Madonna, Prince and Michael Jackson were among the most requested artists at dance nights in Athens, so a local DJ decided to devote a night of music completely to the 1980s.
DJ Barticus, real name Michael Bart, hosts '80s Dance Night about two times per quarter. The crowd for the dance nights is predominately college students, Bart said, with some people coming all the way from Parkersburg, W.V., to don their '80s gear and get physical. Newcomers have one last chance to join the neon scene at 10 p.m. tomorrow at Casa Cantina, 4 W. State St.
Ohio University students' interest in '80s music is just part of a larger trend that touches fashion and film, merging the earlier decade's culture with current trends.
Part of the re-emergence of trends is influenced by nostalgia, said Stephen Scanlan, an OU sociology professor.
There is a market for new fashion
new ideas remakes of movies new renditions of songs and so forth
he said. An example is Cabbage Patch Kids. Cabbage Patch Kids were a popular toy
and now you have people who are parents themselves who said
'Oh I had this when I was little; I want my child to have it as well.'
Scanlan also said that things that were popular tend to re-appear.
If it was a hit the first time around
it is probably going to be a hit the second time around
he said.
Fresh Fashion
Fashion in the '80s consisted of exaggerated shoulder pads, loose tops, high waistbands and big hair. Those trends are coming back right now, but in a new way, thanks to technology.
You certainly see the leggings coming back
said J. Michelle Price, a professor in the School of Human and Consumer Sciences. A lot of the neon colors are coming back
and the fits on T-shirts are loosening up to be more like in the '80s.
The '80s trends are recycled with new fabrics and alterations to style, said Ann Paulins, director of the School of Human and Consumer Sciences.
The jeans leggings really weren't technologically possible in the '80s
she said. You are seeing the '80s leggings with a more modern shoe or a waist band that is different.
Technology also increases the ways to reproduce the trend.
The fibers and the materials have evolved a huge amount
