We are chidren of the 80's. We think we know just where we stand, or are discovering it as we go. We are the ones who played with Lego's and gave Malibu Barbie crewcuts with safety scissors that never really cut. We collected Garbage Pail Kids, Cabbage Patch Kids, My Little Pony, and Hot Wheels. Big Wheels and bicycles with streamers were the way to go. Sidewalk chalk was all you needed to build a city and IMAGINATION was the key! Your world was the backyard and it was all you needed. With your pink portable tape player, Debbie Gibson sang back to you and everyone wanted a skirt like the "Material Girl" and a glove like Michael Jackson's. Our teenage guys were "punks" and "bad, bad, bad, bad, boys", while the girls just wanted to have fun. Today, we are the ones who sing along with Boy George and the Bangles perfectly and have NO idea why! We are Pretty in Pink, Sixteen Candles, and the Breakfast Club. We weren't just dancers, we were FLASH dancers. We flip through TV stations and stop at the
A-Team and Knight Rider and Fame and laugh with the Cosby Show, Family Ties, Punky Brewster, and, Different Strokes("What you talkin' 'bout Willis?") and depended on getting all the answers from the Facts of Life--what other generoation could get away with a character named Tootie? We hold strong affections for the Muppets, Strawberry Shortcake, Rainbow Brite and the Care Bears and why did they take the Smurfs off the air? After school specials were only about cigarettes, staying away from strangers, and step-families. The Polka Dot Door was nothing like Barney, and aren't the Power Rangers. We are the ones who read Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys, Beverly Cleary, and Judy Blume. Friendship bracelets were ties you couldn't break and friendship pins went on shoes-preferably high-top velcro Reeboks and pegged jeans were in, as were layered socks, jean jackets, jams, charm necklaces and side ponytails. Makeup was bright, colorful and applied anywhere on your face with as MANY layers as you dared. We died
our hair, had mohawks, and wore spikes and dog collars. Braces with colored rubber bands made you cool. The backdoor was ALWAYS open and Mom only served red Kool-Aid to the neighborhood kids--you NEVER drank New Coke. Entertainment was CHEAP and lasted for HOURS! All you needed to be a princess was high heels and an apron, the Sit'n'Spin ALWAYS made you dizzy but NEVER made you stop, skooters and skate boards and banana seat bikes were our means of transportation. In your underoos you were Wonder Woman or Spider Man and in your treehouse you were king or queen. In the Eighties, NOTHING was wrong. AIDS was not the #1 killer in the United States. We didn't start the fire, Billy Joel. Our children will be the first children of the 21st century!
WE ARE CHILDREN OF THE 80s! WE WILL NEVER FADE..WE WILL ONLY SHINE BRIGHTER!!
