As a teenager growing up in the 1990s, I was deeply obsessed with all things 1980s pop culture. Chalk it up to nostalgia for my Care Bears-filled childhood – or a stubborn adolescent desire to separate myself from the Dave Matthews Band-loving, khaki-wearing kids at my high school. (Mission accomplished: it’s safe to say I was the only person I knew rocking a bandana tied around my pants leg or a Wild Boys-era Duran Duran shirt.)
Back then, I was especially drawn to 1980s teen movies. In my own life, I was having zero luck finding a New Romantic Romeo; instead, I pined after artsy, sensitive boys who didn’t know I existed. But throughout these films, even the most awkward characters managed to find a happy ending, with the ultimate examples being Samantha (Molly Ringwald) in Sixteen Candles landing hunky Jake Ryan or Stacy (Jennifer Jason Leigh) linking up with Rat (Brian Backer) in Fast Times at Ridgemont High.
