The 1980s didn't just happen; they exploded. If you look at a photo of a random street corner in 1985, the first thing that hits you isn't the neon clothing or the Walkmans. It's the sheer volume of the hair. Big hair. Aggressive hair. Hair that defied gravity and, occasionally, basic logic. Choosing an 80's hairstyle for guys today isn't just about a costume party anymore. We’re seeing a massive resurgence in these silhouettes because, honestly, the 2020s have become a bit boring and people are craving that loud, expressive energy again.
It was a decade defined by subcultures. You had the Wall Street yuppies with their slicked-back power cuts, the metalheads with manes that reached their waist, and the New Romantics who looked like they’d just stepped out of a high-end salon in London. There was no "middle ground." You either had hair, or you had hair.
The Mullet: Business in the Front, Party in the Back
You can't talk about this era without mentioning the mullet. It’s the undisputed king. While people joke about it now, back then, it was a legitimate symbol of rebellion and versatility. It wasn't just for "rednecks," a common misconception that ignores the high-fashion mullets worn by stars like David Bowie or the sleek, synth-pop versions favored by Duran Duran.
The appeal was simple. It allowed a guy to look somewhat respectable from the front—short enough to satisfy a boss or a conservative parent—while letting the back grow into a wild, flowing mane. It was functional. It was chaotic. By the mid-80s, the "rat tail" emerged as a subset of this trend, where a tiny, braided sliver of hair hung down the back while the rest was cropped. Look at Andre Agassi in his early days on the tennis court; that wasn't just hair, it was a brand.
Modern interpretations are everywhere now. We call it the "wolf cut" or the "shullet," but let's be real: it’s just an 80's hairstyle for guys with a better publicist. The key difference today is the texture. Back then, it was all about stiffness. You wanted that hair to stay put even if you were caught in a gale-force wind. Today, we want movement.
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The Perm and the Power of Texture
Straight hair was a tragedy in 1984. If you weren't born with curls, you bought them. Men’s perms—"merms," if you want to be annoying about it—were massive business. High-school yearbooks from this era are filled with guys who look like they’ve been mildly electrocuted. It wasn't just about looking like a member of Bon Jovi, though that was certainly a vibe many aimed for.
Texture provided height. Height provided presence. When you look at Prince during the Purple Rain era, his hair was a masterpiece of controlled curl and volume. It required maintenance. It required chemicals. It required a level of vanity that guys were suddenly allowed to have.
The process was brutal. You’d sit in a chair for hours while a stylist rolled your hair onto plastic rods and doused it in ammonium thioglycolate. The smell stayed with you for days. But the result? A crown of curls that made you look like a rock star, or at least the guy who sold guitars to rock stars.
Why the High Top Fade Changed Everything
While rock stars were teasing their manes, the hip-hop scene was perfecting the architecture of the High Top Fade. This wasn't just a haircut; it was a feat of engineering. Pioneers like Big Daddy Kane and Kid 'n Play took the fade to literal new heights. The sides were buzzed down to the skin, while the top was grown out and sculpted into a flat, rectangular shape.
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It required precision. A bad fade was a social death sentence. You needed a barber who understood geometry. This style represented a shift in Black hair culture, moving away from the rounded Afros of the 70s toward something sharper, more urban, and intensely stylish.
The maintenance was grueling. You had to pick it out constantly to keep the shape from collapsing. Some guys even used "flattop wax" to ensure the edges stayed crisp. It's one of the few 80's hairstyles for guys that has remained culturally significant without ever really feeling "dated" in the way a mullet does. It’s timeless because it’s based on clean lines and structural integrity.
The "Wall Street" Slick Back
On the complete opposite end of the spectrum was the Gordon Gekko look. This was the era of the "Yuppie"—Young Upwardly Mobile Professionals. They didn't want curls or mullets. They wanted to look like they owned the building.
- The Product: Heavy pomade or thick gel.
- The Technique: Combed straight back, often with visible comb lines left in the hair.
- The Vibe: Extreme wealth and a slight hint of "I haven't slept in three days because I'm trading stocks."
Patrick Bateman in American Psycho (though a fictionalized version of the 80s) captures this perfectly. The hair was a helmet. It didn't move. It was a status symbol that suggested you spent more on your haircut than most people spent on their rent. This look eventually evolved into the "curtains" look of the late 80s and early 90s, where the hair was parted down the middle and allowed to flop over the eyes—think early Johnny Depp or River Phoenix.
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Punk, Goth, and the Death of Gravity
We have to talk about the subcultures because they pushed the boundaries of what hair could actually do. The mohawk was the ultimate "forget you" to society. But in the 80s, it wasn't just a strip of hair. It was a Liberty Spike. Guys were using Knox Gelatin, egg whites, or industrial-strength hairspray (shout out to Aqua Net) to get their hair to stand 12 inches off their scalp.
Then you had the Goths. Robert Smith of The Cure created a look that was essentially a bird’s nest with a soul. It was teased, matted, and sprayed into a dark, chaotic halo. It defied the "groomed" look of the decade, opting instead for a style that looked like you’d just woken up from a nightmare in a very stylish graveyard.
Real-World Advice for Recreating the Look
If you’re actually looking to pull off an 80's hairstyle for guys today, don't go full 1985. You’ll look like you’re wearing a costume. The trick is to take the silhouette and modernize the finish.
First, ditch the aerosol hairspray. Modern sea salt sprays and matte clays give you the volume without the "crunchy" texture that made 80s hair feel like fiberglass. If you’re going for a mullet, keep the sides faded or tapered rather than just hacked off. It makes the transition to the back feel intentional rather than accidental.
Second, understand your hair type. The 80s were great for guys with thick, wavy hair. If you have fine, straight hair, trying to do a Tom Cruise Top Gun pompadour is going to require a lot of product and even more disappointment. Talk to your barber about "internal layers." This is a technique where they cut shorter pieces inside the hair to act as "kickers," pushing the longer hair up and giving you that 80s volume without the weight.
Actionable Steps for the Modern 80s Vibe:
- Grow the length: You need at least 4-6 inches on top to even start playing with these shapes.
- Invest in a blow dryer: You cannot get 80s height with air-drying. Period. Use a round brush and dry the hair upward from the root.
- Choose your "Era": Decide if you’re going "Early 80s Rock" (long and layered), "Mid 80s New Wave" (asymmetrical and gelled), or "Late 80s Preppy" (floppy and parted).
- Embrace the maintenance: These styles aren't "wake up and go." They require a routine. If you aren't willing to spend five minutes in front of the mirror, stick to a buzz cut.
The 80s were about confidence. You couldn't wear a four-inch-high flat top or a bleached-blonde mullet if you were worried about what people thought. The best way to wear an 80's hairstyle for guys is to own the absurdity of it. It’s loud, it’s proud, and frankly, it’s a lot more fun than the clinical, perfectly groomed fades we've been seeing for the last decade. Get some sea salt spray, find a barber who isn't afraid of shears, and let it grow.