The 80s saw many changes politically, economically, technologically and otherwise. Ronald Regan was President of the U.S. for the majority of the decade, Madonna and Michael Jackson became style icons, Mt. St. Helens Erupted, John Lennon was assassinated, and the NASA space shuttle Challenger disintigrated in space.
Music
Entertainment
Fashion
Cars
Innovations
- Compact Disc
- Jarvik 7
- Personal Computers
Events
- First Female Justice of the Supreme Court
- Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster
- Fall of the Berlin Wall
Defining Decades Webpage |
Just do it. (1988) Nike |
MusicThere are two artists that epitomize 80s music. The first is Michael Jackson. The songs “Beat It”, “Billie Jean”, and “Thriller”, were of his tops hits throughout the decade. The album Thriller has yet to be unseated as the best-selling album of all time. The other artist is Madonna. It was her second album, Like a Virgin, that catapulted her to the top of the charts. Her controversial lyrics and behavior quickly made her a household name, while her look influenced fashion throughout the decade. Metal and hard rock were influential styles during the 80s. Artist such as Def Leppard, Poison, Metallica, Guns N’ Roses, Bon Jovi and Megadeth dominated the genre and helped perpetuate the popularity of rock artist from the 1970s such as KISS and AC/DC. This genre included “Hair Bands” (named for their heavily teased tresses), which some of the aforementioned artists were a part of. Other noteworthy hair bands were Van Halen, Scorpions, and Quiet Riot. Although it was in the 70s that the genre began, it was during the 80s that hip-hop really gained momentum. Artists such as Run-DMC, The Beastie Boyz (who opened for Madonna on her first North American Tour), LL Cool J, and DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince were of the most influential. |
EntertainmentThe “Blockbuster” film, although having seen previous success in movies such as Gone With the Wind, The Sound of Music, Jaws, and Star Wars in previous decades, became an established format for films in the 1980s. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, two Star Wars sequels, the Indiana Jones trio, Top Gun, two Back to the Future films, and Fatal Attraction were of highest grossing blockbusters of the decades. The 80s were host to a series of coming-of-age films, many times casting actors from other movies within the same genre. As a result, the term “Brat Pack” was coined to refer to these actors and their films. Some of the movies from this genre include Sixteen Candles, Pretty in Pink, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, and of course, The Breakfast Club. During the 80s cable access grew and as a result television reached the majority of Americans. 1981 became a pivotal year for the music industry as MTV (Music Television) was launched. The night-time soap opera format was also hugely popular, thanks to the success of the shows Dynasty and Dallas. Because of the growth of the television industry during this time period, more television shows could enjoy popularity. Night Court, Murder She Wrote, Star Trek: The Next Generation, MacGyver, The Cosby Show, Family Ties, Cheers, The Jeffersons, Seinfeld, and Married…With Children, are just a handful of examples. |
FashionThe 1980’s was a decade of styles. With the influence of hit television shows, and a booming market, the 80’s burgeoned designer branding and coined the concept “power dressing,” in conjunction with a number of truly unforgettable fashion trends. It was also a decade heavily influenced by musician and television icons. Some of the dominant trends to come out of the 1980’s are the new romantic, valley girl, and power dressing. The new romantic was a style mostly influenced by the United Kingdom’s nightlife. This style can be defined by “heavy, bold and streaky make-up, spiky hair, outrageous and exuberant clothing inspired by punk and Goth.” Some of the designers of the new romantic are Vivienne Westwood, Colin Swift, Stevie Stewart, and David Holah. The valley girl trend came from the west, in California. Some of the main trends to come out of the valley are headbands, leg warmers with miniskirts, and cheerleader inspired skirts. During the 1980’s more and more women entered the workforce. Due to this influx of women in the office, a new genre of clothing was born. The 1980’s was a decade of power dressing. Power dressing emulated the popular 80’s television show, Dynasty. Some of the main elements of power dressing are various sized shoulder pads, Velcro, glitzy jewelry, silk, wool and cotton, and bright colored spiked heels. For men, the power suit became popular. Narrow pinstripes, four button vests, skinny and narrow neckties, and button down collars were key elements of the power dressed man. In addition to the new emergent fashion trends of the 1980’s, two music icons defined their own fashion trends that became legendary. Madonna “first emerged on the dance music scene with her ‘street urchin’ look consisting of short skirts worn over leggings, necklaces, rubber bracelets, fishnet gloves, hairbows, long layered strings of beads, bleached, untidy hair with dark roots, head bands, and lace ribbons.” Madonna’s “Like A Virgin” era “included brassieres worn as outerwear, oversized crucifix jewelry, lace gloves, tulle skirts, and boytoy belts. Madonna also popularized gloves that were lace and/or fingerless, fishnet stockings, short, tight lycra or leather miniskirts and tubular dresses with bolero-style jackets.” The other icon to come out of the 1980’s is Michael Jackson. Jackson created the “Thriller” look. Some of the key elements are “matching red/black leather pants and jackets, one glove, sunglasses, and the jheri curl.” Other fashion trends inspired by Jackson are over sized faded leather jackets with puffy sleeves accompanied by gloves, which at times were fingerless, and aviator sunglasses. |
CarsCar trends of the 1980’s directly correspond with the booming economy. The 1980’s is a decade defined by extravagance, and cars were no exception. With women more prevalent in the workplace, families had additional money to spend on luxuries such as cars. Some of the car designs seen during the 1980’s carry over from the muscle cars of the 1970’s. American car companies continued to sell sports cars such as the popular Chevy Camaro, Ford Mustang, and Pontiac Firebird. In addition to the American cars, foreign cars such as BMW, Mercedes Benz, and Jaguar were becoming more popular. Sports cars continued to be favorites throughout the 80’s. Cars such as the BMW 3 Series, 5 Series, and Z Series were some of the models much sought after. Not only did BMW’s provide drivers with fast and efficient engines, they also provided drivers with the cache and luxury. For the American class, the Pontiac Firebird dominated domestic car sales, as it averaged 100,000 cars sold per year through 1986. One reason for the increase sales is a renewed interest in performance cars, which began in the early 80’s. The 1980’s Firebird models continued its “distinctive look with the low-riding nose and shallow twin grilles and hidden headlamps. Also, the 80’s models came with full-width tail lamps and a smoked lens on some models for a ‘custom’ blackout effect.” Another American car that dominated sales in 1980’s is the Ford Mustang. Mustangs are one of America’s iconic sports vehicles and this remained true in this decade. In the 80’s Mustangs were in their third generation. In1979 the Mustang was based on the “longer Fox platform. The interior was restyled to accommodate four people in comfort despite a smaller rear seat. Body styles included a coupe, hatchback, and convertible. Available trim levels included L, GL, GLX, LX, GT, Turbo GT (1983–84), SVO (1984–86), Cobra (1979–81; 1993).” |
InnovationsThe compact disc (CD) arrived and dramatically changed the way we listen to music and store data. 1981: First test CD created in Hannover, Germany. December 2, 1982 Personal Computers |
EventsJuly 7, 1981 January 28th, 1986 From the beginning the Shuttle Mission had problems.
The Challenger finally lifted off at 11:38:00 a.m. EST. Seventy three seconds into the mission, the Challenger exploded, killing the entire crew. November 9, 1989 |