There’s one thing about being an ’80s child that feels totally different. And no, it’s not simply nostalgia speaking.
I’m a product of the latch-key era, these of us who got here house from faculty to empty homes and managed homework, chores, and the dinner prep our dad and mom left us to deal with.
I’m a proud GenXer, born right into a world that didn’t cushion or coddle us.
We confronted every kind of challenges, from navigating schoolyard bullying and dodgeball bruises to rising up quick in households the place single dad and mom typically labored double shifts to make ends meet.
I discovered resilience the onerous means — by way of private trials and grit. My mother labored nights and went to high school in the course of the day, decided to higher herself and construct a greater life for us, even when it meant time was at all times tight.
I noticed loads as a child: household abuse, onerous life classes, and, sure, even racism up shut.
My grandparents had been Mexican, dark-skinned, and proud (my grandpa was a WWII hero and Purple Coronary heart recipient), whereas I used to be a blonde-haired, green-eyed little lady who felt like an outsider in each worlds.
However all these moments, from the painful to the empowering, formed me. I survived, grew more durable, and discovered that life doesn’t wait so that you can really feel “prepared.”
These experiences made me who I’m — in a position to deal with a few of life’s hardest knocks, like watching my husband move away all of the sudden and elevating a five-year-old son alone.
Why? As a result of while you’re constructed with grit, you deal with it and transfer on. That’s what our era did.
The TV That Raised Us
Rising up, TV was extra than simply background noise; it was a part of our DNA.
We didn’t have infinite streaming choices or rigorously curated content material designed to make us really feel “seen.”
As an alternative, we had heroes like Hannibal from The A-Group, Michael Knight from Knight Rider, and MacGyver — characters who taught us to roll with the punches, make do with what we had, and determine issues out on the fly.
These guys weren’t ready round for a rescue; they had been taking motion, instructing us to do the identical.
Watching MacGyver (the unique) whip up lifesaving devices out of duct tape and a paperclip taught us that resourcefulness was typically all you wanted.
Life’s issues weren’t solved with the most recent tech or infinite choices—they had been solved by being inventive and fast in your toes.
As we speak, it’s simple to Google your means out of an issue or name in assist with a single faucet, however again then, it was all about figuring it out your self.
Watching MacGyver, we discovered that you might make issues occur in the event you simply had the need and the best instruments (even when it was solely a Swiss Military knife).
Then there have been icons like Cagney and Lacey, two sturdy ladies who determinedly and resiliently took on the gritty world of police work.
They had been robust as nails, dealing with every little thing from harmful circumstances to non-public challenges in an period when ladies had been nonetheless combating for his or her place within the workforce.
Watching them confirmed us that something was attainable in the event you had the center to push ahead.
Cagney and Lacey taught us that toughness isn’t only a man factor — it’s a mindset, one we are able to all embrace.
Characters like Hannibal from The A-Group took a unique method, bringing robust love and grit into each mission.
They didn’t watch for issues to be good, didn’t ask for permission, and definitely didn’t anticipate a security internet. They took on the chances with grit, a cigar, and a wink.
This was a era that didn’t whine, didn’t make excuses, and definitely didn’t demand perfection.
They taught us to get on the market, get a bit of soiled, and make issues work — even when it means bending just a few guidelines.
Then there was Household Ties, which hit us with a mix of humor and real-life points in a means that felt contemporary and relatable.
Alex P. Keaton’s unapologetic ambition and drive completely captured the spirit of 80s individualism and the rising “yuppie” tradition.
The Keatons’ mixture of free-thinking dad and mom and a hard-driven child confirmed us the stability between independence and household help.
They weren’t an ideal household by any means, however they cherished one another by way of each problem, instructing us that household dynamics may very well be sophisticated and nonetheless work.
Taking Accountability and Shifting Ahead
The way in which we noticed it on TV, our heroes didn’t have to lean on help teams or pour their souls out to therapists (not knocking it, however it wasn’t a part of the tradition then).
As an alternative, they carried their baggage with them, dealing with points as they got here up and transferring on with out wanting again.
Michael Knight didn’t have a group of therapists dissecting his each transfer — he had KITT, and collectively, they tackled no matter got here their means, no hand-holding required.
It wasn’t about pushing down feelings however studying to face them, deal with them, and maintain going.
Watching these characters, we discovered that life wasn’t going to decelerate for us, and typically, you needed to choose your self up, mud off, and maintain transferring ahead.
Quick-forward to immediately, and it’s no shock that these classes resonate much more.
Rewatching these reveals, I discover the simplicity of their method refreshing. There’s no overanalyzing, no prolonged debates about motives — simply motion.
These characters took on life with out apologies, instructing us to belief our instincts and to unravel issues fairly than dwell on them.
In a world the place self-doubt and indecision appear to run excessive, these easy, decisive characters really feel like a breath of contemporary air.
Constructed to Final: Why ’80s TV Heroes Are Nonetheless Function Fashions
TV has modified, and so have the heroes it brings to our screens.
As we speak, we’re extra prone to see characters wrestling with advanced emotional layers, grappling with trauma, and even attending remedy, which is undeniably vital.
However ’80s characters? They had been right here to get issues carried out, not dwell on the “why.”
Watching The A-Group or Knight Rider, you bought the message that life was about discovering a means ahead, not sitting round ready for the proper circumstances.
These characters didn’t ask permission, they usually didn’t waste time worrying concerning the grey areas. They made their choices, confronted the results, and stored transferring.
Ultimately, these characters taught us one thing useful — while you’ve been by way of loads, you don’t watch for permission to stay your life.
You’re taking motion, make robust selections, and don’t overthink the “what-ifs.”
There’s one thing empowering about that form of readability, and perhaps that’s why these characters maintain such a robust place in our hearts.
They remind us of a time when issues felt a bit of extra easy, a bit of more durable, and much more resilient.
So right here’s to the reveals that raised us on grit, problem-solving, and a great dose of self-reliance.
They may not be the flashy anti-heroes of immediately, however they’re position fashions in their very own proper — constructed to final, similar to the era that grew up watching them.
Who had been your favourite ’80s TV heroes? Drop your picks within the feedback, and let’s hear how these basic characters formed you.