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WATCH: Kevin Bacon explains the 1980s to those who weren't born yet.

Kevin Bacon is on a mission. Using his Hollywood status, the man we know and love best as Ren McCormack in Footloose is spreading awareness about a topic close to his heart: The Eighties.

So troubled is he by the idea that people born after 1985 missed out on the decade of perms and parachute pants, Kev has fronted a Mashable campaign educating millennials on everything ’80s – the good, the bad and the very, very awkward.

As he wistfully explains, it was a time where there was no Tinder or Snapchat to facilitate relationships – if you liked someone, you had to look up their number in the phone book (you know, that book full of people’s phone numbers), physically call them, and probably get stuck making small talk with their parents first. He also recalls his favourite “app”, the Rubik’s cube, and the constant fear of “being nuked” that came with living during the Cold War (although we’re not convinced that was 100% accurate…)

Unfortunately, Kevin’s trip down memory lane is severed when his young cameraman’s short attention span kicks in (typical Gen Y), and he marches out in frustration.

To pick up where he left off, let’s get reminiscing about the best parts of the 1980s. Where do we start? There’s all the excellent movies the decade produced, the questionable hairstyles, the even more questionable fashions (hello shoulder pads), the music in all its synthesiser-heavy glory…

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What are your fondest memories of the 1980s? Click through this gallery for a hit of nostalgia:

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