What Your Handwriting Style Said About You in 1987
If you were alive in 1987 and dared to hand someone a note—perhaps folded up in class or slipped under a locker—little did you know your deepest personality traits were on full display. Not because you wrote “Do you like me? Check yes or no,” but because of how you wrote it. Welcome to the retro science of graphology, where every loop, slant, and margin spacing supposedly revealed your inner world. Think of it as the Myers-Briggs of pens and paper… but with a lot more ink smudges.
And hey, if you're the kind of person who nerds out over vintage styles (especially when they’re stitched into a leather jacket), stick around—we’ll throw in a bit of flair from our brand, Newretro.Net, along the way.
Let’s take a journey back to 1987: a year of VHS tapes, Walkmans, hair spray strong enough to survive a tornado, and a surprising amount of people diagnosing personalities via cursive letters.
Size Matters… At Least on Paper
One of the first things graphologists looked at was the size of your handwriting. Not to judge your eyesight—but because size supposedly revealed your social vibe.
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Large letters? You were sociable, loved being the center of attention, and might’ve been that guy in the lunchroom telling a story with hand gestures and half a slice of pizza flying.
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Medium-sized handwriting meant you were the Goldilocks of the pen world: balanced, adaptable, chill.
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Tiny script? A classic sign of someone who’s focused, private, or maybe just trying to fit their entire essay onto one sheet to avoid stapling (staplers were seriously clunky back then).
And if you’re wondering what kind of handwriting the guy who rocks a vintage denim jacket from Newretro.Net had? Probably large and proud. Just saying.
Slant: The Emotional Tilt of ’87
Slant wasn’t just for questionable haircuts in the 80s. Your letters’ lean supposedly gave away your emotional openness:
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Right slant = open, expressive, probably blasting Bon Jovi and writing heartfelt notes to friends.
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Vertical slant = calm and self-controlled. Think: the guy in the corner with a Rubik's Cube.
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Left slant = cautious and reserved, possibly the type who alphabetized their cassette tapes.
Want to test this theory? Go dig up an old birthday card from your uncle. If the writing leaned hard to the left, he probably didn’t cry during E.T..
Pressure: Go Hard or Go Light
In graphology, how hard you pressed your pen to the paper said a lot:
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Heavy pressure indicated an intense, decisive person. The kind who’d punch in their answers on a landline with confidence.
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Light pressure? Sensitive, flexible, maybe an over-thinker when deciding what color shoelaces best matched their retro high-tops.
Honestly, anyone writing in gel pen in 1987 was already halfway to being a style icon. We’d guess they’re the type of person who’d be first in line today for our retro VHS sneakers.
Spacing: It's Not Just About Room for Doodles
This one’s fun because it’s not even about the letters—it’s about the space between them.
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Wide spaces between words? You valued independence, maybe walked to school with your headphones on and tuned out.
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Narrow spacing = you needed closeness, maybe even wrote in the margins of your friend’s notebook like “call me later!!!”
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Wide letters showed relaxed thinking.
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Tightly packed letters revealed concentration or stress—probably scribbled during a surprise pop quiz in algebra.
So next time you see someone writing like each letter’s socially distancing? Give ‘em a retro high five for their individuality.
Baseline: A Roller Coaster of Emotion (Or Not)
Graphologists used to look at how your lines moved across the page—because apparently the paper wasn’t enough of a clue.
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A rising baseline suggested ambition and optimism. The classic “this mixtape is going to get me the girl” energy.
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A level baseline showed stability. You probably owned a planner and used it.
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A falling baseline indicated fatigue or pessimism. Maybe the person was just writing their homework at 2AM while stress-eating Pop Rocks.
Speed: No One Likes a Scribble Show-Off
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Fast handwriting? You were energetic, maybe a bit impatient—like someone waiting for the internet to load in 1996 (spoiler: they’d still be waiting).
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Slow handwriting? Deliberate, methodical—definitely someone who carefully peeled off their cassette tape stickers to relabel them with Sharpie.
There’s no shame in either. Some folks zip through life like a Ferrari; others cruise like a cherry red Cadillac—maybe one parked outside a Newretro.Net photoshoot.
Loops, Dots & Crosses—Oh My!
This is where it gets juicy. Loop styles and tiny marks held major meaning:
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Tall, wide “l” and “h” loops = dreamy and imaginative.
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Thin tall loops? You had restraint—possibly also tight budgets for hair gel.
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Wide “g” and “y” lower loops suggested strong physical drives (ooh) and generosity.
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Narrow ones? Cautious and maybe frugal—probably skipped the vending machine for home-packed snacks.
Even the dot on your “i” wasn’t safe from analysis:
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High up? You were idealistic (and probably late to class, dotting your “i” from memory).
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Tight and close? You had laser focus. Or maybe just great hand-eye coordination from arcade games.
Now, here’s where it gets really 1987: the signature.
Graphologists used to obsess over whether your signature was bigger and bolder than your normal handwriting. If it was, they said your “public ego exceeded your private self.” Basically: if you signed your name like a rockstar but wrote your homework like a monk, you were hiding some serious main character energy.
But if your signature and text matched? Congrats—you were the same guy in a leather jacket and a cozy sweater. Authentic. Classic. Kinda like the retro-styled modern goods we’re cooking up at Newretro.Net.
So you've checked your loops, gauged your pressure, and maybe even realized your 8th grade signature screamed closet showman. But we’re not done yet. You didn’t think your margins, embellishments, and even your “t” bars were going to escape judgment, did you?
Let’s pick up our retro graphology adventure—because in ’87, even where you started on the page spoke volumes.
Margins: The Original Life Balance Indicator
If you thought margins were just where your teacher wrote “SEE ME AFTER CLASS,” think again. In 1987, those empty spaces were psychological real estate.
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Wide left margin → You were distancing yourself from the past. Maybe you were the kind who “totally forgot” their ex’s birthday… even though they dated for two years.
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Wide right margin → You feared the future. You probably backed away slowly from Tamagotchi-level responsibility.
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Narrow margins on both sides → Spontaneous, thrifty, maybe even chaotic. Like the guy who’d impulsively buy sunglasses from a gas station… or the type to rock a wild retro jacket from Newretro.Net just because it felt right.
Margins were like the body language of your handwriting. Always subtle. Always snitching.
Embellishments: Where Artistry Meets Ego
Flourishes were the peacock feathers of penmanship.
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Extra loops, swirls, dramatic underlines? You had flair. You craved attention. Possibly owned a bedazzled denim jacket before it was ironic.
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Plain style? Practical. Focused. Possibly kept a tight budget but had the cleanest locker in school.
Graphologists were convinced that your love of curves and tails on your letters showed your artistic tendencies. (Spoiler alert: sometimes it just meant your pen was leaky.)
Still, if your “R” looked like it moonlighted as a treble clef, you were probably voted Most Likely to End Up in a Synth Band.
The Dots & Crosses Department: Tiny Details, Big Drama
This is where things got micro. We’re talking the dot on your “i” and the crossbar on your “t.” Blink and you miss it—but back in 1987, these little guys were loud.
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Dot your “i” high? Idealist. Dreamer. The type who’d write poetry during detention.
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Dot it close? Detail-focused. Likely to have alphabetized their Atari cartridges.
Then there’s the mighty “t” crossbar:
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Heavy pressure? Determined and stubborn. Basically the person who wouldn’t stop rewinding their VHS tape until it was exactly at the start.
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High crossbar? Ambitious. You had goals. You probably already had your mixtape name picked out.
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Low crossbar? Lowered goals—or just someone trying to finish homework during lunch.
Again, no judgment. Just know that if your “t” cross looked like a fencing sword, you were probably ready to duel life.
Connectivity: A Logical vs. Intuitive Showdown
How you connected your letters said a lot too:
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Connected script? Logical, planned. Like someone who writes to-do lists for their to-do lists.
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Disconnected script? Creative, intuitive. Definitely the person who draws lightning bolts instead of bullet points.
This trait could actually help you spot a budding artist vs. a spreadsheet wizard. Or decide whether to partner up for trivia night or karaoke.
Pro tip: someone who mixes both? Possibly an 80s genius.
What It Meant When Your Signature Went Rogue
We teased it earlier, but it’s worth repeating: the signature was your handwriting’s mic drop. Graphologists in the 80s loved comparing it to your regular writing, and here’s why:
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A larger, flashier signature than your body text? You had a bigger public persona than your private one. Maybe confident, maybe overcompensating. Think: the guy who wore shades indoors and always had a witty comeback—but secretly journaled about existentialism.
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A signature that matched your writing? That was authenticity. A coherent, grounded soul. Possibly someone who still wears their vintage leather like it’s a second skin. (Ahem, Newretro.Net would approve.)
So, Was Graphology a Pseudoscience? Absolutely. Was it Fun? 100%.
We’ll admit it—graphology hasn’t exactly held up under modern scientific scrutiny. But in the 80s? It was like astrology for your spiral notebook. People genuinely analyzed each other’s birthday cards and signatures like they were FBI profilers.
And let’s face it, even if you’re a skeptic, there’s something cool about decoding a person’s energy from something as personal as handwriting. It’s vintage psychology with a flair of drama—kind of like a leather jacket that tells a story.
Speaking of which, if you're into stories told through style, Newretro.Net is where that vibe lives on. We take retro aesthetics, from old-school kicks to angular shades, and revive them with a fresh twist. Just like this blog did for 1987’s quirkiest personality test.
So, next time you scribble your name or leave a sticky note, think of your 1987 counterpart. Would your handwriting scream “intense dreamer with a side of ambition,” or “logical minimalist with impeccable margin discipline”?
Either way, you’d definitely be the kind of person we’d want to hang with after school—probably while trading mixtapes and showing off our freshest Newretro.Net gear.
Now go on—handwrite a letter just for the heck of it. Who knows what it might say about you?
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