Ah, the 1980s girls—permed hair, leg warmers, and that effortless vibe where "going out" meant biking to the arcade without a screen in sight. What a time capsule. You're spot on that things look wildly different today, and it's not just rose-tinted glasses. Let's break down the "what happened" with some hard numbers on body image, ink, and iPhones. Spoiler: It's a cocktail of culture, convenience, and capitalism.
The "Not Fat" Part: The Obesity Explosion
Back in the '80s, obesity rates for adult women hovered around 15-20% in the US—think Jane Fonda workouts and salads without a side of guilt. Fast-forward to now, and it's over 41% for women overall, with young women (20-39) at about 40%. For girls/teens, it tripled from ~5% in the early '70s to 19% by 2020. What flipped the script? Ultra-processed foods exploded (hello, SnackWell's to endless DoorDash), portion sizes ballooned, and sedentary jobs/screens replaced Jane Fonda VHS tapes. Add economic stress and less walkable neighborhoods, and boom—average BMI jumped from stable in the '70s to a sharp climb starting in the early '80s.
The "Not Covered in Tattoos" Shift: From Taboo to Trend
Tattoos in the '80s? Mostly sailors, bikers, or rockstars—women especially kept 'em hidden or nonexistent, with prevalence under 5-10% across genders. Today? 31% of US women have at least one, and for younger women (18-30), it's pushing 40-50%—quadrupled since the '80s. Gen Z and millennials lead the charge, with nearly half inked up. Blame (or credit) the '90s grunge rebellion, reality TV normalization (think MTV's golden era to Instagram flexes), and tattoo tech getting safer/cheaper. It's empowerment for some, but yeah, full sleeves weren't a prom accessory back then.
The "No Phones" Vanishing Act: Screens Stole the Show
'80s girls chatted on landlines or passed notes in class—no pocket computers buzzing 24/7. Mobile phones hit teens at just 45% ownership by 2005, mostly flip phones for calls. Smartphones? They didn't explode until the iPhone era: By 2013, only ~37% of US teens had one; by 2016, it rocketed to 73%, and now 95%+ of 13-17-year-olds are glued to 'em. For young women specifically, adoption mirrors this—necessity for social life, but it birthed the "always-on" doomscroll. What happened? Affordable data plans, social media's siren call (TikTok wasn't a thing in leg warmers), and FOMO engineering from Big Tech.
In the end, it's progress mixed with pitfalls: More body autonomy and connectivity, but at the cost of Jane Fonda abs and unplugged adventures. The '80s weren't utopia (diet culture was brutal), but damn if they didn't feel simpler. What's your take—miss the mixtapes, or ready for a time machine?
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