What Was Considered Normal in the 1980s and 1990s That Is Frowned Upon Now? People Responded.

Stuff changes in a hurry.

Things that were totally acceptable only 10 years ago are now looked at in a bad light, so you can only imagine how things from the 1980s and 1990s are viewed today.

Take a look at what AskReddit users had to say about this.

Shoulder pads in women’s jackets

S**king sections in restaurants was still happening in the early 90’s.

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.

Walking up to a stranger’s house and asking to use the phone.

S**king in high school. We were allowed to s**ke 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!

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?’

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.

Finding cocaine packets in my bartending tip jar

Kids riding in the back of pickup trucks! 20 miles down the highway with me and neighbor’s kid in tow…no problem.

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.”

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 d**nk, 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 d**nk friend supervised my driving.

S**king in front of children, babies and even pregnant women.

Showing up unannounced.

Drinking alcohol WHILE driving and kids in the trunk.

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.

Cigarette vending machines.

I remember them being in restaurants next to the newspaper box.

Saying goodbye/meeting someone AT the gate in an airport.

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.

Gay jokes on TV.

Implying a character was gay was a constant joke for years.

Yeah, that’s not a thing anymore.

Halloween is coming.

Some guys in my high school dressed as KKK members with their black friend as a slave in chains.

A picture of them was in the yearbook.

I sh%t you not.

S**king areas for kids at high school.

I mean… what?!

Getting a job right out of high school.

Manufacturing industry used to be one of the better career options: Job security and growth, union wages, trained on the job, etc.

Since manufacturing fell out, you now need a college degree to do anything…

Whenever I fell asleep in the car my family would just leave me in there while they did whatever and let me sleep whether it was 100 degrees or if it was winter.

Sometimes they’d expect me to meet them where they were when I woke up, like in the store or in the house from the garage. That would 100% not fly today

TV-Shows with three minute long intros introducing the cast with a full fledged theme song and maybe a summary what happened at the last episode.

Allowing your kids 8-12 years old to go play in the woods by themselves and just ringing a dinner bell when you need them home.

I had to take all my calculus exams with s**kers on either side of me and one in front of me in assigned auditorium seating.

The worst thing was that they didn’t actually s**ke them, mostly just lit them and let them smolder in the built in ash trays in the seats, which makes way more noxious s**ke than if they inhale it and then exhale.

We weren’t allowed to complain about it because we were expected to understand that the exam was stressful and s**king helped them calm down.

No concerns at all for how it made us non-s**kers feel – we were told to shut up and not complain because it was their right to s**ke

Answering the phone with no idea who’s calling.

S**ual assault used as slapstick comedy in movies.

Finding old p*rn mags hidden in the woods behind your buddy’s house.

Being asked “Do you want Regular or Unleaded”?

No seatbelts!

I remember being a young kid sitting on my knees in the front seat because I couldn’t see out of the window, no seatbelt.

But I remember when my parents started using the seatbelt and having me always wear one.

I’m very conscious of wearing a seatbelt and following the recommendations for car/booster seats for my kid.

But I do think it’s sad she’ll never have the front seat experience I did.

Also, putting your kid on your lap while driving seemed common to me.

I remember when Britney Spears was blasted for doing that, only then did I realize how stupid it was.

Unhealthy school lunches. My school lunches would consist of a mini-sip, bologna sandwich on white bread and a Vachon cake.

S**king around kids. Adults s**ked in the car and the house all the time.

Letting kids hurt themselves while playing. We had some dangerous toys (lawn darts, metal swings). Kids would also build their own bridges and ramps for our bikes that we rode without helmets.

Unbelted kids in vehicles. Kids would be in the back seat without car seats or safety belts. Riding in the back of a pickup truck was normal.

Free Range parenting.

From about the age of 8-13, my parents had no idea where I was unless it was school. The only requirement was to not be late for dinner, and to return home when the street lights came on.

I would be off on Tom Sawyer adventures with my friends. We would ride our bikes straight out of town sometimes. Sometimes we would find a bike or walking trail through the woods and just follow it to see where it went. Finding a new creek, pond, bmx bike trail, treehouse, or pr0n stash in the woods was like finding money.

School buses were a lot less common in the 80’s. Most kids just walked home. You’d see kids as young as 6 or 7 walking by themselves home from school. It’s just crazy to think about. Now, society isn’t trusted to allow a 10 or 12 year old to walk by themselves home. School buses are everywhere.

I suppose it could be the development of the area, but I get the impression it is a societal change.

I’d still give my kids dangerous toys, btw.

Good thing I don’t have kids! lol