Pop Culture & Social Change in the 1980s vs. Today
Presenter: Melanie Kramer
Presenter Status: Undergraduate student
Academic Year: 20-21
Semester: Fall
Faculty Mentor: Beth Ann Turner
Department: Music
Funding Source/Sponsor: SYRCE Symposium
Screenshot URL: https://drive.google.com/uc?id=1jfxL9D_eB9vPl0Gp97ONpAEmNhl9hpSN
Abstract:
The central idea of my project was to capture the similarities between 1980s pop culture and today’s pop culture and some of the recurring events we are experiencing. This comeback of 1980s pop culture specifically correlates to 1980s music because just like fashion trends, music trends have the tendency to appear again after a period of time. While discussing 1980s music in this class, it became very clear that the aspect of funk is making a comeback in today’s music and fashion. In order to carry out the research for my project, I examined major fashion trends from the 80s and compared it to today’s fashion. It seems like every ten or so years we rotate between subtle style and very bold style, and currently a lot of bold trends are coming back from hair to shoes. I also researched major social movements of the 1980s to further compare the culture, and found a major correlation of systematic injustice in our country. The Central Park Five were arrested in 1989, and just this year we had one of the largest movements in U.S. history for the same issue. In order to directly link two different decades, I used fair use images to compare and contrast fashion trends, social movements, and artists at the frontlines of these issues. It was really interesting to discover how much history repeats itself in good and bad ways through pop culture and music. This concept was fascinating to explore through music and style, but it was also very alarming to see how we are still fighting the same battle with dicrimination.
Work Cited:
Photos -
"Beyonce VMA Red Carpet" by mp3waxx.com is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
"Freddie Mercury" by kentarotakizawa is licensed under CC BY 2.0
"File:E P Thompson at 1980 protest rally.JPG" by Kim Traynor is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
"The Central Park Five at the Dempsey 11/25/2012" by Maysles Documentary Center is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
"George Floyd" by chaddavis.photography is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
"IMG_1038.JPG" by kostia is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
"Big hair 80's model on white background, 1986" by | El Caganer - 9 Million views! is licensed under CC BY 2.0
"Girl with curly hair in red top" by San Diego Shooter is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
"80s Style Line Dancing ......OK?" by JayVeeAre (JvR) is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
"Durrell #268 street style shot" by The Urban Scot is licensed under CC BY 2.0
"Pretty Woman Vintage Off White Boots Wicker Croc Embossed size 7 by @FabulousDresses | classic as a wicker chair." by Wicker Paradise is licensed under CC BY 2.0
"Eight White Boots" by garryknight is licensed under CC BY 2.0
"Adidas Ivan Lendl Tennis Shoes c. 1984" by CG Hughes is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0
"Nike Air Force 1 '07 White/Black" by shaun wong is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Research -
Egerton, Douglas R. “Globalizing Protest in the 1980s: Musicians Collaborate to Change the World.” Gilder Lehrman, The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, 2 July 2012, https://ap.gilderlehrman.org/history-by-era/age-reagan/essays/globalizing-protest-1980s-musicians-collaborate-change-world.
Sleek, Scott. “The Science and the Injustice of the Central Park Jogger Case.” Association for Psychological Science - APS, Association for Psychological Science, 30 July 2015, www.psychologicalscience.org/observer/the-science-and-the-injustice-of-the-central-park-jogger-case.
Friedman, Vanessa. “Help! The '80s Are Back.” The New York Times, The New York Times Company, 15 Mar. 2018, www.nytimes.com/2018/03/15/fashion/the-80s-are-back-fall-fashion-2018-marc-jacobs-versace-ysl.html.
Leaper March 19, Caroline. “1980s Fashion: Icons And Style Moments That Defined The Decade.” Marie Claire, TI Media Limited, 29 Mar. 2017, www.marieclaire.co.uk/fashion/1980s-fashion-icons-eighties-fashion-80s-style-moments-61724.
Willman, Chris. “Don't You Forget About Me: Why 80s Music Is Cooler Than You Think.” UDiscover Music, UDiscover Music, 3 Sept. 2019, www.udiscovermusic.com/in-depth-features/80s-music/.
Blair, Olivia. “Beyoncé Delivers Rousing Black Lives Matter Speech To Graduates.” ELLE, ELLE, 8 June 2020, www.elle.com/uk/life-and-culture/a32798118/beyonce-speech-black-lives-matter/.
History.com Editors. “The 1980s.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 23 Aug. 2018, www.history.com/topics/1980s/1980s.