Topic > American in the 80s - 994

The 80s are one of the most interesting decades experienced in the United States. Covering the stock market, the advent of new inventions, right down to the type of music people listened to. During the 1980s, the only thing that made Americans “American” were the things they were given. Many Americans reveled in materialistic, glamorous, and technological lifestyles throughout the 1980s; so there were several economic problems that Americans faced. During the 1980s, many Americans were incredibly materialistic; they only cared about the “stuff” of life, not life as it was. In the musical world, Madonna was becoming popular. One of his biggest hits, Material Girl, explains it all. Many women focused only on themselves and relied on men to support their extravagant lifestyle (QUOTE, #). The type of men women typically sought were young urban professionals, known as yuppies. These men were able to support themselves financially and were upper-middle class men in their twenties and thirties (CITATION,#). Because men were financially secure, they could afford the finer things in life such as houses, cars, and vacations. The reason women turned to these men was because they loved the extravagant gifts they were receiving, and it just seemed like – everyone wanted a “yuppie” – that was the new cool thing. In everyday life, people in the 80s always seemed unique. One way was power dressing. Men and women always had the best of the best; from tailored suits, to shoulder pads, to pinstripes (QUOTE, #). One of the main goals in the 80s was for people to just focus on the materials, or the paper half, trying to rebuild the economy, taking the work seriously. One invention that helped them greatly was the digital diary. At any time of the day, people could take this small electronic device out of their pockets and check their schedules. It helped them stay on track with things they needed to do, like making appointments and being on time. The digital organizer simply helped people stay on track day to day. (CITATION,# ). New technological ideas have really helped the United States not be so far behind the rest of the world. During the 1980s, which were one of the most interesting decades of all time, Americans focused only on the things that life offered them… not on life as such. era. The materialistic, glamorous and technological aspects have obviously made a great contribution, there has also been a certain decline in the economy.