The sensual 80s was a time of soft-focus, puffy dresses, teased hair, and femininity. Not surprisingly, some of the sexploitation carried over from the 70s but we began to see movies with actual plot lines, real characters with conflicts, and more genuine storytelling. Meanwhile, international films continued to contribute and even TV started to chime in on Sapphic love. Finally, it was the beginning of real representation and several important films come from this decade such as Desert Hearts, Lianna, and Personal best. It was easy to see that the distance was growing between the early years with their timid shows of affection disguised as friendliness and also that the sordid exploitation of the 70s was being reigned in. Still, unfortunate tropes such as the mentally unstable lesbian continued but things were certainly looking up and paved the way for the novelty that happened in the 90s. 

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