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Looking back, there are quite a few things that we did in the 80s and 90s that would drop people’s jaws – I mean, the amount of hairspray we shot into the ozone alone is enough to terrorize a modern day, eco-conscious teen.
If nostalgia is your bag, these 17 recollections of what was totally cool a few decades ago will take you right back.
17. Because you didn’t have one in your pocket.
Walking up to a stranger’s house and asking to use the phone.
16. I think vaping is bringing this back.
Smoking in high school. We were allowed to smoke out back of nearly every exit.
When it was too cold or raining, we were allowed to use the loading docks.
And they let us paint an entire wall in one of the cafeterias with album covers.
30+ years later, the artwork remains!
15. Those were the days.
My father was a bank manager in the early 1980s and had a drinks cabinet in his office.
A meeting would often begin with, ‘Drink? Whisky and soda?’
14. Totally traumatic.
Losing your phone number when you moved, or when the phone company decided your town needed a new area code.
In the same ballpark as that, only having to dial 7 digits to call someone local.
13. This could go either way.
Finding cocaine packets in my bartending tip jar
12. Those were the days.
Kids riding in the back of pickup trucks! 20 miles down the highway with me and neighbor’s kid in tow…no problem.
11. They’d bat an eye now.
I bought cigarettes for my parents and grandparents ALL. THE. TIME.
“Baby, run up to Laurie’s (local IGA) and get me some Salem’s/Winstons/Benson and Hedges” was a daily order at my house.
Nobody batted an eye at a seven year old walking half a mile through a decent neighborhood and buying cigarettes, probably because it was a small, safe community and they knew I was “making errands” for “Miz Walls.”
10. Sounds like a great night.
Late 90’s, I went in a bar with my dad and his friends. Reason being the state allowed it, so I was told, and this was out in the middle of nowhere, 5 miles from a campground my dad’s friend owned.
They gave me quarters, I played pool with a random drunk, played some darts, drank some free cokes and it was then time to get back to the campground.
Dad’s friend, “You’ve drank less, you drive.”
I’m 14.
“It’s fine, the only cops on duty are in the station watching the college game, we’ll be fine.”
So heading back, instead of me riding in the bed, it was my dad while his drunk friend supervised my driving.
9. The rules were a bit lax.
Smoking in front of children, babies and even pregnant women.
Showing up unannounced.
Drinking alcohol WHILE driving and kids in the trunk.
8. Vintage shaming.
Posting BIG signs next to the registers in every store for everyone to see, “do not accept checks from….”
You’d be the talk of town if you wrote a bad check then.
Of course, most people use debit cards, but still, there was some serious public shaming in the 80s that was considered normal.
7. Pretty much everywhere.
Cigarette vending machines.
I remember them being in restaurants next to the newspaper box.
6. It was definitely more sentimental.
Saying goodbye/meeting someone AT the gate in an airport.
5. I do not remember that.
My BFF’s mom explained that teen pregnancy was so prevalent in her community in the 80s, that the girls who wanted to earn their diploma would bring their babies and toddlers to high school.
Classrooms had a couple of cradles, and the school had several ladies that would hang out in hallways and act as “soothers” for crying babies.
The community was too poor to provide alternative school or daycare.
4. What was UP with those?
Shoulder pads in women’s jackets
3. Can’t say I miss them.
Smoking sections in restaurants was still happening in the early 90’s.
2. Kids had skills.
Every family party my Grandparents asked me to bartend.
These parties always had around 50 relatives and I knew how to pour most Aunties and Uncles whiskey, vodka, tia maria, you name it.
I started at 7years old.
Australian BBQs were pretty amazing back in the day.
1. How else would you know whether or not they wanted to play?
Just showing up to someone’s house.
Now that kind of thing seems unacceptable because of how easy it is to communicate.
It was simpler, in some ways, but probably only because we didn’t know what we do now.
What would you add to this list, my fellow Xennials?
Let’s reminisce together in the comments!
