When you think of the 1980s, you might think of fishnets and legwarmers, giant shoulder pads, turtle necks under sweaters, and layered jewelry. But no outfit during this time would have been complete without a statement hairstyle. This decade saw everything from the mullet to the puffed-up side pony, and there’s no doubt that ’80s hair was iconic. But while we loved these looks back in the day, there’s something about seeing them now that just makes us laugh.
Little Miss Pigtails
It seems that the prerequisite for living through the 1980s was having big hair. But that didn’t mean that you couldn’t mix things up. And while this girl obviously wanted to keep the big bangs expected of her during this decade, she also wanted to experiment with pigtails. So, that’s exactly what she did – and she even added in some giant bows for good measure! It’s certainly a unique look.
Although these pigtails don’t exactly match the puffy bangs, we have a feeling that her hair probably looked puffy all over when she took out those braids. Maybe that’s what she was going for?
The Anti-Mohawk
The mohawk was a hugely popular hairstyle during the 1980s. The idea was that you shaved the side of your head and left a long, spiky chunk of hair in the middle. But we guess this ’80s kid wanted to be difficult during his youth, which is why he opted for the anti-mohawk! Instead of shaving the sides, he kept the hair long and dyed each side a different color.
It’s the shaved middle section that really pushes this ’80s hairstyle over the edge, though. We wonder whether he asked a hairdresser to do this or whether he did this himself.
More Hairspray, Please
You probably don’t need us to tell you that the most-used hair product of the ’80s was hairspray. Some people would use up a whole can before they were finally happy with the finished product, and we can only assume that this woman was one of them. After all, she couldn’t let her hairdresser down! She’d asked them for the ultimate ’80s hair that looked larger than life – and the last thing she wanted was for it to look flat.
Overall, the effect of this ’80s hairstyle is shocking – quite literally. But how are we to know that she didn’t ask her hairdresser for the ‘I just got struck by lightning’ look?
Opposites Attract
If you’ve ever wondered whether opposites really do attract, look at these guys! They’re as opposite as you can get, especially in the ’80s hair department. On the one hand, she opted for the classic 1980s hairstyle that involved several hours of backcombing and a whole bottle of hairspray. The end result was larger-than-life and shockingly huge, but her other half decided to rock another look. And this one looks a little more low-maintenance.
His mullet is what many people dreamed of having during the 1980s, and it’s amazing to see this guy’s sleek bangs contrasted against his wife’s big curly locks. If they’re not a match made in ’80s hair heaven, then we don’t know who is.
Braided Bangs, Yo
The 1980s gave people a real chance to shine. They had the option to do whatever they wanted and push the boundaries of what was expected of them. Yes, even in the hair department. And while braids weren’t exactly uncommon during the 1980s, braided bangs definitely were! But that didn’t stop this guy from shaving off all of his head, apart from a long chunk at the front. After all, it was perfect for braiding.
We don’t know about you, but we can also see a tinge of green in his braided bangs, too! He probably did this to match his T-shirt for school picture day, and we have to admire the coordination.
The Bigger the Hair, the Closer to…
You know what they say; the bigger the hair, the closer to God! And we have a feeling that this young one was trying to shake hands with the big guy, which is why her hair is bigger than her actual head. Of course, this ’80s hair is a little outdated today, but we’re still impressed with this hairstyle. People spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars trying to get this kind of volume!
We dread to think how many hair products this girl had in her hair, but at least she could be confident that she wouldn’t have to deal with stray hairs coming out of place.
Do the Helicopter
The 1980s gave people a chance to really showcase their personality through their appearance, and while some people did that with their MC hammer pants or their Madonna-style leather jacket, there were others who decided to use their hair to their advantage. And while we can safely say that we’ve never seen helicopter hair before, we’ll rest easy tonight knowing that somebody actually did this with their locks! This is pretty crazy.
We have to admire the creativity here, but we also have to question the practicality of this ’80s hairstyle. More importantly, we have to question how anyone could sleep with helicopter blades sticking out of their head!
The Elvis Sideburns
Although Elvis sadly passed away in the 1970s, it seems as though his legacy lived on through both his music and his hair. And while Elvis was always famous for his quaffed hair and his statement sideburns, it seems as though he wasn’t the only one to rock this look. This 1980s kid also decided to grow out his sideburns, but he didn’t stop there. When they were his desired length, he started to style them!
From the smaller ringlets on the left to the long Hollywood waves on the right, this 1980s hairstyle is like nothing we’ve ever seen before. But if we’re being totally honest, his sideburns are like works of art.
Free the Forehead
The 1980s saw a resurgence of the bangs. Yes, bangs were everywhere! And while this little girl’s mom obviously wanted her daughter to embrace this ’80s hairstyle, it seems as though she also wanted her daughter to show off her forehead. This was the end result, and we probably don’t need to tell you that this is one of the most unique ’80s hairstyles we’ve ever seen. If we’re being honest, it’s a little scary.
While we love bangs as much as the next guy, we’re not sure these things even count as bangs. But maybe this wasn’t deliberate. Maybe this little girl was left unattended with scissors and did this to herself!
The Two-In-One
Sometimes, you want to switch up your hairstyle, but you just can’t quite decide between two very different looks. Do you go short and voluminous? Or do you go long and sleek? We guess this ’80s kid just couldn’t choose, which is why she decided to go for the two-in-one look! Let’s hope that’s what she asked of her hairdresser, anyway. If not, she was stuck with a crazy haircut that looked impossible to tame.
We dread to think how long it took this girl to style her hair in the mornings. Straightening your hair takes a long time, but backcombing the top section, too? That seems like a lot of work.
Just Given up
Have you ever had one of those days where your hair just isn’t playing ball? No matter how many times you try and style it to look how you want, it just won’t work. It wants to stick up in all directions, and it wants to dance to the beat of its own drum. Most people give up trying to style it after a while, but what if we told you that this guy actually wanted his hair to look like he’d just given up on it?
Yes, this dude wanted his hair to look unruly and all over the place. He even used a whole tub of hair product to ensure those spiked pieces didn’t move an inch.
Palm Tree Chic
Nowadays, most people look the same. They have the same hairstyle, they have the same makeup, and they even wear the same clothes. But if you’re someone who likes to stand out from the crowd, you might want to take some inspiration from this ’80s legend. No, she’s not famous, but you’re automatically a legend if you decide to choose a palm tree hairstyle. After all, it’s certainly a niche look.
This ’80s haircut is one of the best things we’ve ever seen, and we have to congratulate this woman for pulling it off. We don’t know what hair products she used to bring this palm tree to life, but we’re impressed.
The Bird Nest Mullet
Don’t get us wrong; we love birds as much as the next guy. And while we want to make sure that the birds on our planet have a safe place to rest their heads, this ’80s hairstyle took this notion a little too far. This bird nest mullet offers the perfect nesting place for any bird, large or small, but we can’t help but think of the pain this person went through while trying to brush their hair at the end of the day.
Trying to brush out the hair products in this reverse mullet look must have taken hours, but we guess that pain was worth it. He even gave himself little bangs to finish off the look.
Bringing Bed Hair to Life
We all know what it’s like to wake up with serious bed hair, but that wild phenomenon isn’t new. Today, it’s more of an accident than anything else. But this idea was a popular 1980s hairstyle back in the day! People would head to the salon and ask their hairdresser for a look that was all over the place, and we can only assume that this kid did just that.
Although his bangs look super sleek, the back of his hair is wild and unruly. However, we can’t help but think that the mechanics of his orthodonture equipment probably aren’t helping with that.