"When It First Came Out In The '90s, People Were Aghast": Older Adults Are Revealing The "Social Deviances" From The Past That Made People Angry With Rage
As time goes on, things in our culture can drastically change in a blink of an eye. What was once considered wildly weird back in the '60s or '70s may be considered incredibly normal in 2025. So when Reddit user oldguy76205 asked: "What's something outrageous at the time that's now normal?" in the r/AskOldPeople subReddit, people shared their own experiences. Here's what they said below.
1."Tattoos and colored hair."
"Yes, and I remember when I was in junior high school (in the ''60s), a group of several high school guys came to school one day with their hair dyed bleach blonde. The Principal gathered them all in his office, and they were sent home."
2."News anchors offering their opinion during a newscast except during the last two minutes of a program under the label 'opinion' with the disclaimer: 'Not the opinion of this station.'"
"Yep, I remember that you had NO idea of the anchors' or the reporters' politics."
3."The use of the 'F word' on bumper stickers and flags flying over people's houses. I remember when this would get you pulled over by the police."
"No one would have worn a T-shirt with any kind of obscenity on it. People would have been shocked that someone was parading around wearing something that children could read. No one cursed on TV. That changed with cable TV."
4."Interracial dating."
"It was definitely an issue with my parents when, 40 years ago, I went to my parents' home with a white woman and announced we were married. My dad said, 'Your wife' in a disgusted tone and walked away, and my mother asked, 'What color would the babies be?' The strange thing was that after my father passed away, my mother absolutely doted on our daughter."
5."Selling bottled water. I clearly remember the first time that showed up in a store... and it just sat there in the cooler forever."
"On an episode of Leave It To Beaver, he was selling water to everyone because the water had been shut off, and someone remarked that they could never imagine that people would pay for water, lol."
6."Women getting credit cards."
7."Gay marriage."
"Yes. Back in the '60s and early '70s, homosexuality was actually labeled as 'Deviant Sexual Behavior,' even in the Psychology textbook I had for a Psychology 101 undergrad class I took in college in the early '70s."
8."I remember watching the show Three's Company back in 1980 or so. The entire premise of the show was based on the fact that a single guy was roommates with two women. It even went so far as to hide the dude's sexuality (he pretended to be gay around the landlord) so that he wouldn't get in trouble."
9."Seatbelt laws."
"In the '80s, I used to have to tell some of my friends 'to put the seatbelt on, or we're not going anywhere."
One guy refused, and that ended the friendship. Whatever."
10."$4 for Starbucks when coffee at a diner or McDonald’s was under $1. When it first came out in the '90s, people were aghast. Now, we pay $8 for a latte everywhere."
"A chain restaurant in my hometown went out of business because locals were scandalized over the thought of paying $6 for a cheeseburger."
11."A President selling cars at the White House."
12."Women wearing pants."
"In 1984, I started my first real job out of college; I wore suits with a mix of pants and skirts. I would get anonymous notes on my desk that wearing pants was inappropriate, and it was also feedback in my first performance review."
13."Almost everyone smoked cigarettes. I remember how we all swore we'd quit if the price ever hit a buck a pack. Now, where I live, cigarettes cost $1 each. Not many people smoke anymore around here."
"My mom said that when she started smoking in college, she and her friends swore they’d give it up when the price hit 35 cents a pack. Spoiler alert: she smoked for decades and only managed to quit after many, many failed attempts."
14."I remember seeing a news clip about these new hand-held portable phones that everyone in Finland had, and how weird it was that they sat around staring at them."
"I remember hearing about how they were 'texting' and thought that was such a weird thing. Or people in Japan paying for items with their phone; now that was weird."
15."Leggings. My mother was absolutely convinced that they were only 'slut' clothes, and I was not allowed to wear them, primarily because Madonna wore them with a lace trim at the bottom. And after 'Like A Virgin,' of course, anything Madonna was whore fodder."
16."Older women getting married. I remember the Matron of the hospital where I was a nurse who ran off with one of the surgeons, and they got married. Everyone was appalled. She must have been at least forty."
"This had to be in the late '60s; I remember my mother and her girlfriends gossiping about a woman in our town who was getting married. They acted as if she was ancient and that she was so lucky some poor man took pity on her and finally married her. She was 30 years old. She had a great job and had done some traveling, but they acted as if she was an ugly wench. Those awful women (my mom included) made a huge impact on my life, and I rushed to get married when I was 26 because I thought I was behind."
17."Microwave ovens."
"When microwaves first came out, they were very expensive and rather large. Most sat on separate rolling carts that had to be rolled into position to get the plug close to an outlet. It wasn’t until later, when microwaves got to be counter-sized and less expensive that most people began to buy them, and they started showing up in company break rooms and convenience stores."
18."I’m only 36, but online dating was considered low class and shameful back in my late teens/early 20s. Now, a lot of people meet that way."
19."Expensive concert tickets. Remember when Pearl Jam and Nirvana battled with Ticketmaster?"
"I used to see a band nearly every weekend — not THAT long ago either. I'm talking about Suede, QOTSA, Blur, White Stripes, and Stone Roses. A gig ticket and a few beers were perfectly affordable."
20."Very pregnant women displaying their baby bump in the street without a top. Now, it is normal."
"Those fucking tents we had to wear!"
21."People don't dress up as much for events anymore. I remember having to change from school clothes to play clothes as soon as I got home. I remember seeing no one in shorts at graduation ceremonies and such things back then but have since."
"There was more of a 'sense of occasion.' People dressed up a bit if they had to go to an office, a doctor, etc. People put on nicer clothes to attend a school play or concert or a restaurant for a sit-down meal, even if it was a diner. No one would have let their kids show up in church wearing a soccer uniform. I miss that. It was fun to get specially dressed and it made the occasion seem special too."
Older adults, share with us the things that were once considered outrageous that are now super popular in the comments below.
