I graduated from high school in 1990, which means I was a moody teenager during the 1980’s. I pegged my pants, wore penny loafers, and adored (still adore) john Hughes movies. And I admit it. I miss a lot of things about the 1980’s. As someone who lived it, I can tell you there was a lot of worthwhile stuff in that era. If you’re not sure what I mean, or if you agree and just want to reminisce, keep reading! Here’s my list of 7 things from the 1980’s that I miss…
Photo Credit: Triborough
Nowadays my guilty pleasure, Pepsi, is lacking one key ingredient — sugar. It’s made with high fructose corn syrup, which is much cheaper, but not nearly as tasty. I hadn’t noticed the difference over the years, but now that I’ve tried the Pepsi Throwback, made with real sugar, I want my sugar-filled Pepsi back!
Photo Credit: Kjers..
I remember spending hours putting together the perfect mix tapes for a particular boy I was interested in. The songs had to be I the right order, with just enough space in between them, and they had to fit on one side, then the other, without cutting off any of the songs. Then there were the liner notes, which had to be written carefully… and if I was feeling particularly artistic, maybe some sketches to go in there, too… now we send playlists or load songs onto iPods, but I miss the mix tapes! John Cusack’s character, Rob, explains this really well in “High Fidelity.”
Photo Credit: jypsygen
There was a moment of delicious anticipation during the 1980s… you’d rush home from work or school to see if he called… was that red light on the answering machine blinking? Now that we all have cell phones, that moment is gone, and I miss it!
I used to love my Bass Weejun penny loafers, perfectly broken in with, of course, pennies in them, not dimes. I wore them with everything, from jeans or khakis to skirts. I was a preppy girl, and back in the 1980’s the mark of a true preppie was her penny loafers.
I had such a huge crush on Michael Jackson in the 1980’s, when he was still black and before all the weird plastic surgery and pedophile accusations. He was so handsome, so sexy, and such a great singer! Swoon!
Each generation has movies that help define it, and for my generation, it’s John Hughes. Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Weird Science, Some Kind of Wonderful… whether he wrote or directed these movies and so many more, he understood what it was like to be a high schooler in the 1980’s, and made it funny, heartwarming, and unforgettable.
Okay, fine. I understand that today, The Cure, U2, Depeche Mode and the like aren’t considered very cutting edge, but back in the 1980’s, they were so unique, so different, that they defined a while new type of music — New Wave. Most of us think of Adam Ant or Flock of Seagulls when we hear New Wave, but it was more than that, and I miss it!
Granted, there are a lot of things from the 1980’s I didn’t like then, and still think were weird (like Cabbage Patch Dolls), but these are the things I miss. Are you my age, and miss something from our teen years? Or are you a bit younger and think I’m crazy for missing my penny loafers and Molly Ringwald? Please let me know!
Top Photo Credit: galessa's plastics