Hey everyone! How’s things your end? I’m great! In fact, I’m feeling quite…RETRO!
You probably might have guessed I’m a big fan of all things historical from some of my previous articles. So as part of my old style writing passion I’ve decided to talk about the fabulous decade I entered the wonderful world.
I was looking at some old baby photos of me recently and thought to myself ‘Wow! Look at what my parents were wearing!’ and ‘What’s with the wacky wallpaper and furniture?’ It was quite interesting to see what life was like in the 80’s through a photo but I would have loved to have seen it for real. What did people wear? What did people listen to and watch? What was popular? So what I did was call up my old buddies Marty McFly and Doc Brown and they agreed to take me on a little trip to the decade I wish I could remember…
Fashiontastic. So what pops into your head when you think of the 70’s? Tight tops and bell-bottoms? When it got to the 80’s that style had totally switched and people were wearing baggy tops and really tight pants! A lot of people were inspired by the fashion from the famous movie Flashdance and introduced leg warmers and ripped clothing into their wardrobes. Bright colours and neons were all the rage, the make-up was almost clownish. You may think they look a bit silly now but perms were a really popular hairstyle back then. Some women went for really short styles where some men chose to grow out their hair into messy mullets which later down the line they would style neatly with gel.I have actually seen a few people trying to bring this look back…awesome!
Fun & Games. One thing I do remember from when I was little was my first computer games console…a Commodore 64! It was one of the best selling computer models of all time believe it or not. Care Bears, Cabbage Patch Dolls and Micro Machines are some of the many toys that were popular as well as My Little Pony, I loved that! Nowadays we listen to music on iPods but back then people were walking round with boomboxes and huge Walkmans blasting out funky tunes. Another thing that was popular in the 80’s was the Rubik’s Cube! We’re still able to purchase these today but I am not a fan. I can’t last more than a minute with one…frustration or what?!
Old Style Swee
ties. A lot of sweets from the 80’s were also still popular in the 90’s but not so much now. Who remembers Flying Saucers, Black Jacks and Flumps? I was a massive fan of candy necklaces and sherbert. Remember Love Hearts? Once or twice I came across a couple that had very strange things written on them, ‘I love Larry’ being one of them. Did anybody else get any strange ones? The Cadbury’s Wispa, Twirl and Drifter were first introduced in the 80’s and are still around now. Unfortunately there are many things from our childhood that have been discontinued, how annoying! I really miss Panda Pops but can’t say I miss Parma Violets…yuk!
ties. A lot of sweets from the 80’s were also still popular in the 90’s but not so much now. Who remembers Flying Saucers, Black Jacks and Flumps? I was a massive fan of candy necklaces and sherbert. Remember Love Hearts? Once or twice I came across a couple that had very strange things written on them, ‘I love Larry’ being one of them. Did anybody else get any strange ones? The Cadbury’s Wispa, Twirl and Drifter were first introduced in the 80’s and are still around now. Unfortunately there are many things from our childhood that have been discontinued, how annoying! I really miss Panda Pops but can’t say I miss Parma Violets…yuk!
Music & Film. Movies in the 80’s were fantastic! Flashdance, The Breakfast Club. E.T, Cocktail and of course the Back To The Future trilogy were and still are excellent! How awesome were the soundtracks?! The movies that really scared me were The Terminator and Nightmare On Elm Street but they don’t seem so bad now as the graphics were nothing like what they are now! As for the music, Madonna and Michael Jackson were the most successful back then but don’t forget Lionel Richie, Culture Club, Stevie Wonder and Wham! Fancy a flashback? Tune into VH1, they play loads of old tunes.
To finish off my visit to the past, here are some random facts from my year of birth, 1984…
1) Sony and Philips introduced the first commercial CD players.
2) The first Apple Macintosh went on sale.
3) The MTV Music Awards started.
4) Band Aid released the single ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas’ for famine relief in Ethiopia.
5) The UK Prime Minister was Margaret Thatcher.
6) The UK replaced GCE O-Level’s and CSE’s with GCSE’s.
7) English one pound notes were discontinued.
8) A cinema ticket cost around £2.50.
9) A gallon of petrol cost around £1.83.
10) The 700 year old wing of York Minster was destroyed by fire.
It was really interesting to explore the 1980’s, a time I can’t remember anything about. I really do wish I could go back to the past like Marty and Doc though haha! Guys you should take a look back at when you were born, you’ll find out some pretty amazing things and remember…I’ve got love for you if you were born in the 80’s…the 80’s!
Stay tuned for more historical articles!
Jen
xxx
