Bracelets are worn by a lot of people, however there was a bracelet that was really popular among young people in the late 1980s and early 1990s. And that my friends many of you may remember was the “slap bracelet”.

The Slap Bracelet (also known as Snap Bracelet) was a famous fashion trend in the late 1980s, and it had become a craze that both boys and girls were drawn to, albeit for different reasons.

The trendy slap bracelet, also known as a snap bracelet, was simply a flexible metal band that has been gently cushioned and decorated with colorful materials.

The cushioning in today’s slap bracelets is an improvement over the earlier bands, which tended to be made entirely of metal and cloth. To put on this sort of bracelet, just extend the wrist and lightly slap the bracelet against the wrist.

Slap bracelets appeal was that it was inexpensive, fashionable, and fun to put on. I mean who didn’t get excited slapping a slap bracelet on before recess?

Why Were Slap Bracelets Popular?

The fact that these slap bracelets were very affordable added to their appeal, which is excellent news for any teenager’s wallet. Obviously young adults tend to not have a lot of money, so fashionable accessories that were affordable was always in high demand.

Another advantage was that the bracelets were available in a variety of colors and designs, allowing them to be as subtle or as crazy as the wearer desired. Whether you were a fan of bright neon clothing or preferred a darker punk fashion look, there was a slap bracelet that was the right color for any outfit.

The slap bracelet being inexpensive also made it a perfect item to exchange with friends. In a typical adolescent style, two buddies may trade their favorite slap bracelets as a symbol of their friendship.

In other instances, all members of a group may opt to wear a slap bracelet with the same color or design as a method of expressing the group’s unity.

No matter what the reason you chose to wear a slap bracelet, it was a fun and fashionable accessory with many uses.

Are Slap Bracelets Still Popular?

Though popular in the late 80s and early 90s, the slap bracelet is nowhere popular as it once was. As the slap bracelet fashion trend exploded, cheaper fabric and low-grade steel with sharp edges that might corrode and wear through the fabric were apparently used in the knock-off versions that were coming over from Asia.

These cheaper materials sometimes caused cuts and injuries, so they quickly fell out of fashion around the early 90s. Remember you needed to “slap” these bracelets on your arm to wear them, so if there were any protruding sharp edges, that could cause cuts fairly easily.

Some schools even banned them because of the possible risks of injury they posed, again leading to the decline in the popularity of slap bracelets.

Even though these days slap bracelets aren’t as popular as they once were, as with anything retro fashion, they are making a slow come back. Bracelets these days are made with better materials, and they are still relatively inexpensive. Whether they come back to their original popularity is to be seen, but regardless slap bracelets will always be a fun fashion from the 1980s that we remember.