People Are Sharing The Societal Trends That Were Once Literally Everywhere, Until They "Mysteriously Vanished" From Society

Although the '70s seems similar not that agelong ago, surprise! That decennary really began implicit 50 years agone now. And societal norms person drastically changed since then, successful genuinely shocking ways we often hide about.

So precocious connected Reddit, older radical shared their fascinating answers to the question, "Looking backmost astatine the '70s, what was a trend, belief, oregon manner that felt wholly mean then, but seems surprising oregon adjacent unimaginable today?" Here's what they said:

1. "Streaking was 1 of the much antithetic taste phenomena of the '70s, but it was chaotic fun, and seemed similar a bully thought astatine the time. The aforesaid is existent with mooning and pressed-hams (a satellite with the car model closed, cheeks smashed against the glass), a small earlier fad. Pressed-hams were a useful maneuver successful the winter, oregon if you wanted to beryllium a small much subtle, similar erstwhile you were going to a drive-thru restaurant."

–Spudtater

2. "My mom's sister was murdered portion hitchhiking successful the '70s. It's inactive mind-blowing to maine however communal it was backmost then. There were aggregate serial killers moving successful the country astatine the time, but she was ne'er linked to 1 that I cognize of, and they ne'er ended up catching them. For years, they would telephone my grandma to springiness her updates astir the deficiency of progress, but she yet asked them to stop. It was excessively painful."

–Astrazigniferi

3. "Parents would constitute 'liquor and cigarettes' connected a note, for kids to spell to the store and bargain for them. No 1 batted an eyelash. Then, adults would sitting successful the surviving room, drinking, smoking, and laughing. And you amended not squirm and whine, due to the fact that the adults are talking. Just beryllium until they're acceptable to go. Throw successful immoderate drinking and driving, and it's a wonderment we made it to adulthood, breathing successful each that smoke, sneaking sips from glasses with cigaret butts floating successful them — the booze and nicotine poisoning should person killed us!"

–[deleted user]

4. "Some teachers treated left-handed students similar thing was incorrect with us. I had a sixth people teacher successful 1973–1974 archer the people that if anyone wrote with their near hand, she wouldn't springiness them an A successful our handwriting people not substance however nicely they wrote due to the fact that 'it's not the close mode to write.' She was precise adjacent to — oregon possibly adjacent past — the mean status age, and was precise overmuch stuck successful the past."

–SnoopyFan6

5. "The archetypal non-smoking SECTION connected a large US hose didn't adjacent hap until 1971 (United Airlines). Non-smoking sections were required by the US authorities successful 1973, and it wasn't until 2000 that smoking was banned connected each US flights. And by the way, for those youngsters who ever ask, YES, it was asinine astatine the clip to judge that lone portion of an airplane could beryllium smoking."

–rhrjruk

6. "Leaving kids unsocial successful parked cars for agelong periods of time. My parent sold quality products, and portion she was going door-to-door and spending a batch of clip wrong houses to sell, we kids were near successful the blistery car connected our ain for hours. We 'went to the bathroom' successful boxes oregon bags successful the car. We had thing to eat. And the car was sooo hot."

–xQueenAryaStark, Trixareforkidsok

7. "Being location unsocial arsenic young kids was commonplace. In 1976, I was 10, and my sister was eight. We were location unsocial each time each summer. Several times a week, I would locomotion america to the section pool, fractional a mile away, without immoderate sidewalks. We were allowed to aquatics determination for respective hours earlier walking backmost home. Then, we would bash chores and commencement dinner, truthful it was acceptable erstwhile our ma got home. By the clip I was 12, I was babysitting different people's kids. One household had an babe that I was trusted with for hours astatine a time. Another household had aggregate kids — they would instrumentality maine with them to Atlantic City, and it was my occupation to support the kids occupied connected the boardwalk portion they were successful the casinos."

–themadhatterwasright

8. "I'm a subsister of 8 years of Catholic schoolhouse successful the '60s, erstwhile students were regularly subjected to the nuns' corporal punishment. It would beryllium described arsenic torture by today's standards — kneeling connected the level for hours astatine a time, sometimes with our hands connected our heads; having our palms, shins and calves regularly slapped by a woody ruler; hairsbreadth pulling; and, successful 1 memorable instance, hairsbreadth cutting. I personally was punished by having my caput enactment nether a faucet and saturated, for the transgression of having 'teased hair.' (Just for the record, my hairsbreadth was not teased. It was bouncy due to the fact that I had acceptable it successful rollers overnight.) I look backmost connected those days with implicit horror."

–Mariuccia718

9. "Nurses, upwind reporters connected the news, and hose stewards were exclusively female. I cognize determination are different careers that besides apply, but these are the ones that archetypal travel to caput for me. I retrieve my closeted cheery antheral person was 1 of the aboriginal stewards successful astir 1974 oregon 1975, and helium was truthful tense to archer radical astir his caller job. The beingness suited him well, and helium ended up moving from our tiny municipality to a large hub."

–DjDozzee, Lepardopterra

10. "My person who lived adjacent doorway didn't tan easily, truthful she would ever slather herself successful babe lipid and deliberately get sunburned, since it would aboriginal slice into a spot of a tan. Then she'd bash it again. I sometimes wonderment if she ended up with tegument cancer. It was besides hard to find sunscreen higher than an SPF 4, though with a spot of looking around, you could astir apt get SPF 8. But what was mostly connected the shelves was 'suntan lotion,' designed to heighten your tan (or burn), not forestall one."

–nakedonmygoat

11. "To deliberation we had smoking areas successful precocious schoolhouse is nuts. Not lone did we person smoking areas, but we besides had a smoking spot successful the elder courtyard, and 1 successful the mean courtyard for each the different students. It wasn't immoderate hidden spot distant from teachers' eyes — straight-up, authoritative smoking spots."

–FUSE_33

12. "In my portion of the US, it was comparatively communal to spot a large chunk of trash travel flying retired of the model of a passing car. Bottles, nutrient wrappers, insubstantial cups, and truthful connected — nary 1 batted an oculus erstwhile it happened. The roadsides were littered with specified garbage. Similarly, determination were cigaret butts everywhere."

–Bright-Appearance-95

13. "In the US, it was astir expected to spell to a barroom oregon pizza spot for luncheon and person a fewer beers during enactment hours. Some radical did it each day, and if they were discreet astir it, nary 1 cared. By the clip I retired, a mates of years ago, if idiosyncratic had ordered a portion astatine lunch, radical would've stared astatine them similar they asked for a enactment of coke. By the way, for much context, I took a decennary disconnected from bureau enactment successful the '90s, and that seems to beryllium erstwhile radical stopped drinking astatine lunch. Many companies wouldn't person intoxicant astatine immoderate work-related event."

–NonspecificGravity

14. "The state was mode much toxic. Every clip you went to a state station, they'd inquire you, 'Leaded oregon unleaded?' Yep, cars were spewing pb of the process pipe. Never caput getting 12 miles a gallon."

–Soggy-Journalist2951

15. "Seat belts were optional, and riding successful the furniture of a pickup was normal. There were besides nary motorcycle helmets, and little protective cogwheel successful general. My begetter would fto america 'drive' erstwhile we were small, by sitting connected his thigh and steering. He was astir surely not wearing a spot loop either."

–MiseEnSelle

16. "In general, kissing radical connected the lips was considered beauteous mean backmost successful the '70s. You did it with friends, radical you'd conscionable met astatine a party...whatever. It wasn't a full-on, long, passionate kiss, but a peck connected the lips was nary large deal. And yeah, it seems truly weird now."

–MagneticPaint

17. "It was considered acceptable for young girls to beryllium preyed upon by older men. When the movie Manhattan came out, it wasn't denounced arsenic a communicative of a pedophile and the young miss helium was grooming, arsenic it would beryllium now. Instead, it won a slew of awards."

–BrooklynGurl135

18. "Media couples ever matched successful race. In movies, TV, and advertizing — if Ma was white, truthful was Pa. If Mom was brown-ish, Dad was the exact aforesaid shadiness of brown-ish. The aforesaid was existent for accent, assemblage type, and wide demographic. If you had a short, stocky, blue-collar idiosyncratic paired with a tall, thin, upper-class partner, past that was The Thing The Show Was About."

–greenmtnfiddler

19. "Girls couldn't deterioration pants to school. And erstwhile that yet changed erstwhile I was successful precocious school, still, NOBODY could deterioration jeans to school. We were allowed to deterioration snowfall pants connected our mode to school, but we had to instrumentality them disconnected erstwhile we got there."

–Cronewithneedles

20. "There was a ton of 'back to the land' idealism. Everyone wanted to commencement a workplace and rise their ain food; determination was a craze for 'health food,' and vitamin income were booming. Yet determination was an detonation successful the availability of heavy processed nutrient astatine the aforesaid time. My ma would fto america devour Froot Loops for breakfast, but then, luncheon would beryllium earthy peanut food (ground caller astatine the wellness nutrient store) connected full wheat breadstuff that was truthful dense and dry, it would instrumentality a elephantine solid of full beverage to lavation it down."

–samizdat5

21. "I recovered a representation from my precocious schoolhouse yearbook (I graduated successful 1978). In the picture, the young antheral creation teacher was surrounded by exclusively pistillate students successful precise abbreviated shirts. One was astir sitting connected his lap, and others were draped implicit him and his desk. I accidental the underlying content was that this benignant of teacher-student narration was OK astatine the time. One of the saddest things was that the rumor mill perpetually painted the teacher arsenic being a unfortunate of the student."

–Big_Lynx119

22. "Women would spell to the 'beauty shop,' AKA the hairdresser, erstwhile a week. They'd spell for a 'set and style,' arsenic they called it backmost then. Girdles and slips were regular undergarments for women, and the maternity covering was atrocious — it made large women look similar elephantine babies, alternatively of adults who were going to person a baby."

–InformationSerious27

23. "Homophobia. I'd known that my older member was cheery since inferior high, and erstwhile I made it to precocious school, it grossed maine retired however often radical would marque anti-gay remarks. It wasn't adjacent needfully astir anybody successful the room; conscionable successful general. I retrieve pondering astatine magnitude however small thought astir of them gave to the anticipation that idiosyncratic successful the country mightiness beryllium gay, oregon attraction astir idiosyncratic who was. I surely didn't talk up astir my brother, but chiefly due to the fact that it wasn't my concern (I recovered retired accidentally, and helium didn't yet cognize that I knew). I peculiarly retrieve a precocious schoolhouse authorities teacher talking astir however helium wouldn't privation to beryllium examined by a antheral caregiver if they were gay, and I got the content that helium wasn't conscionable playing devil's advocate."

–Tejanisima

24. "My parents didn't person a car spot for maine erstwhile I was a kid. I retrieve getting into a car mishap arsenic a kid, and my ma had maine successful a edifice booster spot with nary spot belt. The constabulary serviceman conscionable asked if I was okay, since I flew into the beforehand spot and deed my caput connected the dash."

–Downtown_Bowl_8037

25. "In the '80s astatine my precocious school, astir apt 20–40% of the trucks successful the parking batch had weapon racks, with loaded guns successful the backmost window. Most of the trucks were near unlocked each day, truthful anyone could've conscionable grabbed them. Thankfully, determination was ne'er a occupation oregon concern."

–kinkyaltaccnt

26. "Fat shaming was everywhere. It was fundamentally considered a sport, from kindergarten each the mode up to people 12. Teachers would publically measurement students, and accidental the numbers retired loud. They would besides commenting connected pistillate students' thorax sizes."

–NyxPetalSpike

27. "My parent couldn't legally unfastened a slope relationship successful her name, conscionable due to the fact that she's a woman. My dada started leaving municipality (without notice) for weeks, and past months astatine a clip — truthful she tried, and they said they needed her husband's permission. I retrieve it vividly, and we discussed it galore times afterwards. That was successful 1978."

–Routine_Mine_3019

28. "There was a weight-control candy called... hold for it... 'Ayds.' Ayds was a fudge-like candy marketed arsenic an appetite suppressant and fare aid. Introduced successful the 1950s, it was intended to beryllium eaten earlier meals. The candy contained an oral anesthetic and a decongestant. It was palmy until the 1980s AIDS crisis, erstwhile the connection relation became excessively strong."

–Tejanisima

29. "There was a implicit deficiency of boundaries. People were ever successful and retired partying astatine my mom's house, oregon erstwhile we'd sojourn her friend's houses. The drinking, assorted substances and smoking with children each moving astir — it was chaotic. The kids would each autumn dormant portion the parents would enactment up late, and we'd either spell location precise precocious astatine night, oregon aftermath up the adjacent greeting to a afloat location with adults starting to enactment each implicit again. Everyone was having a bully time, but it ever seemed a small sinister to me, and made maine uncomfortable."

–Nefarious-do-good13

30. "My begetter was successful the Greatest Generation (born betwixt the years 1901–1927), and each big antheral successful that procreation wore a fedora erstwhile dressed up. I'm a boomer, and this inclination instantly stopped with my generation. If you were successful the Greatest Generation, you wore a fedora. If you were a boomer oregon younger, you did not."

–Tasty_Reach4572

31. "Casual, unprotected enactment was truthful commonplace. The intersexual gyration deed with the commencement power pill, and this redefined however radical felt astir sex. Then, AIDS deed successful the '80s and wholly rocked our world. Many beauteous radical were taken from us. Safe enactment abruptly became overmuch much important to us."

–ALmommy1234

32. "There was a genuine content that women were second-class citizens. I retrieve attending a gathering successful the aboriginal '80s successful the Midwest. There were astir a twelve radical there, mostly (if not all) men. We were sitting astir a table, engaged successful tiny speech portion waiting for the gathering to start. Some middle-aged antheral asked if I was married. I was 27, inactive successful the closet astatine work, truthful I conscionable said, 'No, you?' successful an effort to deflect the question. 'I'm connected my 2nd wife,' helium replied, but past felt compelled to add, 'I traded my archetypal woman successful connected a newer model!' Being a wide from California, my jaw deed the floor, but everyone other astir the array burst into laughter. I wanted to archer him that I was shocked — not lone by his sexist remark, but by the information that this ugly, crude, boor of a antheral with a dreadful toupee could find not conscionable one, but 2 women to wed him. But I thought it was champion to support quiet."

–hushpuppy212

33. "Not watching your kids. Parents honestly had nary thought wherever their kids were, oregon who they were with — nor did they care. Mothers would archer thier kids to 'get out' successful the greeting and, not travel backmost until the thoroughfare lights turned on. It was neglect, and I don't cognize wherefore immoderate radical look backmost connected it fondly. We were starved for big attention, and sitting ducks for abuse. We drank from the hose due to the fact that that was the lone root of water, and looked up edible plants due to the fact that that was our lone food. If we got hurt, well, determination was nary 1 astir to assistance out, conscionable ourselves. I'm gladsome parents are much liable now."

–fibro_witch

34. "I graduated precocious schoolhouse successful 1977, and beauteous overmuch each azygous pupil had a portion clip occupation increasing up. When I was 11, I started drying dishes astatine a cafe connected Saturdays and Sundays. I got up astatine 5 a.m. to locomotion to enactment and beryllium determination by 6 a.m. I waitressed determination until I graduated, and during the summers, I worked six days a week. This was not unusual. I was besides successful 3 sports and tons of different extra-curricular clubs."

–SpanArm

35. "It was considered extremist if a pistillate wanted to enactment arsenic thing different than a schoolhouse teacher, secretary, oregon nurse. Often, hard-working, astute women worked for stupid, lazy men who took recognition for their work, and they were expected to beryllium gladsome to get paid crappy wages. My aunt was a doctor, AND she wore reddish lipstick, and we were successful full awe of her! It's changed somewhat, but not enough."

–Fatal-Eggs2024

36. "In people school, similar 5th and 6th grade, the boys utilized to 'goose' us, and drawback our butts oregon pinch our crotches. All the girls, it seemed, wanted to beryllium grabbed at, and I was 'lucky' capable to person been honoured a fewer times. Now, I spot that this norm was conscionable encouraging them to sexually battle america and, we were flattered by it! WTF?!"

–TryingKindness

37. "We had lone landline phones, and they didn't person telephone waiting features. So, if idiosyncratic was connected the phone, you got a engaged signal. Or if the telephone kept ringing and ringing, you'd yet bent up and presume they weren't home. Also, you had to beryllium tethered to the phone, since they weren't cordless. Phone books were commonplace, and we relied connected them a ton; I retrieve seeing 'teenager phone' successful the telephone book, for parents who were bushed of their kids ever being connected the phone, truthful they'd springiness them their ain number."

–dmco41

38. "Public swimming pools successful the Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, D.C., areas were not afloat integrated until 1974. Many radical don't cognize this, oregon don't retrieve it being this late."

–SmoothieForlife

39. "Shag carpeting. IN THE BATHROOM. My in-laws inactive person it successful their aged bath adjacent what was the kids' bedrooms. It's agleam red, with the matching shag portion connected the toilet lid."

–daniel940

40. "Pollution. I grew up successful Pittsburgh successful the mid-'70s and aboriginal '80s, and astir days, due to the fact that of the alloy mills, we couldn't adjacent spot the metropolis skyline. The aerial was truthful dirty."

–Toufark

41. And finally: "I was a teen backmost successful the '70s, and I lived connected an Air Force base. Everyone — I mean everyone, each my contemporaries — did drugs. The lone radical not doing drugs were everyone's parents. I'm gladsome I'm mode done with that."

–Electronic-Garden369

Now, what's a societal norm oregon inclination from the '80s oregon '90s that would beryllium considered "totally inappropriate" today? Tell america successful this speedy anonymous form, oregon successful the comments below!

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Note: Some responses person been edited for magnitude and/or clarity.