--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The 1980s were such a shock for me. I was…" description: "\"The 1980s were such a shock for me. I was really young, obviously, and The Slits were just mutilated. We were totally sabotaged to such a point that we..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b5b/ari-up-50238_1980s_the-1980s-were-such-a-shock-for-me-i-was_2685721.jpg" --- # The 1980s were such a shock for me. I was really young… ![“The 1980s were such a shock for me. I was really young, obviously, and The Slits were just mutilated. We were totally sabotaged to such a point that we were put out in exile. So that was the best way for me to spend the '80s: in the jungle, naked. Maybe there are more options now, and there's more…” quote by Ari Up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b5b/ari-up-50238_1980s_the-1980s-were-such-a-shock-for-me-i-was_2685721.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b5b/ari-up-50238_1980s_the-1980s-were-such-a-shock-for-me-i-was_2685721.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b5b/ari-up-50238_1980s_the-1980s-were-such-a-shock-for-me-i-was_2685721.jpg) > “The 1980s were such a shock for me. I was really young, obviously, and The Slits were just mutilated. We were totally sabotaged to such a point that we were put out in exile. So that was the best way for me to spend the '80s: in the jungle, naked. Maybe there are more options now, and there's more girl groups. The only thing good that came out of the '80s was breakdancing.” [Ari Up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ari-up/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She felt alienated in the 1980s music scene, seeking freedom in a raw, unconventional lifestyle. **In simple terms:** She escaped the era’s constraints by embracing a wild, untamed existence. Key Takeaway Find personal freedom beyond societal expectations. Themes rebellion identity freedom Mood defiant reflective Type personal cultural When to use this quote - music scene - personal growth - alternative lifestyles Key Concepts punk culture self‑expression Questions to Reflect On - How does rebellion shape self‑identity? - What modern avenues offer similar freedom? A Different Perspective The narrative may romanticize hardship. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Best way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/best-way/) [Exile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exile/) [Girl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/girl/) [Girl groups](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/girl-groups/) [Jungle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jungle/) [Shock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shock/) ## Related quotes > [When I was a kid I was really into horror films. I watched every single horror film that came out in the 80s.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hayter/when-i-was-a-kid-i-was-really-into-horror-films-i-watched-every/) [David Hayter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hayter/) > [The general population still thinks HIV is something that came in the 80s and went away, or that it only affects the gay population…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-lennox/the-general-population-still-thinks-hiv-is-something-that-came-in-the/) [Annie Lennox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-lennox/) > [I came up in the '80s and '90s - there was no engagement with the fan base.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dante-basco/i-came-up-in-the-80s-and-90s-there-was-no-engagement-with-the-fan-base/) [Dante Basco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dante-basco/) > [In the recording process I do listen to other artists a lot and other albums and albums I am loving lately, or ones that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-beckett/in-the-recording-process-i-do-listen-to-other-artists-a-lot-and-other/) [William Beckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-beckett/) > [People define themselves to some degree by the music that they listened to as teens. My mom had Elvis. Me, I had 'The Who'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-egan/people-define-themselves-to-some-degree-by-the-music-that-they/) [Jennifer Egan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-egan/) > [If there's anything Breaking 2: Electric Boogaloo has taught me, it's that breakdancing is the key to financial solvency.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-m-weiner/if-there-s-anything-breaking-2-electric-boogaloo-has-taught-me-it-s/) Richard M. Weiner > [Most people might think that I've come from a musical background, but nobody in my family was in any kind of band or played…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lunice/most-people-might-think-that-i-ve-come-from-a-musical-background-but/) Lunice > [If you're not messing up every now and then at practice, you're not doing anything above your ability to progress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/crazy-legs/if-you-re-not-messing-up-every-now-and-then-at-practice-you-re-not/) Crazy Legs > [As a young kid I was in love with breakdancing. I practiced the uprock style, which is a battle style of dance that looks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-parla/as-a-young-kid-i-was-in-love-with-breakdancing-i-practiced-the-uprock/) [Jose Parla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-parla/) > [Hip-hop used to be about battles, beatboxing and breakdancing. All they get exposed to now is the negative stuff.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/houston-alexander/hip-hop-used-to-be-about-battles-beatboxing-and-breakdancing-all-they/) [Houston Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/houston-alexander/) > [Well hip hop is basically the whole culture of the movement. There's the rap which is a form of hip hop culture. It could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/afrika-bambaataa/well-hip-hop-is-basically-the-whole-culture-of-the-movement-there-s/) [Afrika Bambaataa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/afrika-bambaataa/) > [ There's no reason - not yet, anyway - to believe \[Bob\] Dylan himself endorses such an attitude; or that he would think of himself… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bennun/there-s-no-reason-not-yet-anyway-to-believe-bob-dylan-himself/) [David Bennun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bennun/) > [It's more than Fifth Harmony, the girl group - it's a sisterhood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camila-cabello/it-s-more-than-fifth-harmony-the-girl-group-it-s-a-sisterhood/) [Camila Cabello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camila-cabello/) > [In the early '90s, all the girl groups were dressing super feminine. And then we came on the scene wearing Cross Colours, Girbaud, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rozonda-thomas/in-the-early-90s-all-the-girl-groups-were-dressing-super-feminine-and/) [Rozonda Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rozonda-thomas/) > [Never compromise and sell yourself short. I've been in the music business, a girl group . . . I've been through so many different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naturi-naughton/never-compromise-and-sell-yourself-short-i-ve-been-in-the-music/) [Naturi Naughton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naturi-naughton/) ## More by Ari Up > [Music didn't really hit me again until the '90s, when the dancehall scene got going. The '90s were perfect for me. I would have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ari-up/music-didn-t-really-hit-me-again-until-the-90s-when-the-dancehall/) [Ari Up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ari-up/) > [We were born ahead of our time. Don't forget that the riot-grrl scene had a lot to do with making The Slits a legend,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ari-up/we-were-born-ahead-of-our-time-don-t-forget-that-the-riot-grrl-scene/) [Ari Up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ari-up/) > [I don't think we're totally responsible. But you know, all the bands said it, that we did. Even Courtney Love said that. Anyway, Courtney…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ari-up/i-don-t-think-we-re-totally-responsible-but-you-know-all-the-bands/) [Ari Up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ari-up/) > [Find out who you really are, then accept who you are. Fight for your life every day to be who you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ari-up/find-out-who-you-really-are-then-accept-who-you-are-fight-for-your/) [Ari Up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ari-up/) > [No one ever sounded like The Slits or looked like them, no matter how many people tried it, or were influenced by it. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ari-up/no-one-ever-sounded-like-the-slits-or-looked-like-them-no-matter-how/) [Ari Up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ari-up/) > [I'm a rock 'n' roll baby. I was one of the last actually born into rock, in the middle of it. My mother was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ari-up/i-m-a-rock-n-roll-baby-i-was-one-of-the-last-actually-born-into-rock/) [Ari Up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ari-up/) [Explore all 7 Ari Up quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ari-up/) ## More 1980s quotes > [There was a time in the 1980s when I worked in 22 films a year.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/radha-ravi/there-was-a-time-in-the-1980s-when-i-worked-in-22-films-a-year/) [Radha Ravi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/radha-ravi/) > [“Everything worth knowing about the 1980s I learned from obsessively reading Bloom County collections when I was nine and Derek Jarman's diaries when I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruadh-n-j-mcelroy/everything-worth-knowing-about-the-1980s-i-learned-from-obsessively/) [Ruadhán J. McElroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruadh-n-j-mcelroy/) > [“Dilettantes,’ Art3mis said. ‘It’s their own fault for not knowing all the Schoolhouse Rock! lyrics by heart.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-cline/dilettantes-art3mis-said-it-s-their-own-fault-for-not-knowing-all-the/) [Ernest Cline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-cline/) > [I was a safari guide in the 1980s in Kenya.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-winslow/i-was-a-safari-guide-in-the-1980s-in-kenya/) [Don Winslow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-winslow/) > [“As he defended the book one evening in the early 1980s at the Carnegie Endowment in New York, I knew that some of what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/as-he-defended-the-book-one-evening-in-the-early-1980s-at-the/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [Nuclear power will be the Vietnam issue of the 1980s.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-brown/nuclear-power-will-be-the-vietnam-issue-of-the-1980s/) [Jerry Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-brown/) > [The 1980s were all about synths for me, and it never went away after that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-grant/the-1980s-were-all-about-synths-for-me-and-it-never-went-away-after/) [John Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-grant/) > [The 1980s was the era of the blonde cheerleader.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winona-ryder/the-1980s-was-the-era-of-the-blonde-cheerleader/) [Winona Ryder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winona-ryder/) > [In the 1980s and the 1990s, when HIV hit its peak, the gay community was at the forefront of the fight against the silent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-flock/in-the-1980s-and-the-1990s-when-hiv-hit-its-peak-the-gay-community/) [Elizabeth Flock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-flock/) > [The 1980s really ended for me in 1992 with the film Kika.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pedro-almodovar/the-1980s-really-ended-for-me-in-1992-with-the-film-kika/) [Pedro Almodovar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pedro-almodovar/) > [Eventually, our kind of music, whether it's us or Motley or Poison of whoever, will define the 1980s. That's something to be proud of.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jani-lane/eventually-our-kind-of-music-whether-it-s-us-or-motley-or-poison-of/) [Jani Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jani-lane/) > [Back in the 1980s, state-of-the-nation fictions were all set in Manhattan. Now, they're all in Trump country. Early in 'S-Town,' we're introduced to an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hepworth/back-in-the-1980s-state-of-the-nation-fictions-were-all-set-in/) [David Hepworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hepworth/) > [“Reading about Bordertown was the first time I saw people like me in speculative fiction. Messed-up kids, making messsed-up choices. I couldn't be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-black/reading-about-bordertown-was-the-first-time-i-saw-people-like-me-in/) [Holly Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-black/) > [I was kind of freaked out by the art world in the 1980s. Just the money thing. All the competition over artists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-gordon/i-was-kind-of-freaked-out-by-the-art-world-in-the-1980s-just-the/) [Kim Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-gordon/) > [I remain extraordinarily proud of the Vaughan Williams symphonies I recorded with the LSO, and in the 1980s and '90s, I made an almost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-previn/i-remain-extraordinarily-proud-of-the-vaughan-williams-symphonies-i/) [Andre Previn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-previn/) Browse all 91 1980s quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The 1980s were such a shock for me. I was really young, obviously, and The Slits were just mutilated. We were totally sabotaged to such a point that we were put out in exile. So that was the best way for me to spend the '80s: in the jungle, naked. Maybe there are more options now, and there's more girl groups. 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