# Lay off the 80s willya??? (mild, very mild) **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 16, 2005, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lay-off-the-80s-willya-mild-very-mild/285000 "2005-01-16T06:49:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![SallyCan\_tDance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/50afbb/32.png) [@SallyCan\_tDance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SallyCan_tDance)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2005, 8:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lay-off-the-80s-willya-mild-very-mild/285000/21 "2005-01-17T08:37:06Z")
> [@CanvasShoes](#): > > So PLAAAAHHH…PHOOOOOEEEEY…PPPPPPFFFFFFFFFtttttttt!!! Take your 80s snobbery, sit on it and spin!!! TIME OUT! :eek: Heh, I’ve been here since last Sunday, and I’m already the subject of a Pit thread. Is this a record or what? In my defence: I was born in 1980. In Australia. I’ve never worn polyester bell-bottoms. I hate teeny-bopper music. I like Lou Reed, Leonard Cohen, Joni Mitchell, & The Beatles. At the moment I have New Order in the CD player (which if I’m not mistaken originally hit it Big in the 80’s). And I prefer the sophisticated, womanly High Fashion of the 80s to the Stick-Insect High Fashion of today. But I still maintain that Good Fashion began in about [1900](http://www.marquise.de/en/1900/pics/1900/1908_1.shtml) and ended circa [1970.](http://www.shsu.edu/thennow/1970/pictures/2lass75.jpg) Okay, carry on. ---
**Author:** ![SallyCan\_tDance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/50afbb/32.png) [@SallyCan\_tDance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SallyCan_tDance)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2005, 8:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lay-off-the-80s-willya-mild-very-mild/285000/22 "2005-01-17T08:39:58Z")
> [@Big Bad Voodoo Lou](#): > > I’m waiting for a return of '30s/'40s/'50s men’s fashions myself. Suits, fedoras, bowling shirts, two-tone shoes, pocket watches, all that good stuff. I’ve got it all now except for the hats. Ooh yes. Give me a man in a waistcoat any time! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![blowero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/41988e/32.png) [@blowero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blowero)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2005, 9:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lay-off-the-80s-willya-mild-very-mild/285000/23 "2005-01-17T09:04:23Z")
> [@CanvasShoes](#): > > Okay, so the leggings/leg warmer/cutoff sweatshirt thing was kinda stupid, but there were a LOT of cute things in the 80s. Flattering to the figure too, unlike some of the crap nowadays. I mean, belly shirts and hip huggers? NOT very flattering on most women. God, I miss women with cute butts. Nothing looks worse than 10 pounds of ass in a 5 pound bag. Yuck! Can we please get back to women accepting their butt instead of trying to squeeze it out of existence? ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2005, 11:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lay-off-the-80s-willya-mild-very-mild/285000/24 "2005-01-17T11:46:18Z")
Heh, I was a teenager all through the 80’s (born 1970) I remember I used to get a raging hard-on for those girls that wore the flouresent clothing and the thick-ass-whore make up. (big hair was a bonus too) Now I look back on those days and think “Og! what the hell was I thinking?” Got to say though; I still get a lump in my throat ever time I hear a Debbie Harry song… I also must say I for one love the ass crack showing low-ridder jeans. I’m only pissed because girls didn’t wear these when I was in school. ---
**Author:** ![CanvasShoes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@CanvasShoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanvasShoes)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2005, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lay-off-the-80s-willya-mild-very-mild/285000/25 "2005-01-17T12:22:20Z")
> [@SallyCan'tDance](#): > > TIME OUT! :eek: > Heh, I’ve been here since last Sunday, and I’m already the subject of a Pit thread. Is this a record or what? > In my defence: > I was born in 1980. > In Australia. > I’ve never worn polyester bell-bottoms. > I hate teeny-bopper music. > I like Lou Reed, Leonard Cohen, Joni Mitchell, & The Beatles. > At the moment I have New Order in the CD player (which if I’m not mistaken originally hit it Big in the 80’s). > And I prefer the sophisticated, womanly High Fashion of the 80s to the Stick-Insect High Fashion of today. > But I still maintain that Good Fashion began in about [1900](http://www.marquise.de/en/1900/pics/1900/1908_1.shtml) and ended circa [1970.](http://www.shsu.edu/thennow/1970/pictures/2lass75.jpg) > Okay, carry on. Well heck!! That’s a good thing, right? Mean’s you’re getting attention and all? 😃 No, seriously, it wasn’t directed at you, you capped all the grumbling I’ve seen lately, I’ve seen much more strongly worded rants against the supposed fashion and music horrors of the 80s, both here and out IRL. ---
**Author:** ![pokey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ebca7d/32.png) [@pokey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pokey)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2005, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lay-off-the-80s-willya-mild-very-mild/285000/26 "2005-01-17T15:07:37Z")
> [@Big Bad Voodoo Lou](#): > > I’m waiting for a return of '30s/'40s/'50s men’s fashions myself. Suits, fedoras, bowling shirts, two-tone shoes, pocket watches, all that good stuff. I’ve got it all now except for the hats. I’m sort of behind that. I always remember the picture of Daniel Keyes on the back of Flowers for Algernon, he is wearing a suit and sitting on a bench. He sort of has a Drew Carey thing going on, but he looks good because he’s wearing a suit. If a guy is wearing a suit enough that he is comfortable in it, he’s always going to look good. I just got to thinking about the 80s now. In 1984 I was very much into the candy-geometric thing. I can remember lining up my Maybeline nail polish, my heart-shaped purple plastic picture frame with photo of my cat in it, my latest “Sweet Dreams” romance and my plastic hair clips all up on the dresser and thinking they were so beautiful together! At that time, everything was made of plastic and looked good enough to eat. I read Elle magazine and thought that things being overpriced for their value was a good thing. And I admit I was on he first wave of Hello Kitty mania and eating disorders. Honestly to me it was like that 50s because me and my best friends thought that you could be perfect and you could make life perfect if you could just get your bangs to go right and did the 20 minute workout twice every morning before school (broken hamstring alert.) Then it was only 5 years later in 1989 that I was getting tattoos, having extreme sex and listening to Danzig. My friend tried to make me go see Nirvana at a club and when she came back she spent about 3 days bitching about the 80s chicks that were there. From Cyndie Lauper to riot grrl in only 5 years? 5 years ago it was 2000 and I don’t see how the world has changed in any way! 5 years made such a huge difference back then. Is it because I’m old now? Probably to my mom it was all the same shit back then. But still. Aside from j-Lo going a bit over the hill, what has changed since 2000? Oh my god I’ve lost all sense of time and persective in my old age. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2005, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lay-off-the-80s-willya-mild-very-mild/285000/27 "2005-01-17T18:54:47Z")
> [@CanvasShoes](#): > > Are you kidding me? 🙂 Are you a man, or a woman? Because you apparently missed the whole “Farrah Hair” thing. And the little “sausage curl” (just one curl all along the front and sides of your face. > > Watch “That 70s Show” they’ve got some of the girl’s hairstyles nailed dead on. Not Donna, but some of the other characters. Jackie, Lori, some of the cheerleaders and such. All of us aspired to “Farrah” hair. You forget that the 70’s lasted 10 years and That 70’s show is only about the years of '77-'79. The “Farrah Hair” is evolutionary branch that leads to the “Flock of Seagulls” hair. Oh and I’m a guy. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2005, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lay-off-the-80s-willya-mild-very-mild/285000/28 "2005-01-17T19:11:22Z")
C’mon now. The 80’s replaced my Neil Young, Creedence, Tommy Bolin and Point Blank with . . . ugh . . . disco. I had every right to be pissed. ---
**Author:** ![alice\_in\_wonderland](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alice_in_wonderland/32/176_2.png) [@alice\_in\_wonderland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alice_in_wonderland)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2005, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lay-off-the-80s-willya-mild-very-mild/285000/29 "2005-01-17T19:12:35Z")
> [@CanvasShoes](#): > > but there were a LOT of cute things in the 80s. Flattering to the figure too, unlike some of the crap nowadays. Um, what items would these be, exactly? It’s possible that I’ve blocked it out, but I really can’t think of anything in the 80’s that was cute or flattering on anybody. Massive shoulder pads? Absurd. Leg Warmers - Can you say cankles? Mall Hair - I trust no comment is needed. Stirrup pants - way to make your ankles look dinky, and your ass look huge. Seriously - which 80’s fasions were attractive on anyone? ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2005, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lay-off-the-80s-willya-mild-very-mild/285000/30 "2005-01-17T22:08:37Z")
> [@alice\_in\_wonderland](#): > > \Seriously - which 80’s fasions were attractive on anyone? Jennifer Beals in “Flashdance” - everything looked good on her in that movie. To me, the 80’s were about comfortable clothes - everything baggy and loose. I still don’t like wearing anything tight - I get uncomfortable just looking at women wearing those overly-tight button shirts now. ---
**Author:** ![shy\_guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a6a055/32.png) [@shy\_guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shy_guy)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2005, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lay-off-the-80s-willya-mild-very-mild/285000/31 "2005-01-17T22:19:53Z")
> [@](#): > > Wear a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. Fashios coms and fashions go, but nobody can ever say that you look stupid if that’s what you wear. Wellll… not quite. Some guys tend to wear hideous, poorly-fitting jeans with ugly, equally poorly-fitting T-Shirts, and it’s quite easy to say that they look stupid. Not saying that that’s what you look like, of course, since I have no idea, but the T-Shirt and Jeans look isn’t totally infallible. I’ve been hearing about the 80’s coming back into style since, like, the late 90’s, so I’m surprised so much bashing is still present. I just can’t wait for the late-1990’s bashing to start so I can join in. ---
**Author:** ![lizardling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f4b2a3/32.png) [@lizardling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lizardling)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2005, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lay-off-the-80s-willya-mild-very-mild/285000/32 "2005-01-17T22:59:55Z")
> [@featherlou](#): > > Jennifer Beals in “Flashdance” - everything looked good on her in that movie. > > To me, the 80’s were about comfortable clothes - everything baggy and loose. I still don’t like wearing anything tight - I get uncomfortable just looking at women wearing those overly-tight button shirts now. A couplethree years ago, there was this soundbite from the Seattle P-I: \*THEY SAID IT: Jennifer Beals (“Flashdance”), 38, to the New York Daily News on the return of leg warmers and sweatshirts with the necks cut out, which she popularized in the '80s: “I don’t know (whether) to say, ‘Wow, that’s wonderful,’ or apologize to them.”\* ---
**Author:** ![scout1222](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/34f0e0/32.png) [@scout1222](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scout1222)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2005, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lay-off-the-80s-willya-mild-very-mild/285000/33 "2005-01-18T00:08:54Z")
So help me, it appears that legwarmers are making a comeback. Let me repeat: LEGWARMERS ARE MAKING A COMEBACK I shit you not. I was in an Apple store last week, and some girl had them on. I was in Target yesterday shopping for socks and there were legwarmers on the rack. Please bitch about this all you want. But leave the rest of my 80’s stuff alone! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2005, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lay-off-the-80s-willya-mild-very-mild/285000/34 "2005-01-18T00:40:21Z")
The 80’s gave us “We Built This City”. There will be no forgiveness. ---
**Author:** ![Try\_As\_I\_Might](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ea666f/32.png) [@Try\_As\_I\_Might](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Try_As_I_Might)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2005, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lay-off-the-80s-willya-mild-very-mild/285000/35 "2005-01-18T00:47:23Z")
> [@alice\_in\_wonderland](#): > > Um, what items would these be, exactly? > > It’s possible that I’ve blocked it out, but I really can’t think of anything in the 80’s that was cute or flattering on anybody. > > Massive shoulder pads? Absurd. > Leg Warmers - Can you say cankles? > Mall Hair - I trust no comment is needed. > Stirrup pants - way to make your ankles look dinky, and your ass look huge. > > Seriously - which 80’s fasions were attractive on anyone? What about parachute pants? Jams shorts? Yeah, I’m having trouble finding anything… You should have seen me in my member’s only jacket when I was in the 6th grade (and I wanted to have a Billy Idol haircut)… horrible, horrible, horrible. And i love the 80s, but come on… horrible. (shudders) ---
**Author:** ![pokey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ebca7d/32.png) [@pokey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pokey)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2005, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lay-off-the-80s-willya-mild-very-mild/285000/36 "2005-01-18T02:51:03Z")
The best thing about the 80s was gynormous sweaters that covered your ass, and really high buck lingere like dior teddies, etc. It was like, you were an amorphous blob on the outside and then a beautiful princess underneath. In the 80s I used to see photos of girls in the 70s wearing their scoop-neck-cap-sleeve t-shirts and think, “weren’t they self conscious with their boobs totally showing like that?” then next thing you know it was baby-t time. Also, remember in the 80s when we all said, ew, I hope acid wash never comes back in style. It will. People are idiots. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2005, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lay-off-the-80s-willya-mild-very-mild/285000/37 "2005-01-18T04:08:30Z")
> [@Mr. Blue Sky](#): > > The 80’s gave us “We Built This City”. > > There will be no forgiveness. But there will be vengence. Oh yes, and it will be mine. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2005, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lay-off-the-80s-willya-mild-very-mild/285000/38 "2005-01-18T05:19:09Z")
> [@Try As I Might...](#): > > \(and I wanted to have a Billy Idol haircut)… \come on… Come on. Sorry. Slipped into 80s music mode for a sec there. ---
**Author:** ![E.Thorp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@E.Thorp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E.Thorp)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2005, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lay-off-the-80s-willya-mild-very-mild/285000/39 "2005-01-18T07:21:09Z")
I graduated from high school in 1985. By definition, then, the 80s were an emotionally intense decade for me. Oy, the crushes. No decade in which Cindy W. sat behind me in Spanish class can be all bad. To a hetero teenage boy, teenage girls are a miracle in any decade, no matter what they wear. The clothes, as I remember, were colorful and comfortable. The music…well, my tastes weren’t entirely current (I was mainly listening to 70s behemoths like Kansas and Yes, though I also loved U2) but most of the music on the radio and at high school dances was toe-tappable or hormonal-ballady enough to suit the moment. And my 1978 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme ran smooth. Does this mean I willingly show people my yearbook picture? Well, no. But in the soft and warm light of nostalgia, the 80s look pretty good to me. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2005, 7:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lay-off-the-80s-willya-mild-very-mild/285000/40 "2005-01-18T07:32:18Z")
Not a chance. The fact of the matter is that aside from myself, very little good of value from the 80s. And even I’m probably debatable. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lay-off-the-80s-willya-mild-very-mild/285000.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lay-off-the-80s-willya-mild-very-mild/285000.md?page=3)