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Jane Fonda was a fan of leg warmers. Credit: Paul Popper/Popperfoto/Getty Images
Leg warmers are so cool! Gen Z wants to go back to the 1980s
Xantha Leatham
Daily Mail – June 29, 2024 3:00AM
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Topics: Fashion, Lifestyle
It was perhaps a simpler time, with no internet, smartphones or wokery. So that might explain why Generation Z have declared the Eighties as the decade they would have most liked to have lived through. A poll revealed that VHS tapes, Woolies’ pick ’n’ mix sweets, leg warmers and David Bowie are some of the most popular things about the period. Sixty per cent of Gen Z – widely thought of as those born from 1997 and 2010 – picked the Eighties.
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And nine in ten of them said they believe the decade’s fashions have returned, while retro games have also become popular again. While they can be forgiven for looking back at the decade through rose-tinted spectacles, it is also a favourite among those who actually lived through it.
Flashdance helped propel the leg warmer trend. Credit: Washington Post Bloomberg
Seven in ten of them reckon it was the best time to be a teenager – though nearly half also admit they cringe when they look back at photos of themselves. Most said they feel sad that younger Britons will never understand what it is like to have only four TV channels – and half despaired that today’s youngsters will never go to a video shop to rent a film. PacMan, Nintendo, The A-Team and MTV also made the list of the greatest things about the era.
The research was commissioned to mark the release of the new Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F film on Netflix. The first film in the comedy franchise, starring Eddie Murphy, was a big hit in 1984. Producer Jerry Bruckheimer said: “To me, the 1980s have always been in fashion but it is nice to see that others are now catching up.”
“As a decade it was known for being truly innovative so much so that you can still see the period’s influence in the style, movies and music even now.” According to the poll of 2,000 Britons, the best things about the 1980s included Woolworths Pick n Mix, David Bowie, George Michael, VHS tapes, Sony Walkman cassette players, Rubik’s Cubes, The A-Team, Blockbuster Video stores, leg warmers, and making mix tapes.
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