The 80s was a decade full of bright neon colors, scrunchies, leg warmers and rollerblades. People stood in front of their televisions and exercised to Richard Simmons videos. Teenagers caught the latest ‘flick at the local movie theatre. Everyone listened to cassette tapes on their Walkman.

The internet was a brand new, mysterious force, and cell phones were the size of a shoe. It was a simpler time when kids were free to roam the streets and were not concerned with posting updates on Twitter or Instagram as they were too busy playing games at the arcade or rollerblading with their friends. Michael Jackson was still alive and John Hughes led the movie industry.

It makes sense why Hollywood is obsessed with remaking old movies and TV shows from this era. A lot of creativity arose in the 80s, specifically in music, film, television and fashion, totally making it the most excellent decade of all time.

Pop music was in its prime in the 80s. People still listened to the radio where upbeat songs by Madonna and controversial lyrics by Cyndi Lauper were dominating the airwaves. Music Television (MTV) was first introduced in 1981 and completely changed the music industry forever, shifting attention away from vocals to carefully edited videos with spectacular effects. Today, music videos have evolved so that record labels spend thousands of dollars to make sure their artists’ music videos look top-notch.

During the 80s, hundreds of influential movies came out, from E.T. the Extraterrestrial and Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back to Ghostbusters and Back to the Future. These movies have become a part of American pop culture, frequently quoted in books, television and even other movies. Arguably the most important film of this decade, Heathers premiered in 1988, and starred Winona Ryder and Christian Slater as two teens in love who plot their revenge against the most popular clique in high school, “The Heathers.” The movie did not fare well at the box office but quickly became a cult classic on home-video. Without Heathers, there would not be Clueless, Mean Girls or The Duff. The movie established the classic “mean girl” archetype that has remained prominent in American media ever since its creation.

Perhaps the most iconic attribute of the 80s is its fashion and styles. All of the girls styled big, poofy perms with scrunchies, ripped shirts, leg warmers and stonewashed jeans to complete the look. The guys wore headbands and incredibly short colorful Jams shorts. Rolling your sleeves up, from t-shirts to pants, was a go-to for both genders, along with wearing plastic Swatch watches. While seeing someone dressed like this today may seem horrendous, the idea of personal expression through clothing is the most important lesson we can glean from 80s fashion, which can still be seen today.

The 80s will forever be remembered as a decade of innovation, a sort of barrier in between the old world and the digital age. Every era has its faults, but for the 80s, it all boils down to one thing—vision. The imagination that existed in the 80s still thrives today, apparent in new technology and bold fashion choices.