1980s Pop Culture Trends: Styles, Fads & Moments that Defined a Decade

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A complete 80s guide, from big hair to MTV to the Brat Pack
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Girls just wanna have fun , and the ‘80s sure were fun! As the decade most known for color, boldness, and boundary-pushing pop music, the '80s have endured as an era looked back on with nostalgia and sentimentality. But what were the 1980s really all about? In this article, we’ll tell you everything you need to know about the totally radical ‘80s fashion, hair, music, movies, history, and more!

1980s Pop Culture Overview

  • ‘80s fashion trends included masculine styles for women (like shoulder pads and power suits), as well as neon colors, acid wash jeans, leg warmers, and Members-only jackets.
  • ‘80s movies and music including culture-shifting films and artists like The Breakfast Club , Do the Right Thing , Whitney Houston, and Michael Jackson.
  • ‘80s pop culture involved massive fads and trends like Pac Man, shopping mall culture, Jazzercise, Cabbage Patch Kids, and “eat-ertainment” spots like Chuck E. Cheese.
Section 1 of 8:

80s Fashion Trends

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  1. When you think about the ‘80s, you probably think about fashion first: neon pinks and oranges, voluminous parachute pants, and fingerless gloves may come to mind, as well as athletic wear like leg warmers and Members-only jackets. Accessories like jelly shoes and Ray-Ban sunglasses were also popular, and even staples like a pair of Levis were eighties-ified with the rise of acid-wash denim. [1]
    • On the flip side of the flashy and color-forward fashion trends preferred by ‘80s youth was the women’s “power dressing” trends. Throughout the eighties, masculine-inspired trends became popular in women’s fashion, with everything from shoulder pads and silk ties to oversized double-breasted suits becoming trendy thanks to public figures like Nancy Reagan and Princess Diana.
    • Designers like Giorgio Armani, Thierry Mugler, and Calvin Klein also leaned into this look, with movies like 9 to 5 (1980) and Working Girl (1988) also showcasing the style. As ever, style paralleled culture and history , as the 1980s also saw a steep increase in women joining the labor force. [2]
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Section 2 of 8:

Men’s & Women’s 80s Hair & Makeup Trends

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  1. In the eighties, bigger was always better when it came to any hairdo. [3] Women were encouraged to wear large hairdos with fluffy curls, teased-out bangs, long crimped locks, high (side) ponytails, and permanent waves. Add an exorbitant waft of hairspray and a colorful scrunchie, and it’s like you’ve transported right back into the decade of decadence! [4]
    • Most male hairstyle trends from the ‘80s also revolved around height and volume. Mullets, tall mohawk styles, Jheri curls, flattops, and hi-top fades were all popular looks among 1980s dudes. [5]
    • If you’re curious about what 1980s hairstyles really looked like, search up decade-specific photos of stars like Brooke Shields, Whitney Houston, John Stamos, and Will Smith.
  2. Like most things in the eighties, the decade’s makeup looked focused on electric colors and eye-catching looks. [6] Eyeshadow was often swiped on in neon colors like electric blue, hot pink, and vivid purple—with more than one of these colors often being used at a time! [7] Exaggerated winged eyeliner was popular, as was using thick lines of contrasting colors to frame the eyes.
    • For the rest of the face, just as much color was used (no need to “balance” out your makeup look here!). Popular blush colors included bright pinks, plums, and reds, which were often blended into the hairline and eyeshadow in a trend known as “draping.” [8]
    • Colorful mascara in blues and purples was also popular, as well as vibrant lipstick shades like fuchsia, plum, and bubblegum pink.
    • As you might have already noticed, the “natural” look wasn’t really a thing in the ‘80s. So, when it came to skin, a heavily layered base of foundation was a must, and the foundation was preferably about two shades lighter than your natural skin tone (think Madonna at the 1987 AMAs ).
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Section 3 of 8:

80s Movies & TV Shows

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  1. John Hughes and his star-studded group of teen actors (known as the Brat Pack) definitely dominated the 1980s T.V. and movie scene with famous films like The Breakfast Club , Pretty in Pink , Sixteen Candles , and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off . However, the ‘80s was a massive time for movies overall, with the rise of the blockbuster film producing movies that have gone on to have enduring legacies—including Back to the Future , Ghostbusters , Dirty Dancing , Do the Right Thing , Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back , Top Gun , The Goonies , and Steven Spielberg’s E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial . [9]
    • Movies weren’t the only thing to make a definitive mark on ‘80s screens—T.V. shows like Miami Vice , The A-Team , Dallas , and Cheers also premiered and shaped pop culture throughout the decade. [10]
    • The Cosby Show also ran for eight years after premiering in 1984, providing one of the first mainstream portrayals of a family of color who was affluent, successful, and educated (which defied racial stereotypes at the time). [11]
    • Another significant T.V. show, The Simpsons , premiered in 1989 and continues to run on modern T.V.—with 36 seasons as of 2024. [12]
Section 4 of 8:

80s Music & MTV

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  1. The landscape of music was forever changed when MTV (Music Television) launched in 1981, creating the first-ever music video channel that aired content 24/7 on T.V.—starting with the future-predicting “Video Killed the Radio Star” video. With rotating V.J. (video jockey) hosts, MTV aired film footage of popular 1980s artists like Michael Jackson (fresh off the debut of Thriller ), Madonna, Boy George, and more. [13]
    • Many other musical artists rose to prominence in the 1980s, with some of the most significant and decade-defining including Guns N’ Roses, Bruce Springsteen, Cyndi Lauper, Queen, Pat Benatar, and Duran Duran.
    • Thanks to MTV, for the first time, an artist’s visual presence was just as important as their vocals, and iconic visuals like Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance with Somebody” party dress and Rod Stewart’s shaggy ‘do became a permanent part of pop culture. [14]
    • MTV also began to host their annual Video Music Awards in 1984, which brought about the recognition of music videos as a new kind of art form. It also spawned its fair share of pop culture moments (like Madonna popping out of a cake during her “Like a Virgin” performance) and continues to do so to this day. [15]
    • Later on, the T.V. channel featured shows like "Yo! MTV Raps," which bolstered the popularization of hip-hop culture in mainstream culture, which would be cemented during the hip-hop golden age in the 1990s . [16]
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Section 5 of 8:

80s Toys, Games, & Leisure Activities

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  1. The ‘80s saw a massive rise in the popularity of video games and toy fads, both of which contributed to the super-mall culture that defined the decade. Standing arcade games like Pac-Man and Street Fighter became uber-popular, along with the development of groundbreaking video game systems like Atari and Nintendo. [17]
    • Meanwhile, toys like Rubik’s cubes, Cabbage Patch Kids, Transformers, Care Bears, and the electronic Teddy Ruxpin became massively popular, leading to ransacked stores and lines around their blocks so that parents and kids could get their hands on these new-fangled toys. [18]
    • Between the focus on toy shopping and arcade culture, it’s no wonder that a lot of downtime in the ‘80s was spent at the mall. Malls became the place to hang in the 80s, with food courts becoming a top spot where teens could sip on Orange Julius or chow down on Sbarro pizza, Panda Express, and Auntie Anne’s. [19]
    • The combination of food courts and arcade games also gave way to the invention of so-called “eat-ertainment.” The first Chuck E. Cheese was founded in the late ‘70s, giving families and kids a place where they could hang out, eat kid-friendly foods, and play video games while chilling with animatronic animals. [20]
    • Soon after, Dave & Busters and Medieval Times hopped on this entertainment trend, cementing it as one of the defining pastimes of the ‘80s.
Section 6 of 8:

80s Technology

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  1. Personal computers seem like a no-biggie now, but back in the ‘80s, their release was a defining moment in history. The Apple Macintosh was released in January 1984, making personal computing accessible to the average consumer for the first time ever—this invention would go on to spawn the devices we know today, like the Macbook Pro and iPhone. [21]
    • Aside from the computer, eighties tech was also defined by VHS tapes (to watch (and re-watch) the boombox scene from Say Anything ), Walkman cassette players (to jam out to Journey’s Don’t Stop Believin’ ), and Casio calculators (making algebra classes more survivable for decades to come).
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Section 7 of 8:

80s Cultural Trends & Moments

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  1. When it came to massive cultural trends, the 1980s was all about one thing: fitness! Fitness became a fad with the help of celebrities like Jane Fonda, whose VHS tapes aerobics courses became a viral sensation (before “viral” was even a thing). [22] Jazzercise became an equally important fitness craze, making it no surprise that leg warmers and headbands were an indisputable trend in 80s fashion . [23]
    • But ‘80s pop culture wasn’t all about working out—the Live Aid concert was one of the biggest cultural events in history, let alone in the eighties. The 1985 benefit concert was staged in Wembley Stadium and ran for sixteen hours with more than 75 acts. [24]
    • The concert, which featured notable artists like Queen, U2, David Bowie, Madonna, Elton John, Paul McCartney, and more, raised millions of dollars for famine relief in Ethiopia. [25]
    • Another cultural event that swept the eighties was First Lady Nancy Reagan’s youth anti-drug campaign, also known as the “Just Say No” campaign. The campaign intended to advertise against recreational drug use in children and teens in conjunction with the United States War on Drugs. [26]
    • Despite its cultural momentum and infamy, “Just Say No” was widely criticized and even mocked. Critics of the campaign argued that “Just Say No” simply exacerbated mass incarceration, contributed to stigma around drug users, and prevented youngsters from getting accurate information about drug use. [27]
Section 8 of 8:

80s Historical Moments

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  1. The eighties weren’t just a decade of flash and fun—amidst all the pomp and circumstance of ‘80s fashion and music, some significant historical moments shaped the decade and continue to impact the way we live in the 2020s (and likely beyond). Here are just a few of the most memorable and influential historical moments that occurred in the 1980s:
    • The Challenger Explosion: In 1986, the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded 73 seconds into its flight, killing all seven passengers, including teacher Christa McAuliffe. The event was watched by millions of Americans on TV. [28]
    • The Fall of the Berlin Wall: In 1989, the Berlin Wall fell after 28 years, marking the beginning of the end of the Cold War and the reunification of Germany. The Wall fell shortly after half a million people protested the wall in East Berlin. [29]
    • The Iran-Contra Affair: This 1986 political scandal revealed that senior officials in the Reagan administration had secretly (and illegally) sold weapons to Iran in order to fund a right-wing Nicaraguan rebel group (the Contras). [30]
    • The Tiananmen Square Protests & Massacre: In 1989, workers in Beijing protested inflation, corruption, and the erosion of social security and welfare access. On May 20th, partway through the protests, the Chinese government imposed martial law, and in early June, the People’s Liberation Army stormed the protesting area with tanks, killing up to ten thousand protestors. [31]
    • Reaganomics: Also characterized as “trickle-down economics,” President Ronald Reagan’s (1981-1989) economic policies included the increase of defense spending, reduction of federal income and capital gains tax, and reduction of government regulation. [32]
    • John Lennon’s Murder: Legendary musician and member of The Beatles, John Lennon, was shot and killed on December 8th, 1980. The murder shocked the world into a state of grief, while also triggering a reflection on gun violence, celebrity obsession, and Lennon’s legacy of peace and harmony. [33]
    • The AIDS Epidemic: Throughout the ‘80s and ‘90s, the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) caused a global health crisis with the spread of AIDS increasing among gay men and other groups (including intravenous drug users and hemophiliacs). [34] The epidemic led to prejudiced social marginalization and discrimination against those with AIDS, with the government’s response largely being criticized for being inadequate and even homophobic. [35]
    • Women Breaking the Glass Ceiling: The ‘80s saw an uptick in women fighting for equality, joining the workforce, and demanding representation alongside men. To name just a few examples, Sandra Day O’Connor was appointed as the first female U.S. Supreme Court justice (1981), Geraldine Ferraro became the first female vice presidential candidate for a major party (1984), Sally Ride became the first woman in space (1984) and Oprah Winfrey became the first woman to produce and own her own talk show (1986). [36]
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      • It’s worth noting that, while fitness was a massive trend and pop culture moment that defined the ‘80s, it brought about some severe beauty standards that permeated the decade and the people that grew up in it. [37] Only athletically toned, slim bodies were considered acceptable in the 1980s, and the rampant focus on nutrition and fitness spurred a rise in anorexia and other eating disorders. [38]
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      References

      1. ↑ https://fashionhistory.fitnyc.edu/1980-1989/
      2. ↑ https://www.bls.gov/spotlight/2017/women-in-the-workforce-before-during-and-after-the-great-recession/pdf/women-in-the-workforce-before-during-and-after-the-great-recession.pdf
      3. ↑ https://campus.edu/blog/cosmetology/cosmetology-change-over-time
      4. ↑ https://www.fashionstudiesjournal.org/what-were-wearing-1/2016/12/12/the-scrunchie-an-icon-of-bad-taste-turned-ironic
      5. ↑ https://www.evergreenbeauty.edu/blog/popular-80s-hair-styles-worn-by-men/
      6. ↑ https://orsp.sonoma.edu/training-and-events/gallery/thats-so-80s-beauty-standard
      7. ↑ https://www.centralcasting.com/1980s-makeup-starter-guide/
      8. ↑ https://www.glamour.com/story/contour-blush-draping
      9. ↑ https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-lists/100-greatest-movies-of-the-1980s-1277869/
      1. ↑ https://www.purewow.com/entertainment/80s-tv-shows
      2. ↑ https://www.bet.com/article/r8ehhd/five-ways-the-cosby-show-changed-television
      3. ↑ https://www.newsweek.com/simpsons-watch-episode-paid-6800-1638440
      4. ↑ https://ohiostate.pressbooks.pub/artandmusicbiographies/chapter/reading-10-mtv-and-race-and-diy/
      5. ↑ https://theconversation.com/40-years-of-mtv-the-channel-that-shaped-popular-culture-as-we-know-it-165365
      6. ↑ https://www.etonline.com/gallery/23-of-the-most-memorable-moments-in-vmas-history-23505/madonnas-like-a-virgin-5763
      7. ↑ https://www.vulture.com/2018/06/how-yo-mtv-raps-changed-hip-hop.html
      8. ↑ https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/children-80s-never-fear-video-games-did-not-ruin-your-life-180963452/
      9. ↑ https://www.popularmechanics.com/culture/g45300138/toys-from-1980s/
      10. ↑ https://rewind943.com/monica/why-malls-were-so-important-in-the-80s-for-teens/
      11. ↑ https://www.chuckecheese.com/about/
      12. ↑ https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20240123-the-apple-macintosh-was-first-released-40-years-ago-these-people-are-still-using-the-aging-computers
      13. ↑ https://daily.jstor.org/jane-fonda-changed-fitness-forever/
      14. ↑ https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2019/06/jazzercise-50-years-women-fitness-culture-judi-sheppard-missett/591349/
      15. ↑ https://www.firstpost.com/art-and-culture/explained-the-historical-significance-of-the-1985-live-aid-concert-and-questions-around-western-relief-efforts-9804371.html
      16. ↑ https://www.britannica.com/event/Live-Aid
      17. ↑ https://www.ojp.gov/ncjrs/virtual-library/abstracts/just-say-no
      18. ↑ https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-just-say-no-doesnt-work/
      19. ↑ https://www.space.com/18084-space-shuttle-challenger.html
      20. ↑ https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-50013048
      21. ↑ https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/reagan-iran/
      22. ↑ https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-42465516
      23. ↑ https://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/disp_textbook.cfm?smtID=2&psid=3367
      24. ↑ https://time.com/3620623/john-lennon-death/
      25. ↑ https://www.kff.org/global-health-policy/fact-sheet/the-global-hiv-aids-epidemic/
      26. ↑ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10278994/
      27. ↑ https://cawp.rutgers.edu/facts/milestones-women-american-politics
      28. ↑ https://orsp.sonoma.edu/training-and-events/gallery/thats-so-80s-beauty-standard
      29. ↑ https://www.eatingrecoverycenter.com/resources/eating-disorders-history

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