The 1980's

The 1980's are remembered as a time of big hair and big change. While most people who didn't live through the time tend to only think of the unique fashion and hair, those who were young during that time remember it for that and also for all the change that happened. My mom's older sister, Chiara (Dahl) Glut was born in early 1974, and remembers the decade as she grew into a young adult.

Life for a young Teenager in the 1980's

Chiara grew up in a more conservative family, but that didn't stop her from attempting to keep up with the fashion of the time. "We (referring to her and my mom) were definitely not fresh and forward, but we certainly tried." Peg leg jeans and side ponies were something she remembered were her style. She also remembered being a cheerleader and always trying to get the Boof Bangs. "The girls would tease, and put in Aquanet, tease and put in Aquanet. Everyone had Aquanet. But because my hair was so curly it would never stay." 

"Peg Leg Look"

Music during the 1980's is one thing that everyone thinks of. It had been about 30 years since the boy-bands of the 50's, and music had kept changing and growing. Chiara loved her music. She remembered listening to Top 40 radio and the Oldies stations which played hits from the 50's onward. 

"EVERYONE had Aquanet."

My aunt had two jobs in the '80's. First, when she was around 11, her family started doing paper routes. I am always hearing fun stories of the paper route times from my mom, and other extended family. She did this until she was 15. Then, in 1989, she started working at Wendy's. 

Major Events Through the Eyes of a Young Teenager

In the decade of the 1980's, there were many major, memorable events. These included the explosion of the Challenger, the peace agreement between Russia and America, the Fall of the Berlin Wall, and the Aids epidemic. Teenagers had a unique perspective on these events, as my Aunt shared. 

I asked if the Aids epidemic was as big of a deal as the media portrayed it. "Yes, absolutely." She said that it caused widespread panic because people were dying of this strange, new disease. "You have to understand that we couldn't just Google anything we heard to verify if it was true. There were many rumors that would get spread around because we didn't have quick access to check anything. We got our news through the nightly updates, and church bulletins like Focus on the Family." She commented that because the disease caused disfigurement, it was obvious to others and the pictures struck a chord with everyone. They would wonder, "Could this happen to me?" Because it was known that it came from Homosexual people, there was a "...fear of contamination. No one knew how it spread, so everyone was scared to be around Homosexual people." Aids ended up killing over 100,000 in the 80's, and while now it is not as big of a problem, it still takes the life of many. 

The Crew of the Challenger

Finally, the cold war and the tearing down of the Berlin Wall were probably the most momentous events of the '80's to my aunt. Looking back, she said that Reagan's biggest accomplishment of his presidency was putting a strong face on the U.S. In her opinion, by attempting Star Wars, and trying to focus on defense rather than offence, he took off the Russian's mask. No longer could they try to say they were keeping up with us technologically, as my aunt said, "In reality, Russia's economy was in shambles." But, she also made a very interesting point, "I don't know if you can fully comprehend just how big the presence of the Cold War was in our lives. To us, Russia was truly evil and would like nothing more than to 'nook the whole US. I don't know if there really is anything comparable to it for your generation." And, without my even asking, she mentioned the fall of the Berlin Wall. She talked about how emotional it was; how seeing them tear it down peice by peice, this thing that had haunted them, was amazing. She said that was one of the most memorable things from that decade, and represented so much. 

"Tear down this wall!" 

Conclusion

The 1980's are looked back on by me and my peers as, well, somewhat insane. The hair, the make-up and fashion; the music and the movies; but what we often forget is the importance of that decade, all the things that happened, all things our society learned. From the agony of loss, to the relief of conquering ghosts, to the sorrow of disease, to the burden of war and the joy of peace; this is what the '80's should be remembered as. While we make fun and joke around about the time, we also should realize that aside from the interesting, the 1980's was a decade of learning, of change, and of progress.