you count the year 1980

The worst misconception ever about the 80's is that they were just an "updated 70's." I just can't believe some people actually think this...

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3b/Paris_Tuileries_Garden_Facepalm_statue.jpg/300px-Paris_Tuileries_Garden_Facepalm_statue.jpg

I've only heard this being said a very few couple of times but every time I do it really irks me! Both decades are like apples and oranges - totally different flavors. The early 80's, yeah, they were fairly similar to the 70's but with some updates and more 80's coming in but once you hit 1984 you're on a totally different planet than what the 70's were all about.

The 80's and 90's, however, actually have a hell of a lot more in common than (typically really young) people seem to think.


The 80s was a backlash to the 70s. So I don't see how they would have a lot in common. Decades that give a backlash to the previous decades usually tries to be the opposite of the previous decade or try to do different things. A person doesn't need to be old/young to see that. Just do a bit of cultural research and you'll pick up on it. Heck the death of Disco by the end of the 70s is one giveway that in the 80s people wanted a new kind of pop culture. Now pop culture usuallys changes naturally, but if people get sick of a certain kinda of pop cultural trend they will forcibly kill it and make some new. This happened with Disco in the 70s. People got sick of it (among other 70s things) and they killed it. Leaving room for new 80s trends. Although Disco still existed in the '80s it wasn't the same Disco. It was know known as "Post-Disco" which was more underground than the original Disco. This also happened with New Jack Swing. It was everywhere by the late 80s/early 90s so people killed it and replaced it with Gangsta Rap and Neo-Soul. This even happened with Jazz. The Big Band Swing Jazz era is was huge in the 1930s-1940s, but due to WW2 a lot of Jazz artists stopped making music and went to war. Causing for Jazz to die since no one was playing (although the kicker is that since Jazz died this caused for Rock to be invented and take its place by the 50s-60s).

Basically the 80s isn't the same as the 70s due to people making it somewhat of a anti-70s decade (not literally, but....kinda). And so the 80s culture was in full effect by 1983/'84. This is all coming from a guy who didn't come into this world until 1990. So to you older guys I may be completely wrong, but this is all that I could gather from talking to older family members who were kids in the 70s and teens/young adults in the 80s.

The 80s was a backlash to the 70s. So I don't see how they would have a lot in common. Decades that give a backlash to the previous decades usually tries to be the opposite of the previous decade or try to do different things. A person doesn't need to be old/young to see that. Just do a bit of cultural research and you'll pick up on it. Heck the death of Disco by the end of the 70s is one giveway that in the 80s people wanted a new kind of pop culture. Now pop culture usuallys changes naturally, but if people get sick of a certain kinda of pop cultural trend they will forcibly kill it and make some new. This happened with Disco in the 70s. People got sick of it (among other 70s things) and they killed it. Leaving room for new 80s trends. Although Disco still existed in the '80s it wasn't the same Disco. It was know known as "Post-Disco" which was more underground than the original Disco. This also happened with New Jack Swing. It was everywhere by the late 80s/early 90s so people killed it and replaced it with Gangsta Rap and Neo-Soul. This even happened with Jazz. The Big Band Swing Jazz era is was huge in the 1930s-1940s, but due to WW2 a lot of Jazz artists stopped making music and went to war. Causing for Jazz to die since no one was playing (although the kicker is that since Jazz died this caused for Rock to be invented and take its place by the 50s-60s).

Basically the 80s isn't the same as the 70s due to people making it somewhat of a anti-70s decade (not literally, but....kinda). And so the 80s culture was in full effect by 1983/'84. This is all coming from a guy who didn't come into this world until 1990. So to you older guys I may be completely wrong, but this is all that I could gather from talking to older family members who were kids in the 70s and teens/young adults in the 80s.


Yes, the 1970's was the 'too cool' decade. Everyone was high and mellow as heck. Then the 80's was the 'let's dance' decade, but people were still high on something!  :-X  :-X

The 80's dancing was a reply to the 70's' 'too cool' theme.

Yes, the 1970's was the 'too cool' decade. Everyone was high and mellow as heck. Then the 80's was the 'let's dance' decade, but people were still high on something!  :-X  :-X

The 80's dancing was a reply to the 70's' 'too cool' theme.


A funny way to simplify it, but it works. Although what people find as 'cool' changes a lot. Sometimes trends recycle, but never completely and they may not reach the same level of success they once had.

The '80s was disco and big hair.


During the early 1980's disco was dead but there was some big hair.

During the early 1980's disco was dead but there was some big hair.


According to the "totally-not-made-up-history-of-the-1980s" all barbers were going on strike and decided that until they get what they want they'll refuse to cut anyone's hair. So because of this big hair became a fashion.

Toon Facts. You can't get knowledge like this anywhere else, folks.  8)

According to the "totally-not-made-up-history-of-the-1980s" all barbers were going on strike and decided that until they get what they want they'll refuse to cut anyone's hair. So because of this big hair became a fashion.

Toon Facts. You can't get knowledge like this anywhere else, folks.  8)


Why would they want to go on strike?

Why would they want to go on strike?
It was a joke. ;)

Unless you count the year 1980


Disco died around 1983 or so.

The '80s was disco and big hair.


The '80s were the time of disco, Italo-disco, post-disco, Star Wars, and big hair.

During the early 1980's disco was dead but there was some big hair.


Big hair came much later in the '80s. It was more of a mid to late '80s phenomenon.

Disco died around 1983 or so.


Then you had electronica or whatever they called it.

The 80s was a backlash to the 70s. So I don't see how they would have a lot in common. Decades that give a backlash to the previous decades usually tries to be the opposite of the previous decade or try to do different things. A person doesn't need to be old/young to see that. Just do a bit of cultural research and you'll pick up on it. Heck the death of Disco by the end of the 70s is one giveway that in the 80s people wanted a new kind of pop culture. Now pop culture usuallys changes naturally, but if people get sick of a certain kinda of pop cultural trend they will forcibly kill it and make some new. This happened with Disco in the 70s. People got sick of it (among other 70s things) and they killed it. Leaving room for new 80s trends. Although Disco still existed in the '80s it wasn't the same Disco. It was know known as "Post-Disco" which was more underground than the original Disco. This also happened with New Jack Swing. It was everywhere by the late 80s/early 90s so people killed it and replaced it with Gangsta Rap and Neo-Soul. This even happened with Jazz. The Big Band Swing Jazz era is was huge in the 1930s-1940s, but due to WW2 a lot of Jazz artists stopped making music and went to war. Causing for Jazz to die since no one was playing (although the kicker is that since Jazz died this caused for Rock to be invented and take its place by the 50s-60s).

Basically the 80s isn't the same as the 70s due to people making it somewhat of a anti-70s decade (not literally, but....kinda). And so the 80s culture was in full effect by 1983/'84. This is all coming from a guy who didn't come into this world until 1990. So to you older guys I may be completely wrong, but this is all that I could gather from talking to older family members who were kids in the 70s and teens/young adults in the 80s.


Definitely but there are actually some people out there who think the entire 80's were either an "updated version" of the 70's or "closer in tone" which sounds crazy! The early 80's were very much like the 70's and closer in tone but a year like 1984, for example, with all it's modern innovations and explosive culture is definitely nothing like the decade proceeding it.

I'm not sure if I agree with this idea that 1980-1983 was "basically still the 70s".

Musically at least, I'd say the 80s got their identity down pretty quickly, perhaps even a bit early. By 1981, you had distinctly "80s" albums and songs like M's "Pop Muzik" (1979), Gary Numan's "Cars" (1979), Blondie's "One Way or Another" (1979), The Buggles' "Video Killed the Radio Star" (1979), Kim Wilde's "Kids in America" (1981), Rush's "Spirit of the Radio" (1980), The Police's "Message in a Bottle" (1979), Devo's "Whip It" (1980), Genesis's "Abacab" (1981), Phil Collins's "In the Air Tonight" (1981), Journey's "Don't Stop Believing" (1981), and Yes's entire Drama album (1980) with very 80s-sounding tracks like "Machine Messiah", "Into the Lens", and "Tempus Fugit".

I'm not sure if I agree with this idea that 1980-1983 was "basically still the 70s".

Musically at least, I'd say the 80s got their identity down pretty quickly, perhaps even a bit early. By 1981, you had distinctly "80s" albums and songs like M's "Pop Muzik" (1979), Gary Numan's "Cars" (1979), Blondie's "One Way or Another" (1979), The Buggles' "Video Killed the Radio Star" (1979), Kim Wilde's "Kids in America" (1981), Rush's "Spirit of the Radio" (1980), The Police's "Message in a Bottle" (1979), Devo's "Whip It" (1980), Genesis's "Abacab" (1981), Phil Collins's "In the Air Tonight" (1981), Journey's "Don't Stop Believing" (1981), and Yes's entire Drama album (1980) with very 80s-sounding tracks like "Machine Messiah", "Into the Lens", and "Tempus Fugit".


I don't think they're still the 70's 100% but there's definitely a fairly prevalent 70's vibe (70's-lite) that remained through. 1982, and especially 1983, are were I'd say the 80's really started to come into their own but it really wasn't until 1984 that we were brought into the cheesy, extravagant color overload that the 80's are really known for. Not only that but technology and fashion totally exploded in 1984. Everything happened that year.

I definitely agree about the music picks. Most of them have a very subdued early 80's sound (and some even sound a lot less subdued than others) compared to the really loud, in-your-face sound of the mid-late 80's. You can tell it's music meant for the early part of the 80's, where the decade was setting itself up but hadn't taken off the ground yet, rather than stuff for late part of the 70's. :P :P

Speaking of the early 80's, not everything was all that old about them. I think Fast Times is a turning point where things start to become more modern. At least, fashion-wise. It's still transitional but noteworthy enough, I'd say. The movie still had that lingering late 70's vibe, but the way some of the cast were dressed is another matter. The 70's featured looks that still feel really old-timey and might get some funny stares if worn nowadays. While 80's had their own wacky fashions (though, I would say these were more interesting and fun, rather than lame like the 70's) a lot of the casual wear doesn't look too outlandish today. The movie was shot as early as 1981, too!

Take a look at Sean Penn and Judge Reinhold, for example:

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Bp-lJ03CAAEVmNU.png

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/jhhxvXsxPDE/maxresdefault.jpg

The shorter hair, the bigger sized t-shirt over the long sleeve, they wouldn't stand out too much if they wore those styles today. Of course, by 1984, fashion got way more modern but you can see where things started to change.

Didn't most people in the '80s dress like this?

http://cdn2.retrowaste.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/1980s-mens-fashion.jpg

The worst misconception ever about the 80's is that they were just an "updated 70's." I just can't believe some people actually think this...

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3b/Paris_Tuileries_Garden_Facepalm_statue.jpg/300px-Paris_Tuileries_Garden_Facepalm_statue.jpg

I've only heard this being said a very few couple of times but every time I do it really irks me! Both decades are like apples and oranges - totally different flavors. The early 80's, yeah, they were fairly similar to the 70's but with some updates and more 80's coming in but once you hit 1984 you're on a totally different planet than what the 70's were all about.

The 80's and 90's, however, actually have a hell of a lot more in common than (typically really young) people seem to think.


I agree with this, the '80s was a turning point, for the US it was a kind of "rejuvenation" of the national spirit from the turmoil and disappointment of the late '60 and '70s. 1984 is about when the '70s were phased out and it was the Go Go Eighties, and the '80s are more than just synthy new wave music and bad mullets ;D. The '80s was more multifaceted, this is when world music like afro-pop, mbaqanga, isicathamiya, rai, ect was influencing mainstream pop, the beginning of alternative/indie culture, the maturation of hip-hop, acid-house and rave towards to end of the decade.

It'd be nice if I was a straight woman living in the 80s, not a lesbian in 2017. I have nobody to relate to.

Didn't most people in the '80s dress like this?

http://cdn2.retrowaste.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/1980s-mens-fashion.jpg


No. :P

Here's some mid-late 80's photos:

http://encinahighschool.com/yearbooks/class1985/images/008.jpghttp://encinahighschool.com/yearbooks/class1985/images/009.jpg

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/98/4b/ac/984bac7da916f9c47220fc0821b5b4fd.jpg

http://i.huffpost.com/gen/2602360/thumbs/o-BREAKFAST-CLUB-570.jpg?1

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/69/a7/16/69a716d4b0d868ee3a88d9ba3bb265fd.jpghttps://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/fd/cc/ff/fdccff587ea611426ed6ad8392f9f2b1.jpg

https://metadiary.files.wordpress.com/2009/09/80s-fashion-cropped.jpg?w=595

http://allaboutmadonna.com/images/madonna-magazines/1984-madonna-smash-hits-may-24-02.jpg

http://bonesbrigade.com/content/posts/thumbs/screen-shot-2012-06-19-at-13627-pm.png_630x442.jpg


I agree with this, the '80s was a turning point, for the US it was a kind of "rejuvenation" of the national spirit from the turmoil and disappointment of the late '60 and '70s. 1984 is about when the '70s were phased out and it was the Go Go Eighties, and the '80s are more than just synthy new wave music and bad mullets ;D. The '80s was more multifaceted, this is when world music like afro-pop, mbaqanga, isicathamiya, rai, ect was influencing mainstream pop, the beginning of alternative/indie culture, the maturation of hip-hop, acid-house and rave towards to end of the decade.


You hit the nail right on the head! The 80's, especially 1982-1989, was a period of experimentation in so many aspects. I will always see it as the decade that truly brought us to the modern age. Home video like the VHS had become standard, MTV setting the new standard of video, CD's and digital sound recording had entered the fold, the PC revolution happened along with the Mac and it's user friendly GUI, portable music being much more convenient with the Walkman and Discman; so many things happened back then. You're right about the music, too. Alt Rock, Punk Rock, Industrial, Hip Hop, New Wave and even the Pop artists of the time really pushed the envelope. Some times I'll hear an 80's song or two and it'll shock me at how modern some still sound. A while back I heard Kenny Loggins' I'm Free and some of the parts (especially the guitar) sounded really similar to the stuff early 00's pop punk bands were playing. Same with Depeche Mode's Lie To Me, which reminded me of some darker industrial dance songs from around 1999. It was pretty cool to hear.


It'd be nice if I was a straight woman living in the 80s, not a lesbian in 2017. I have nobody to relate to.


Doesn't sound like you're feeling too good. You ok? :-\\

Didn't most people in the '80s dress like this?

http://cdn2.retrowaste.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/1980s-mens-fashion.jpg



outrageous clothing was definitely in fashion at that time.