I'd be very hard pressed to come up with an answer to this question for a teenager living today, and I don't think the question is any easier to answer for the 1980s. Perhaps some other user will have ideas for sources on 1980s teen culture that could be helpful -- at the very least, more helpful than watching 1980s teen movies like Say Anything.

What does strike me is that you're in a very good position to answer this yourself, as you're surrounded by people who were female teenagers in Chicago in the 1980s. This is a great opportunity for some informal oral history interviews. Obviously the information will be anecdotal, but it is empowering to be able to ask any question you want -- and often more fun than reading an academic study.