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I need someone older than 40 to confirm these common experiences from the '60s, '70s, and '80s are actually real, please

BuzzFeed · Apr 12, 2026 10:16 · 6 min read

Smoking was allowed WHERE?! View Entire Post ›

Younger generations are growing up in a world totally different compared to those who grew up before the '90s — technologically, culturally, and socially. And in a decade, we'll all probably look back at the tech we have now and reminisce about how "simple" things used to be. But for now, we'll focus on the present.

Recently, older adults of the BuzzFeed Community shared the unique, everyday experiences from the past that younger people would find difficult to fathom, and as an older Gen Z'er, I can confirm that some of these are quite...strange to hear about. From X-ray machines in shoe departments to bra parties, here are some common experiences from the '60s, '70s, and '80s that adults over 50 are saying don't really exist anymore today:

1."The fluoroscope. It was a live X-ray machine in the shoe department at Sears. You'd put your feet in at the bottom front of this big box-like contraption, the salesperson would turn it on, and looking in through two viewports at the top, you could see all the bones in your feet. The salesperson then used a long pointer to show you your foot problems. Radiation, anyone?"

2."When I was in college, it was totally acceptable to smoke in class."

—Anonymous

3."In my small Texas town in the late '70s, not only did we carry rifles and/or shotguns in our pickups, but we also never locked our vehicles, and usually left the keys in the ignition."

4."Schools had a dress code. Levi's and jeans were not allowed, only slacks. T-shirts weren't allowed, either. Only button-up shirts with collars could be worn, and they had to be buttoned up all the way, except for the top button. Girls were required to wear skirts or dresses that were at least knee-length. A girl suspected of wearing a skirt or dress that was too short had to kneel on the floor, and if the skirt or dress didn't reach the floor, she had to go home and change. But in the winter, girls could wear leggings."

5."I paid $1–3 to go see a movie."

6."Cash registers didn't do the math for you; the 'checker' counted the change back to you like this: 'Your total is $4.76...out of $10...so $4.80, 90, and 5 makes 10! Four pennies, two dimes, and a $5 bill.' We also balanced our own 'drawer' at the end of a shift. Your job depended on being right."

7."You could smoke in the waiting room of a dental office. And in restaurants, they used to have jukeboxes in the booths that cost 25 cents to play three songs. A store called Kresge's used to have a food bar, and you could pop a balloon, and whatever price was inside the balloon would be the price of a banana split."

8."I remember going to a 'bra party.' They would fit you, and much like a nursing bra, the expert would open the front and pull any extra skin, fat, and whatever into the cup and then close it up. Even if you were an AA, you became a C, and your boobs would look as pointed as a torpedo!"

9."In the '50s, high school girls had homemaking class, and boys had autoshop."

10."My best memory is of soda fountains that would make sodas from scratch. They used to make Coke with syrup and soda water, and it was different every time because they would use different amounts of each. My, how things have changed!"

11."In high school, we had dances in the gym called sock hops. You took off your shoes before going in to avoid damaging the basketball court. Dress was casual, and someone would play 45 rpm single records for dance music. It was great. Cokes and popcorn were usually available outside the gym."

—Doug, Maryland

12."I had to request a 'no smoking' room and wing in the hospital when I had my babies!"

13."Many cars didn't have seatbelts, and kids definitely weren't in a car seat."

14."When I was in fifth grade, my teacher would send me across the street to the drugstore to get her indigestion medicine. Also, when I was in second grade, my mama would send me with a list to go two blocks up the street to the neighborhood market. The grocer would fill the list, which included cigarettes, and I'd head back home."

15."S&H Green Stamps. You would receive literal green stamps for purchases at places like the grocery store or gas stations. You'd lick the stamps, stick them in a book, and take them to the store. You could then exchange them for everything, from lawn mowers to hair ties, and if there were any leftover stamps in the book, my mom would let me have them to get toys or treats. I think Green Stamps went away in the '70s."

16."We didn't always lock the doors when we left the house. We didn't lock the car doors, either."

17."A man pushing a cart would come down the street and sharpen your knives or scissors for a small fee. The cart had a gigantic grinding wheel, and he would pedal it to sharpen the objects."

—Anonymous

18."In the late 1950s, Yankee Stadium bleacher seats were 90 cents, and box seats were $3.50."

19."Cars had front-bench seats. You could put three adults or two parents and one child in the front seat. You had lap belts, mostly."

20."Back in the day, kids were considered 'latch-key kids' if the parents gave them a key to enter the home after walking home from school. They then knew to lock the door, make themselves something to eat safely, and not allow any strangers into the home or answer the door if someone came knocking. They'd just do their homework and wait until their parents came back."

—Tawanna, 52, Texas

21."When I was a kid, everyone had all of your friends' and families' phone numbers committed to memory or written in a phone book. We thought nothing of it because cellphones weren't a thing yet."

—Anonymous

22."There were no answering machines back then, so if no one was home, you never knew who might have called. Kids these days will never know what it was like to be truly disconnected."

23."We used to have only three TV channels, and TV dinners back then would take 40 minutes to an hour of cooking."

24.Lastly: "When you reported for work, you had to write the time in and out each day on a timesheet. There were no time clocks or computers to clock in and out."

—Anonymous

Smoking in the hospital and the dentist's office is WILD. If you're an older adult, what's a common, everyday experience from back in the day that would have younger generations completely, utterly baffled or shocked? Let us know in the comments, or you can anonymously submit your thoughts using the form below!

Note: Some submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.

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I need someone older than 40 to confirm these common experiences from the '60s, '70s, and '80s are actually real, please

2."When I was in college, it was totally acceptable to smoke in class."

3."In my small Texas town in the late '70s, not only did we carry rifles and/or shotguns in our pickups, but we also never locked our vehicles, and usually left the keys in the ignition."

5."I paid $1–3 to go see a movie."

6."Cash registers didn't do the math for you; the 'checker' counted the change back to you like this: 'Your total is $4.76...out of $10...so $4.80, 90, and 5 makes 10! Four pennies, two dimes, and a $5 bill.' We also balanced our own 'drawer' at the end of a shift. Your job depended on being right."

8."I remember going to a 'bra party.' They would fit you, and much like a nursing bra, the expert would open the front and pull any extra skin, fat, and whatever into the cup and then close it up. Even if you were an AA, you became a C, and your boobs would look as pointed as a torpedo!"

9."In the '50s, high school girls had homemaking class, and boys had autoshop."

10."My best memory is of soda fountains that would make sodas from scratch. They used to make Coke with syrup and soda water, and it was different every time because they would use different amounts of each. My, how things have changed!"

11."In high school, we had dances in the gym called sock hops. You took off your shoes before going in to avoid damaging the basketball court. Dress was casual, and someone would play 45 rpm single records for dance music. It was great. Cokes and popcorn were usually available outside the gym."

12."I had to request a 'no smoking' room and wing in the hospital when I had my babies!"

13."Many cars didn't have seatbelts, and kids definitely weren't in a car seat."

16."We didn't always lock the doors when we left the house. We didn't lock the car doors, either."

17."A man pushing a cart would come down the street and sharpen your knives or scissors for a small fee. The cart had a gigantic grinding wheel, and he would pedal it to sharpen the objects."

18."In the late 1950s, Yankee Stadium bleacher seats were 90 cents, and box seats were $3.50."

19."Cars had front-bench seats. You could put three adults or two parents and one child in the front seat. You had lap belts, mostly."

21."When I was a kid, everyone had all of your friends' and families' phone numbers committed to memory or written in a phone book. We thought nothing of it because cellphones weren't a thing yet."

22."There were no answering machines back then, so if no one was home, you never knew who might have called. Kids these days will never know what it was like to be truly disconnected."

23."We used to have only three TV channels, and TV dinners back then would take 40 minutes to an hour of cooking."

24.Lastly: "When you reported for work, you had to write the time in and out each day on a timesheet. There were no time clocks or computers to clock in and out."

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Search Everything in One Place

I need someone older than 40 to confirm these common experiences from the '60s, '70s, and '80s are actually real, please

2."When I was in college, it was totally acceptable to smoke in class."

3."In my small Texas town in the late '70s, not only did we carry rifles and/or shotguns in our pickups, but we also never locked our vehicles, and usually left the keys in the ignition."

5."I paid $1–3 to go see a movie."

8."I remember going to a 'bra party.' They would fit you, and much like a nursing bra, the expert would open the front and pull any extra skin, fat, and whatever into the cup and then close it up. Even if you were an AA, you became a C, and your boobs would look as pointed as a torpedo!"

9."In the '50s, high school girls had homemaking class, and boys had autoshop."

10."My best memory is of soda fountains that would make sodas from scratch. They used to make Coke with syrup and soda water, and it was different every time because they would use different amounts of each. My, how things have changed!"

11."In high school, we had dances in the gym called sock hops. You took off your shoes before going in to avoid damaging the basketball court. Dress was casual, and someone would play 45 rpm single records for dance music. It was great. Cokes and popcorn were usually available outside the gym."

12."I had to request a 'no smoking' room and wing in the hospital when I had my babies!"

13."Many cars didn't have seatbelts, and kids definitely weren't in a car seat."

16."We didn't always lock the doors when we left the house. We didn't lock the car doors, either."

17."A man pushing a cart would come down the street and sharpen your knives or scissors for a small fee. The cart had a gigantic grinding wheel, and he would pedal it to sharpen the objects."

18."In the late 1950s, Yankee Stadium bleacher seats were 90 cents, and box seats were $3.50."

19."Cars had front-bench seats. You could put three adults or two parents and one child in the front seat. You had lap belts, mostly."

21."When I was a kid, everyone had all of your friends' and families' phone numbers committed to memory or written in a phone book. We thought nothing of it because cellphones weren't a thing yet."

22."There were no answering machines back then, so if no one was home, you never knew who might have called. Kids these days will never know what it was like to be truly disconnected."

23."We used to have only three TV channels, and TV dinners back then would take 40 minutes to an hour of cooking."

24.Lastly: "When you reported for work, you had to write the time in and out each day on a timesheet. There were no time clocks or computers to clock in and out."

Related News