Why Were T-Shirts So Popular in the 80s?

If you were around in the 80s, what did you wear, especially on lazy days? T-shirts? More specifically, what kind of t-shirt did you wear? One with Purple Rain on it? Van Halen? Or was it Hyper Color? If there’s anything we can take away from 80s fashion, it was the t-shirts.

T-shirts were the way to express your self in the 80s. They were also a great way to show off a lot of color, whether it was airbrushed, pastel or a graphic tee.

The t-shirt trend first started in the 60s as bands came out with their own t-shirts like The Beatles and The Beach Boys. They were commonly sold as souvenirs and concerts until their popularity led them to be sold in clothing stores.

Before long, t-shirt shops were popping up everywhere, continuing well into the 80s and early 90s. As the younger generation worked at malls and movie theaters, budgets grew and so your t-shirt was your own way of expressing yourself. Designer brands even started selling them, despite their casual look and feel. They were also great conversation starters; if someone was into your Rolling Stones t-shirt, it was the start to a radical friendship. Here are some of the most common types of t-shirts sold during the 80s:

1. Designer T-Shirts

As soon as word spread about t-shirts, designer brands were all over them. Who wouldn’t jump on the opportunity for free marketing of their brand? All they needed was was some quality material and they could slap their logo on it. Hence, why you saw Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, Panama Jack or American Apparel all over them. The designer t-shirt trend continued well into the 90s as other brands like Merry Go Round, Nordstrom, DEB, and Macy’s jumped on the bandwagon.

2. Pastel T-Shirts

In the 80s, colors were so popular that both men and women wore them, especially in the tropical areas like Florida. It matched perfectly with a pair of purple or white pants. Light and fun! A lot of MTV’s colors were also pastel, so it was also common to see them on plain white shirts in different shapes and colors. Just as hot as neon was, pastel was cool!

Pastel color tees were also common to see at gyms, comfortable and stylish!

3. Hyper Color T-Shirts

One of my favorites with the material changing color from your body heat, hyper color t-shirts weren’t too popular until the late 80s and early 90s. So if someone touches you…anywhere, everyone will see! Makes a fun game for couples.

But these shirts do come with their drawbacks. If you’ve got sweaty pits, you’ll be showing’em off. There’s also the fact that the color-changing fun goes away after a few washes until the shirt turns brown. So make every time you wear it count!

In addition to t-shirts, they also made hyper color sweaters and socks, although the socks don’t sound too exciting since your feet are always sweaty.

4. Airbrushed T-Shirts

Airbrushed t-shirts are sold all over carnivals, county fairs and amusement parks nowadays, but in the 80s, they were a crazy fad! One of their neatest perks is they make them personalized. You can add your name and/or your bf/gf/bff’s name to it with almost any picture you want! Some popular designs would be airbrushed sunsets on the beach with palm trees, names written in graffiti or big bubble letters and even celebrities! Those took a bit more skill, but it could be done!

The only downside is washing them. Either they had to be handwashed inside out or they would stain all of your other clothes. Although in the 80s it probably didn’t matter since that kind of look was trendy.

5. Message T-Shirts

Message t-shirts were wildly popular in the 80s, mostly because they were an incredible way to express yourself. Laughable quotes from movies, trendy expressions, promotions for non-profits…there are way too many opportunities to tell people something without actually saying it.

Some of my favorite message t-shirts from movies were “One in the Oven” from Police Academy, “Why Waltz When You Can Rock N Roll” from The Lost Boys as well as “Vote for Pedro” from Napoleon Dynamite. Although that movie was released in 2004, it was set during the 80s (and Uncle Rico always wore a lot of pastel shirts!).

Even today, message t-shirts are sold everywhere, most often associated with the location, such as a beach gift shop, “Life’s a Beach” and pet shops “I’d Rather Talk to My Dog”. I just saw one that said “Wake Me Up When Quarantine’s Over”.

6. Crop Tops

Crop tops were all in back then, and they never left. They became popular in the 80s, when jocks mainly wore them for sports. Since then, they’ve transitioned into becoming loungewear and beach wear for women.

One particular advocate for crop tops and half-shirts was Madonna during her “Lucky Star” video and Prince during many of his concerts. Now, it might be weird to see a guy wearing one, but girls wear them all the time, specifically to the beach, festivals and malls.

7. Graphic Tees

Everyone loves a good graphic tee. I’ve owned quite a few in my younger years, and you bet I was proud to show them off! You could get a picture of anything you wanted, and now you can make them yourself by just ironing on the picture.

Whether it was a graphic from your favorite movie, artist or you’re advocating for a certain cause, there are tons you can fins. Some of my favorite graphic tees are the ones you see at Disney World where everyone’s wearing some kind of Disney shirt. I have one that says “Hakuna Matata” on it with all the characters from the original Lion King.

Some even combine graphic t-shirts with message shirts, showing a logo/graphic and a saying, such as Nike and their catchphrase “Just Do It.”

80s Retro T-Shirts Today

Just like everything, 80s t-shirts are all over the internet. You can everything including graphic tees with Mötley Crüe, Nirvana, the Batman logo, message shirts with “Save Ferris” and Hyper Color shirts. Of course they’re on Amazon, Kohl’s and even sites dedicated to 80s Tees called 80s Tees!

What Kind of T-Shirts Did/Do You Have?

I bet your closet was filled with t-shirts from your favorite bands, artists, places and more. One of my particular favorite tees from the 80s was the MTV shirts. You couldn’t get more 80s than that (it was a trendsetter). The pastel colors on white and black t-shirts were super neat!

So what kind of t-shirts did you own back in the day? Feel free to share and upload a picture!