perstars such as Madonna and Michael Jackson, fa-
vored denim jackets, piles of chunky jewelry, leg
warmers, lingerie worn outside of clothing rather
than underneath, and either fingerless lace gloves
or a single sequined glove on one hand. They also
wore slap bracelets, which formed to the wearer’s
wrist when slapped on, and friendship bracelets.
Tennis shoes, or sneakers, such as those made by
Converse and Vans, and plastic “Jelly shoes” were
popular footwear choices. Popular 1980’s fashions
also featured neon bright colors.
Clara Peller, in her eighties at the time, created
a widely used 1980’s catchphrase when she de-
manded, “Where’s the beef?” in well-known televi-
sion commercials for the Wendy’s fast food restau-
rant. Nancy Reagan’s participation in the federal
government’s so-called war on drugs, meanwhile,
gave rise to the catchphrase “Just Say No.” Popular
yellow signs displayed in many 1980’s car windows
reminded other drivers that there was a “Baby on
Board.” Valley girls spoke with distinctive accents,
while adolescents everywhere adopted the slang ex-
pressions “Not!” and “psych” into their everyday vo-
cabularies.
Impact The popularity of fads in the 1980’s high-
lights the reason why the decade has become known
for its excesses and extremes. Many fads, while only
enjoying short-lived periods of widespread popular-
ity, help launch other products or media that go on
to enjoy more durable fame. For example, Pac-Man
helped bring widespread popularity to video games,
thereby creating a mass market for both coin-
operated machines and the home-based game sys-
tems that eventually replaced them. Fads also often
become nostalgic symbols of the time in which they
were popular, and many 1980’s products such as
Cabbage Patch Kids still have small but loyal fan
clubs.
Further Reading
Batchelor, Bob, and Scott Stoddart.The 1980’s. West-
port, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 2006. Explores
the decadence of the Me Generation and its im-
pact on popular culture; includes a timeline and a
bibliography.
Berger, Arthur Asa.Ads, Fads, and Consumer Culture:
Advertising’s Impact on American Character and Soci-
ety. 2d ed. Lanham, Md.: Rowman and Littlefield,
- Overview of advertising and consumer cul-
ture in the United States.
Best, Joel.Flavor of the Month: Why Smart People Fall
for Fads. Berkeley: University of California Press,- Sociological analysis of the life cycles of fads
and the conditions needed to create them.
Panati, Charles.Panati’s Parade of Fads, Follies, and
Manias: The Origins of Our Most Cherished Posses-
sions. New York: Harper Perennial, 1991. Covers a
variety of fads from the period from 1890 to 1990.
Smith, Martin J., and Patrick J. Kiger.Poplorica: A Pop-
ular Histor y of the Fads, Mavericks, Inventions, and
Lore That Shaped Modern America. New York: Har-
perCollins, 2004. Places the development of vari-
ous fads in historical context.
Marcella Bush Trevino
See also Advertising; Cabbage Patch Kids; Con-
sumerism; Dance, popular; Fashions and clothing;
Gallagher; Hairstyles; Hobbies and recreation; Hor-
ror films; Leg warmers; Max Headroom; Pac-Man;
Slang and slogans; Teen films; Toys and games;
Video games and arcades.Falwell, Jerry
Identification Baptist minister, television
personality, and conservative political activist
Born August 11, 1933; Lynchburg, Virginia
Died May 15, 2007; Lynchburg, Virginia
As founder of the conservative political action group the
Moral Majority, Jerr y Falwell played a leading role in the
efforts of conservative Christians to influence the political
process during the 1980’s.
Jerry Falwell was the pastor of the Thomas Road
Baptist Church in Lynchburg, Virginia, a forerun-
ner to the megachurches of later decades; host of
a popular television program,The Old-Time Gospel
Hour; and founder of Liberty Baptist College (later
Liberty University). He was one of the most famous
preachers in the United States during the late 1970’s
and the 1980’s. In the 1960’s, he had resisted en-
gagement in the Civil Rights movement, arguing
that preachers ought to concentrate on evangelism.
He preached a sermon in 1965 titled “Ministers
and Marches” that argued this position. By the late
1970’s and thereafter, however, Falwell had become
a proponent of active involvement by conservative
Christians in the political process.
Falwell came to national prominence at the end352 Falwell, Jerry The Eighties in America