Teen life in the 70s and 80s

The school year has started again and we’re back in Pikkola from pastures green. That also means we’re continuing with the blog with a new bunch of people.


Our first task was to interview mum or dad and ask them what it was like to be a teenager in the 70s or 80s. Our students came up with some really interesting stories!


Everybody has to look the same in 80s. Teenagers used Dallas or Micmac jeans or neon colour gollege shirt. You couldn’t wear hat in winter, even if there was -20 degrees. If you needed to call to your friend you needed to use a landline. If you wanted to listen music without vinyl, you needed to record from the radio to cassette. You wanted watch music videos you needed to go to music shop and watch there. But after the MTV came and there you could see videos more often. My mum used to listen Mötley Crue, Twisted Sisters, Eppu Normaali and Scorpions.
John Carrot




I interview my mom. So mom, what was your teenage like?

- My teenage and childhood was pretty free and safe, I travel on my own, and with my friends a lot.

Hazel Hills
 
I interviewed my father, what was like to be a teen in the 80s. He told me some things:
It was so easy find something to do. Sport hobbies was popular and everything was better than now. Everybody was listening radio more than now! Some bands and singers was really popular and if somebody of famous persons use T-shirt, you had to use T-shirt too if you didn´t want be different than other people. Moving from place to place was more limited. At the time wasn’t mobile phones but satellite phones was new thing.
Anthon Plant


Mum:” When I was teenager, we usually just took our bikes and went to ask our friends out.We were with our friends a lot, and had a good time. We went to the Disco. All of my friends lived in my neighborhood. I had a lot of friends. I lived in Länkipohja with my Dad and two little brothers. My grandmother lived next to our house.
I listened a lot of music, and I collected music cassettes. I liked AC/DC the most! It was a trend to dye hair two coloured with a permanent and use leggings with leopard spots. My favorite TV show was definitely Dallas. I always had to watch it!”
Ida Receipt




It was different to what we have today. Schools had groups for students, depending how good they are. There was no extra classes, so back then you couldn’t just choose what you want to study. People who went with motorcycles didn’t use helmets to protect themselves. Cigarettes were sold to 16 year olds. The clothes were a lot different to this day. Parents’ word meant a lot more than today. There was no mobile phones, only landline telephones in homes. No microwave or computers. There was a lot of summer jobs for everyone, when looking to today’s place there is almost no job.
Jesse Newhill




Dad: “I lived in Tampere and I studied there too. My hobby was ice-hockey. I and your mum travelled a lot both in Finland and all around Europe by motorcycle.
We teenagers went often to Discotheque in the evenings. Disco music was really hot!
There wasn´t mobile phones in 80´s. There was only few car phones.”

Mum: “I lived in Kangasala with my family but I studied in Tampere. I liked to made clothes. People wore neon colored clothes and shoulders of the jackets were heavily topped. Trousers were loose but trouser legs tight. Gym trousers were very popular. I spent lots of time with your dad. In summers I took bike and drove to the beach with my friends.”

Katy Strawberry




My mom´s teen years in 70´s. Mom told just about fashion and music…

Hai-boots, flared pants and polo shirt were things which were in everyone´s wardrobe. Everyone (in Finland) listened Finnish rock from their cassette players.
Summer

When my dad was teenager he play lots of ice hockey and they didn´t play computer games. In fashion was boots. When they want buy something they must to do lots of work. My dad worked in farm. He have four brother and they play games and go swim often. When they go swim they must go with bike. The nearest swim place was six km away. My father’s first moped was pappatunturi. When my mother was teenager she lived in farm. They had many animals for example bulls, cows, chickens and pigs. In fashion was jeans called Levis. School was almost same as today.
Edward Einstein




I interviewed my dad what was it like to be a teenager in the 80s and here are some of his thoughts about it.
First he told me about that there wasn´t any mobile phones or any personal phones. So if you wanted to meet a friend, and he lived close you probably walked to him asked him out. That meant more walking and other physical activity even without going to gym. You also met your friends face to face more often. In general children and teens were with their friends more and played yard games with neighbours.
TV and music players were not so advanced. First there were only three channels and they weren´t sending programs round-the-clock. Then came some American channels like MTV and TV, music and styles regenerated.

In the 80s there were seasonal general styles unlike nowadays when everybody chooses his own style. One of the most visible general styles was neon colours. Childhood lasted longer and children were not trying to look like adults.

If you compare 80s to nowadays you will note that many things were harder. Today you can meet your friends and whole world trough internet and almost everyone has a chance to be global.
World has changed so much in 25 years.

John Bush




When my dad was teenager in 70s there weren´t any computer games and all guys did a lot of sports. They had very much hobbies too and they were usually with friends in outside. If they had to tell something to friend they used landline or they wrote a letter.
In summer my dad usually went to farm where his cousins lived. There were many things to do. When he went swimming with friends they rode with a bike to a lake.
When my mum was teenager their family had cows and chickens. They had a tractor called Ford super dexta.
Quarts clocks and boots were in fashion. President in our country was Urho Kekkonen. First pizzas came to Finland.
John Potato




I’ve asked from my mom what was like teenagers life in the 80s and this is what she told. Teen’s had no mobile phones. All families didn’t have computer. They listened music from radio or from c-cassette player. They recorded favorite artist’s songs to the cassettes from the radio or they bought the official cassette. Someone idealized about rock music someone about punk. Those who liked punk music had the Iroquois, safety pin piercings and there were chains hanging from their clothes. Color programmers became common on TV but there were only few channels to watch. School classes were big and there were over a thousand students in Pikkolan School. In school among other things there were as an elective subject’s households, crafts and wood and forestry. Girls had lot of crimped hair. Teen’s also tuned their mopeds and field cars and they drove them on the ice and fields. There were also many different Nintendo’s game consoles. Suosikki magazine appeared and there were lot of fan posters from different bands in it. Friends who lived further sent postcards.
Jim Smith




When my mother was a teenager, she used to listen a lot of music. Her favourite artists back those days were Teddy Boy and Dingo. She was also into sports. As hobbies, she had a lot of sports.
At the pastime, she was busy with her hobbies, and when she wasn’t, she used to hang out at Hämeenkatu with her friends and listened to music. back in the 70s/80s, teenagers were really into sports and music, that’s what my mother told me.
Nick Birch


I interviewed my mom. She told me something about things when she was teen at 70s/80s. She told me `It was boring time´. They doesn´t have any technical equipment and she doesn´t have very good relations with her family. Teens´ doesn´t talk straight to their parents and my mother wasn´t exception. But they were very kind and they respect very much teachers. But the end of 80s there was some technical things. When she and other teens were little bit older they interested about traveling but my mom can´t travel because her parents scare too much. My mom told me that the 80s style was very weird, they wear almost everything.                                                

Tom George

In the 80s popular tv programmes wore Dynasty and Night rider. Movies like Dirty Dancing and Back to the future were big hits.
Fashion of the 80s was colorful with neon colors and women wore huge shoulder pads. Popular brands to ware wore Kappa and Lacoste. If you had to wear glasses they would be huge! Hair style for the girls was perm with long back hear and boys had mulled hair.
Sony Walkman was a huge success it was a portable cassette player. Famous bands wore Franky goes to Hollywood, Depeche mode and Modern talking.

Tiffany Tree