For example, in 1984, fashion was, well, different at the least. I recommend staying away from many 80s trends, but a few are worth keeping around. Just don’t incorporate them all together. For example, hairstyles for men can stay gone. Mohawks and mullets are just awful. Add bangs to the mix and its too many levels of disturbing. And while feathered hair and glitter can stay in 1984, side ponytails and platinum blonde are still popular today. The blonde absolutely must be done by a professional but a side ponytail can be incredibly elegant when done well.

A modern twist on the 80s classic side ponytail. Band tees, mini skirts, long t-shirts, and leggins were all popular in 1984. Look at how cute they still look today.

A few trends from 1984 that work very well with today’s fashion not only blend but are topping the runways again. The punk wave that began in the late 70s continued the leather jacket trend, a style that never fades away. Long T-Shirts, mini-skirts, and rock band t-shirts also remain popular. A note on the rock band tees. Many stores sell newer versions of these old popular tees. It’s very obvious when you’re wearing a knockoff. Scour thrift and vintage stores for more original options. Perhaps just as important is to actually know about the band. I can’t count the number of people who wear a Ramones shirt and are lucky to name Blitzkrieg Bop when asked about their favorite song. Even if you just like the shirt, know something about the band. Otherwise the fad is as bad as wearing those ironic t-shirts.

The movie world was in top form in 1984. Some of the classics every kid should watch came out this year. Movies such as Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Romancing the Stone, Gremlins, Amadeus, Terminator, This is Spinal Tap and the ones listed below are truly must see movies.

Footloose not only gave us a heartthrob in Kevin Bacon but lit the dancing movie craze. The remake, starring Chace Crawford is expected to release in 2011.

Ghostbusters. A true classic in every sense of the word. Bill Murray & Dan Akroyd are in top comedic form. This one too is rumored to be getting a remake. A bad idea in my opinion, but then, mine doesn’t count for much.

The Karate Kid. Apparently 1984’s movie crop was so good, the industry has to remake them. Jaden Smith is taking on the modern day role. The movie seems to be highly anticipated. You’ll find a number of fans who dress up as the shower on Halloween. No, I don’t understand it either.

Sixteen Candles. If there was a king of 80s flicks, it was John Hughes who directed, among others, Sixteen Candles, Pretty in Pink, and The Breakfast Club. The teens in the films became known as the Brat Pack.

Slang and fads were awesome in 1984. Skateboarding took off in the 80s, sparking skate parks and inspiring teens around the world. Trivial Pursuit was first released in the 80s and now it seems every movie, band, and television show has a trivia game. I’m willing to bet a few of you still have a Cabbage Patch Doll. One of the more unique aspects to the dolls were the release of the talking Cabbage Patch Kids. The product didn’t last very long. Some say it was too expensive but others found the dolls spooky. Each doll spoke conversational phrases but there was a sensor inside that recognized another doll sensor. So the dolls could “talk” to each other without needing a person in the room. Yeah, I thought it sounded creepy too. I know I’m obsessing over Cabbage Patch Kids but they’re too fun. An urban legend said that if you sent your doll in to be repaired, they’d send you a new one with a death certificate for the new one and that the old one was mangled to show the mutations that would happen in the case of a nuclear war. See, fun!

Slang in 1984 involved the use of the word awesome, which you’ll notice I use much more often than necessary. Calling something “the bomb” was also big at this time. So it’s not used that much anymore but I think to bring it back would be the bomb. (Yes, I am well aware that I’m not as funny as I think I am.) But thanks to MTV we found the coining of “couch potatoes” and Valley Girls brought us “ditz”! Do you have a hatred for those people who use “like” in every sentence? Blame the 80s. You may occasionally hear someone referred to as a WASP. (Mostly on television.) The word means “White-Anglo-Saxon-Protestant. It referred to yuppies mostly. In closing on slang, I’ll just tell you I am ‘totally stoked’ about 1984!

Cabbage Patch Kids

Music in 1984 seemed to take its cue from the movie industry and equally turned out hits. 1984 saw the first CD to be produced in the US, before only Japan had them. Fittingly, the first CD ever released in the US was Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the USA”. It was a year of shakeups in music. Marvin Gaye was killed. The first MTV Video Music Awards were held. David Lee Roth performed his final show with Van Halen while Sting also performed his final show with The Police. Both wouldn’t return until 2007 reunion shows. (I saw the Police concert. Well worth it.) Some of the more popular singles were Wham’s “Wake Me Up (Before You Go Go), Cyndi Lauper-“Girls Just Want to Have Fun”, and Michael Jackson’s “Thriller”. If the singles weren’t enough, Bon Jovi, Dolly Parton, Queen, The Cure, Bruce Springsteen, Prince, Elton John, The Bangles, Frank Sinatra, U2, The Ramones, ACDC, and The Who all released albums. Not a bad year. Many of these bands still hold the top of the charts today.

The Police play their final show.

1984 wasn’t the greatest year for literature. Books were released but none to take your breath away. Tom Clancy began what would be decades of topping bestseller lists with “The Hunt for Red October” and Beverly Clearly ended her Ramona series with “Ramona Forever”. She returned to the series fifteen years later. Selena Gomez stars in the first movie, “Ramona & Beezus” to be released this summer.

Ramona Forever by Beverly Clearly

Today in history…Sorry, I get carried away. So what happened in 1984 that’s worth remembering. I mean, besides the fact that I was born, obviously. Well, this little thing called a Mac was introduced. Apparently its still a big hit today. The Olympics still held both the Summer and Winter Games in the same year, Sarajevo being the Winter’s Host and Los Angeles the Summer’s. The longest game in Major League Baseball History lasted 2 days in May and 25 innings. The Edmonton Oilers (my favorite team) beat the New York Islanders, winning their first Stanley Cup. For you British kids, you can blame 1984 for giving you the GCSE. Marc Garneau flew aboard the Challenger to become the first Canadian in space. It was definitely a year for entertainment history over world history, but that’s not always a bad thing.

The Mac is introduced. This was the 1984 version.