Why Was 80s Fashion So Weird?

Big hair, mullets, crazy jewelry, and neon clothing. How and why was this so popular during the 80s? When looking back at it all today, we think those were some pretty crazy times.

But back then, everyone wanted to have a specific status and to show it off. A common saying was “if you got it flaunt it and you can have it all.” It was also the age of the rebellion against everything normal. This was particularly shown among preppy individuals, which influenced other personalities and styles. The “rebellion” style appeared throughout many trends and it was thought you wouldn’t be “cool” if you didn’t adapt.

But exactly what influenced 80s fashion and why were they so proud of it?

80s fashion was weird for the following reasons:

• It was worn by Hollywood stars including Cyndi Lauper, Michael Jackson and Madonna
• It was shown throughout popular movies and TV shows like Valley Girl, Dirty Dancing and The Outsiders
• It was heavily advertised by major fashion brands like Anne Klein, Calvin Klein and Perry Ellis
• It was embraced by MTV
• It was similar to popular trends from the 60s and 70s

1. Influenced by Hollywood Stars

When Hollywood stars like Michael Jackson, Prince and David Bowie were at the peaks of their careers, they all had one big thing in common: fashion. They did however, each have their own style, like Prince dressing in purple, but they still wore some freaky clothing back in the day. This in turn influenced the young American population, especially high schoolers.

2. TV Shows

This shouldn’t be any surprise since many people still copy what they see on TV and movies today. Back then they just happened to wear that type of clothing. But the Cable TV trend first started in the 80s as it became more accessible to American families (70 percent of homes had Cable Television).

As more and more eyes became glued to screens, shows like Dynasty and Dallas had their audiences hooked. A great example would be in Dynasty, girls wore shoulder pads which became a major trend among young women.

3. Movies

There were a ton of movies that influenced fashion trends back then, including Sixteen Candles, Dirty Dancing, The Outsiders, Stand by Me, The Breakfast Club…the list goes on. One particularly big style largely influenced from these movies were ripped shirts for men and oversized sweatshirts for women with one exposed shoulder.

4. Fashion Brands

It didn’t take long for major fashion brands to see the upcoming trends. So they helped it along, advertising beautiful models wearing large sweaters, jewelry and curly hair. Male models usually wore white tank tops or shirts with rolled up sleeves. Oh and denim. Lots of denim! Jeans, jackets, you name it they wore it. Major brands back then included:

• Nike
• Lacoste
• Levi
• Tommy Hilfiger
• Gucci
• Ralph Lauren
• Calvin Klein
• Anne Klein

5. MTV

MTV had more influence than just fashion trends in the 1980s. It promoted the careers of the world’s top performers, including Duran Duran, Prince, Madonna and Michael Jackson. It was geared toward the younger generation and was largely successful as it was one of the first major basic cable channels on TV at the time.

Starting on August 1st, 1981, it changed generations and defined pop culture as young Americans based their outfits what came out of MTV. Although it wasn’t all great. Similar to how parents first reacted to rock n’ roll, the music giant frequently featured videos that were considered tasteless, vulgar, juvenile and violent.

Teens were addicted and parents were not happy, which also fueled the fire of rebel teens that carried on throughout the 80s.

6. Similar to 60s and 70s Trends

80s kids’ parents may not have understood it then, or maybe some did. But they too had big hair in their younger years. Hairspray was a woman’s best friend – the bigger the hair the better. Huge jewelry, often known as “door knocker jewelry”, was also popular.

Necklaces as big as your fist and earrings almost the size of your ear were never seen as “strange”, although the shape may have changed over the years. In the 60s and 70s, large studs were in whereas big hoops and danglies were “in” in the 80s.

Most Popular Fashion Trends of the 80s

Thanks to the large influences mentioned above, each of the following trends were wildly popular in the 80s. Parents may not have approved, but their kids certainly wore it when they had the chance, including the following:

• Leg warmers
• Animal print
• Leggings
• Sequins
• Shoulder pads
• Mini skirts
• Large sweaters, some exposing a shoulder
• Suspenders
• Corduroy
• Workout clothes

80s Fashion Trends Today

Of course some of these trends are still popular today or have come back again, including large sweaters, leggings, animal print and leg warmers. Many Millennials and Generation Z are very interested in this type of clothing as popular brands like Nike, Adidas, Zara and H&M shovel out their inventory with some 80s modifications.

Many new brands like Aeropostale, Ed Hardy and Hollister have had to learn the styles from scratch while the older ones simply pull out their old inventory and make a few changes.

Regardless, it will be interesting to see how far the 80s fashion trends carry on into the future.