80’s Hairstyles

When you talk about a particular period of time, you can’t omit certain aspects that characterized it. One of these aspects is hairstyle.  Take the 80’s for instance. Back then people wanted to declare their independence and this influenced the way they dressed and cut their hair. They wanted to live outside the box and express themselves in a free way. 80’s hairstyles were huge, colorful and somehow funny. They become popular thanks to pop stars and movie idols, who were blindly followed. This situation hasn’t changed since then. Celebrities still set the trends when it comes to clothing and hairstyle.

The side ponytail was very popular at that time, especially among young girls. It was a simple look for them and was made popular by teen singer Debbie Gibson.

Another hairstyle that swept people off their feet was the Jheri Curl. It was introduced by African Americans who changed their style from voluminous afro-hairstyle to this hot curly look. It was so famous that even the king of pop, Michael Jackson went for it. And it remained popular until the mid 90’s.

The feathered look was typical of the 70’s but held strong on its popularity in the 80’s too. But what was so great about this hairstyle? Well, it could be adapted on any type of hair and still look amazing. The feathered hair looked as if the hair had been tossed around carelessly by the wind.


During the eighties big hairstyles were considered to be very beautiful. Everyone who had a fizzy look was as well trendy. This style this was further popularized by rock groups such as Bon Jovi and Gun’s ‘N’ Roses. The color of these fizzy hairstyles was mainly red with golden shades.



Just like women hairstyles, men’s were big and somehow exaggerated. In order to have those full of volume hairstyles, men would use styling products like mousse, gel and hairs spray. Even if they looked crazy, the message they sent through this was clear: independence and courage to do whatever they wanted.



When it comes to celebrities, their looks were the ones setting the trends. People would often copy pop stars’ looks. Maybe the best examples of stars that influenced a lot people’s hairstyle are Madonna, Def Leppard, Bon Jovi, George Michael and Lionel Richie, but there are many others that were models for their fans. Women's hairstyles in the 1980's were influenced by a many trends, particularly by power suits, primetime dramas, and musical culture. Remember soap operas such as "Dallas" and "Knots Landing."? They contributed to the rise of short asymmetrical haircuts among young women. This shows that the hairstyles in the 80’s were very flexible; whether they were long or short, as long as they were big, they were in trend.

All in all, the 80’s were a time when people dared to ask for their independence. This could be seen in the way they dressed and cut their hair. When we see those hairstyles now, we may consider some of them hilarious, but some are coming back in force in today’s trends.