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Introduction

Task 3: 'To Understand the Australia Today, You have to understand the 80s' The social and cultural features of the 1980s have had an impact on shaping Australia's current identity. In particular, fashion, music, entertainment and sport trends of the 1980s have influenced current Australia trends. Due to this, it can be stated that 'to understand Australia today', it is necessary to 'understand the 80s'. Fashion trends from the 1980s had a large impact on fashion trends in Australia today. In the 1980s, a great amount of focus was placed on social status, something largely reflected in fashion. This idea has been carried on to Australia today where people are judged consistently on their attire. The 'punk' and 'sporting' fashion styles, (such as the pink and blue sporting outfit seen in the Powerhouse Museum) which started in the 80s, have also proved as popular trends, influencing the trends today. It is important to understand these fashion trends, particularly their origins to understand the motivation fashion designers today. ...read more.

Middle

Many popular Australian television shows were a result of the Australian television industry growing in popularity in the 1980s, allowing high-rated shows such as 'Neighbours' and 'Home and Away' to be screened. These shows have had a direct influence on modern Australian television, retaining their popularity and continuously being screened. The 80s were a time when VCRs were introduced, allowing people to view a variety of films and videos in their house. DVD players, the current introduction of technology, were inspired by the VCR. Along with the introduction of the VCR came other technological devices such video consoles and computers. The introduction of technological forms of entertainment such as the 'Gameboy' seen in the Powerhouse Museum, have revolutionised current entertainment, making consoles such as 'Xbox' increasingly popular. Other forms of entertainment, targeted at younger children, such as 'Rubik's Cubes', 'Trivial Pursuit' and 'Cabbage Patch Dolls' have had an impact on younger types of amusement. ...read more.

Conclusion

Many companies started sponsoring sporting teams, placing millions of dollars into competition and greatly increasing the sense of competitiveness in various sports. This has been an influence on sporting competitions such as AFL and Rugby League and Union. Traditionally, these sports would have been played purely for recreation and fitness, however with the introduction of commercialism, these sports have been transformed into events for competition and fame. In this way, sporting trends from the 1980s have influenced the way sports are viewed and played at present. It can therefore be concluded that it is necessary to understand Australia in the 1980s to understand Australia today. It is evident that many social and cultural trends from the 1980s such as sport, entertainment, music and fashion had a significant impact on shaping social and cultural trends today. Many of these current trends had their origins in the 1980s. It is important to understand the origins of these social and cultural features to understand them in the present and how and why they have been shaped this way. ?? ?? ?? ?? ...read more.

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