8 Reasons Why Growing Up In The 80’s Was The Best!

If you were lucky enough to have grown up in the 80’s then you’ll understand perfectly why it was the best decade ever! The music, the fashion, the big hair what’s not to love? Sit back and enjoy a trip down memory lane as we share 8 reasons why growing up in the 80’s was the bomb!

1. JOHN HUGHES MOVIES

You can’t talk about the 80’s and not mention all the iconic John Hughes movies. From Sixteen Candles, to The Breakfast Club to Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, each and every one was a classic. It’s thanks to Hughes we all fell in love with Judd Nelson and Emilio Estevez. And thanks to Molly Ringwald for inspiring us to cut our hair short and dye it red in hopes of looking half as cute as she did! There was no need for special effects or CGI back then. All we needed from a movie was a spunky leading man, a romantic story line and a kick ass soundtrack we could record from the TV onto our cassettes tapes.

2. MIX TAPES

Back in the day we all used to make our own mix tapes by recording songs from the radio. We used to wait until the DJ stopped talking then hit record. And there was nothing worse than when the song was cut short or ruined by someone speaking over it. Then we had to rewind and tape over it and start again. This way we were able to have all our favourite songs on the one tape thus creating the ultimate mix tape. And if you really, really liked someone then the best way off showing them was to make a mix tape for them with all their favourite songs. How romantic, right?!

3. STREET LIGHT RULE

Growing up in the 80’s meant you had two rules when setting off to play for the day. Look after your sister/brother and be home before the street lights came on in the evening. Seriously, that was it. Our parents had no idea where we were until we rocked home just before dusk. And who remembers riding their bikes from friend’s house to friend’s house having cordial before setting off again to continue playing. Ahhh…good times!

4. THE FASHION

I don’t care what you say about the 80’s, but apart from the music the best part has to be the fashion! Neon colours, shoulder pads, leg warmers, distressed denim, spandex, big hair….I could go on and on. And the best part about 80’s fashion is that it was so good that kids these days are dressing in exactly the same way and thinking they invented stuff like high waisted pants. Hahaha!

5. Sun In

Seriously, were you even in the 80’s if you didn’t ruin your hair with this chemical cocktail in a bottle called Sun In. We used to drench our hair in the stuff then sit outside in the park making daisy chains while our locks fried! I still get PTSD every time I see a bottle of this stuff.

6. CHICKEN POX PARTIES

Getting chicken pox was a rite of passage in primary school. Apart from the constant itching it wasn’t that bad. Your mum would cover you in that pink Calamine lotion and keep you home from school with an abundance of ice-cream to eat. And chances are you probably caught chicken pox from a chicken pox party your mum took you to so you’d hurry up and catch the thing and build up your immunity!

7. BIKE RIDING

Kids in the 80’s rode their bikes everywhere! And I mean everywhere. To the park, to a friend’s place, to 7/11 for a Slurpee and definitely to the Milk bar for a bag of mixed lollies. Remember mixed lollies!! How good were they!

8. NO SOCIAL MEDIA

Without a doubt the best part of growing up in the 80’s was the fact we didn’t have social media or phones or any idea what Instagram was. We knew had to have real face to face conversations and we weren’t constantly bombarded with updates from friend sharing their latest holiday snaps and breakfast dishes. Such a luxury when you think about it. And who remembers pulling the one telephone the family had into your bedroom to have a private conversation? Good times, good times.