Every generation in decades past has had their share of exciting fashion. The 1950s had oversized poodle skirts. The ’60s had trippy tie-dye T-shirts with purple and turquoise swirls. And the ’70s made their pant legs (and shirt collars) so wide, one could land a plane on them. But it was in the 1980s that designers seemed to ask, “What if we could just not follow any rules at all?” Better yet, “What if whatever style we choose, we make it glow?”
Artist Harold Austad shared his theory on the unique, electric fashion that helped shape Gen X-ers in the 1980s and through the mid-‘90s. And his idea wasn’t just that the generation wanted to stand out with bright, neon colors. It was an overall feeling that permeated through much of the decade: bigger and brighter than a thousand suns.
Neon was everywhere
In an Instagram Reel with a chyron reading “80s and 90s power aesthetics,” Austad notes that it wasn’t just everyday fashion that came in bright colors. Super Soaker toys, ski gear, watches, and even roller blades were slathered in bright yellows, pinks, and greens. In the clip, we see the fluorescent hot pink and blue MTV logo while Austad shares, “The neon started in the early ‘80s. To me, the colors reflected the era. And it was defined by more optimism.”
But it was fashion that first reflected the times. “Fashion’s first response, a rejection of the pastels and it just got more saturated. And it sort of merged with the geometrical Memphis era of the time. New technology mixed with more accessible fluorescent pigments combined with the low-res neon computer screens made for the ultimate gift you could get: the Super Soaker.”
It began in the 1980s
Austad believes that the height of the trend actually happened in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. “Agassi tennis shoes dropped in 1990 and I feel like that was the turning point, where it hit everything.” Now, showing off neon jackets, he jokes, “Apparently, they believed that there was nothing that could stop wind more than neon jackets. I remember getting a neon jacket around ’93. I felt like it was the coolest thing ever.”
All good things must come to an end, though. “But because it got so overused, it only lasted until like the mid-‘90s. I learned that when I showed up to middle school with my brother’s hand-me-down pants. They were not cool in 1997,” he shared.
In the comments, Austad added a bit more context. “Neon color was the coolest thing you could wear in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. The fluorescent neon color combination started out in the early ‘80s, ushered in by MTV, music videos and pop culture, as a counterculture and response to the earth tones of the 70s and the pastels of the early ‘80s.”
Stopping wind with bright colors
He really seems quite focused on the windbreakers, continuing with, “It peaked in the early ‘90s with windbreakers in every neon combination possible, before the trend faded down in the mid to late ‘90s. Because the colors had such an impact, it’s become synonymous with the ‘80s and ‘90s. No matter how the neons are used today, it always brings me back to my childhood, at a time we all dressed like we were doing water sports.”
Many in the comment section seemed thrilled to have the neon reminders. One believed it was an early ‘80s movie that helped usher in the colors, writing, “I think Tron was the catalyst for the neon style.”
One Instagrammer even shared that the bright colors might have helped save a life. “My little sister got lost in a park when she was 2 years old in 1990 and we found her thanks to her neon jacket!”
This commenter adds how big the accessory game was, as well, sharing, “Neon earrings dangling down to one’s shoulders! Chunky neon bracelets! Side ponytails! I miss this.”
In the article, “How Neon Spandex Became a Fashion Craze in the 80s,” writer Chase Wexler implies that the era came in like a lion, echoing the sentiment that the vividness of the colors was a sign of enthusiastic times. He writes, “The mid-1980s arrived with a wave of enthusiasm. Communities embraced louder music and expressive fashion. People wanted clothing that matched this high energy, and vivid colors quickly stood out. Neon shades carried a sense of fun that aligned with the lively pace of the decade.”
