Stranger Things is dominating Netflix as its last episode of season 4, “The Piggyback,” has just been released. The extreme popularity of Stranger Things has impacted many people’s lives as it has influenced us to change our hair, music preferences, clothing, and much more.
The influence Stranger Things has had on the population is gripping and has created a specific vibe due to the series being set in the 1980s. As the season comes to a close, it will be interesting to see whether these trends remain prevalent or if they will deflate as more time goes on. As we sit here grieving the deaths of our beloved Stranger Things characters, let’s look at how they touched us before their departure.
Hair, Hair, Hair
The most prevalent influence from Stranger Things has got to be the effect they had on our heads (literally). If you decide to leave your house, you’ll see at least a few mullets on your journey. Women’s hairstyles were also influenced to have a more volumized, curled ’80s look but also included a few women-styled mullets here and there.
This influence was brought to you by the trending Billy Hargrove (Dacre Montgomery). He works a mullet in the series so much, so it has made the ladies swoon, and the men follow. In season 4, Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) had a subtle mullet-inspired hairstyle which sent shock waves down the female community as it opened the door for a new female mullet hairstyle. Ever since these two characters have been paving the way resulting in these hairstyles popping up worldwide.
’80s Music
Everyone who has seen Stranger Things knows all the lyrics the Kate Bush’s song “Running up that Hill.”. However, this is not the only song to gain popularity due to it being used in Stranger Things, including other songs like “Should I Stay or Should I Go” by The Clash, “Material Girl” by Madonna, and “Pass the Dutchie” by Musical Youth have gone viral from this series.
Stranger Things has provoked a change in our music tastes as these songs received increased plays, downloads, and buys after being seen in Stranger Things, especially Kate Bush’s song, which has reached number 1 on the charts. These songs were released in the 1980s to keep in sync with the timeline of the Stranger Things story; little did the artists know they would make a comeback four decades later because of a TV show about six kids fighting monsters.
Clothing
Stranger Things kept up with the ’80s theme by styling its characters in ’80s-themed outfits. There is Steve Harrington (Joe Keery) and Billy Hargrove in tight t-shirts and straight-leg jeans, Eleven, Jim Hopper (David Harbour), Joyce Byers (Winona Ryder), and Johnathan Byers (Charlie Heaton) in flannels, and Eleven, Max Hargrove (Sadie Sink), and Karen Wheeler (Cara Buono) in bright-colored, geometric clothing.
These fashion pieces have all made a comeback with a BANG changing our outfit styles as they are widely popular for ages 30 and under. ASOS has even created its own Stranger Things clothing category on its website to make buying ’80s styles of Stranger Things outfits easier.
’80s Themed Rooms
Joyce’s Christmas lights mounted across the walls of her house to talk to Will in the Upside Down have created an ongoing theme among Stranger Things fans: decorating their room with any form of lighting, including LEDs and fairy lights.
This simplistic idea of retro lighting has progressed to projectors of both kinds. Some have galaxy light projectors to illuminate their rooms at night, and others have the actual vintage-styled projectors in their rooms or back garden to watch TV shows and movies on.
A Way of Living
Stranger Things has reminded people of what it used to be like in the world before smartphones and endless TV shows, movies, and video games. It has encouraged us to be more like the ’80s, to take a step back and smell the roses.
They’ve shown what a small-town, slow-paced lifestyle is like, which has touched a few hearts by promoting a “Stranger Things summer” on TikTok where we use radios, cycle as transport, and avoid the screens. This trend is a refreshing change to our fast-paced, electronic present-day world, and we will hopefully remain reminded to slow down every time we re-watch Stranger Things.
Dungeons and Dragons
Stranger Things have used Dungeons and Dragons as a large factor in their series as it is what Will Byers (Noah Schnapp), Mike Wheeler (Finn Wolfhard), Lucas Sinclair (Caleb McLaughlin), Dustin Henderson (Gaten Matarazzo) play together from the beginning and introduced new lovers of the game including Erica Sinclair (Priah Ferguson) and Eddie Munson (Joseph Quinn). The series uses this game to name the monsters and explain things from the Upside Down.
Stranger Things has familiarized fans with this game, has removed the stigma surrounding the game being labeled only for “geeks,” and has opened its doors to people who are not already into this certain type of gaming. Now everyone knows what Dungeons and Dragons is as it had become more popular since 2016 when Stranger Things came out as the Daily Dot states Stranger Things has made the game cooler and has increased its Google searches.
Food
Eggos have been Eleven’s favorite food ever since Mike snuck her one for breakfast when she was hiding in his basement. When she goes into a store for food, she always picks up multiple boxes of Eggos; when she eats at a restaurant, she orders waffles, and she cannot resist the triple-decker Eggo extravaganza Hopper makes her.
Cheat Sheet states Eggo sales have increased since the 2016 release of Stranger Things. This shows how people are being influenced to such a high degree that they are even changing their eating habits due to the popular show.
