1980s Influences

Presenter: Mia Garcia

Presenter Status: Undergraduate student

Academic Year: 20-21

Semester: Spring

Faculty Mentor:

Department: American Multicultural Studies

Funding Source/Sponsor: SYRCE Symposium

Screenshot URL: https://drive.google.com/uc?id=1opnphoUp6MBgbxhneMJRjTnnrGAL93YQ

Abstract:
For this project I wanted to know what influenced teenagers in the 1980s. Next I began to ask the question why were these specific celebrities influential. The next question that came up was why teenagers were doing so poorly in school. After researching I found that many teenagers in the 1980s were living under cinservative roofs and were being emotionally and physically abusive by their parents. The teenagers needed an escape and artists like Madonna, Micheal Jackson, Whiteny Houston, and Princewent beyond the norms of what was expected of them in society. These celebrities broke many barriers, which teenagers liked. Following them and acting like them really helped with rebelling against their controlling parents. I used many clips to display the influences and what teenagers saw in the 1980s. I wanted to show why teenagers followed these celebrities. and what was so special about them. I tried to make the video similar to MTV back then during the 1980s. The song I selected in the background is "You Have to Fight for Your Right to Party" from the Beastie Boys because ethics sing perfectly describes what teenagers were feeling at the time. They felt stuck. A music video felt right for this assignment because in the 1980s, that's what was most popular, it was something new for teenagers and they saw MTV as their own.