When Everyday Behavior Was Scandalous
Can you imagine getting scolded for calling your neighbor by their first name? What about wearing jeans to dinner? Say what you will about boomer mentality, but 50 years ago, everyday etiquette looked quite different. Of course, not every family followed the same rules, but many grew up with expectations that seem unnecessarily strict to today’s kids. Come with us as we explore 20 ordinary habits that would've made your grandparents’ heads spin.
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1. Calling Adults By Their First Names
Addressing your friend's mom as Susan might seem fine today, but for parents in the 1970s, you were basically raised in a barn. Children were expected to use Mr., Mrs., or Miss unless an adult specifically invited them to do otherwise. Even if you got the green light, it was hard to drop the formalities.
2. Eating While Walking Down the Street
Nowadays, eating a sandwich on your way to work is par for the course. However, traditional etiquette really frowned upon eating in public while walking, particularly in settings where respectable adults were expected to maintain a professional appearance. A woman strolling down the sidewalk with a hot dog might've attracted some disapproving looks.
3. Discussing Your Salary
Employees in today’s offices are more than happy to discuss salary—and they’re even happier to negotiate higher paychecks because of it. 50 years ago, though, personal finances were private business, and asking someone about them could've been interpreted as just plain nosy. It wasn’t just your career, either; cars, medical bills, and home repairs were also off the table.
4. Wearing Jeans to a Nice Restaurant
Denim has become so fashionable that people wear expensive jeans to upscale restaurants. No one bats an eye now, but back in the 1970s, many establishments had stricter dress codes. Arriving in blue jeans often meant being turned away at the door.
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5. Putting Your Feet on the Furniture
Cozying up on someone's couch doesn't earn you a death stare these days (at least, not in every home). In stricter households, however, putting your shoes on upholstered furniture or stretching out on the coffee table was a serious breach of good manners.
6. Addressing Your Boss Casually
Oh, you thought parents were the only limits? Guess again! In many offices in the 1970s, employees were expected to maintain professional distance and address senior colleagues by surname and title. Referring to the company president as Bob was an embarrassing mistake.
7. Applying Makeup in Public
We’re busy women on the go! We don’t have time to paint our faces before rushing out of the house, and no one cares anymore. They used to, though. Older etiquette often insisted that women should excuse themselves to the ladies' room before checking for lipstick on their teeth or applying some foundation.
8. Saying No to Food Someone Offers You
Today, most people understand preferences and boundaries. Older homes weren’t as gung-ho about all that. Refusing a dish was interpreted as an insult to the host, particularly if you didn't offer a convincing explanation. Next thing you know, you’re eating pie whether you want it or not.
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9. Drinking Straight From a Bottle
Nobody thinks twice about someone drinking water directly from the bottle. However, more formal social expectations discouraged gulping straight from their containers, especially when guests were present. It was all about pouring your soda into a glass.
10. Wearing a Hat Inside
Some boomers still lose their minds over this one! We all know that baseball caps have become such ordinary accessories that people wear them in restaurants, classrooms, and even offices. Not grandparents, though. Forgetting to take yours off could've earned you an immediate scolding.
11. Asking Someone Their Age
There’s a reason some women joke that it’s rude to ask about their age. Back in the day, it was! Traditional etiquette discouraged asking adults anything about those birthday candles, especially women; the question was considered unnecessarily personal.
12. Splitting the Restaurant Bill
Going Dutch on a dinner date is now a common arrangement, but 50 years ago, that duty fell into a man’s lap. Dating expectations generally assumed that the man would front the bill when he invited a woman out. Suggesting that she cover half the check was something that earned you a drink in the face at worst, and a foregone second date at best.
13. Chewing Gum During a Conversation
Hey—spit that out when you’re talking to people! There’s nothing grosser than chatting with anything in your mouth, even if it’s a stick of gum. Some older parents also considered it so improper that children were expected to dispose of their gum before entering someone's home.
14. Bringing Coffee Into a Meeting
Remember what we said about being busy people on the go? That applies to coffee, too. Walking into a meeting with a large iced latte has become the norm, though it never used to be. In more formal workplaces, employees weren't encouraged to arrive with personal refreshments, and sitting across from an exec while sipping from a takeout cup was unnecessarily casual.
15. Leaving the Dinner Table Whenever You Want
Most kids today don't ask permission before getting up from a family dinner. Yeah, well, that wasn’t the case 50 years ago. Many children were taught to say, "May I please be excused?" before leaving, even if they'd finished every veggie on their plates.
16. Going Out With Wet Hair
We know it sounds insane that people ever got upset over this, but leaving the house with freshly washed hair was once considered sloppy. It was even worse if you were on your way to church, to visit relatives, or going somewhere formal.
17. Discussing Personal Problems at Dinner
If people didn’t talk about money, they definitely didn’t talk about digestive troubles, medical procedures, and bodily functions. Dinner etiquette discouraged detailed conversations about all that, so describing your recent stomach problems would've been a reliable way to upset a proper hostess.
18. Helping Yourself to Someone's Fridge
No one really cares if their best friend pops into the fridge for leftovers, but that was a giant no-no back in the day. In more traditional households, guests were expected to wait for an offering—you certainly didn’t help yourself to whatever looked good. Even reaching into a cupboard for a glass without permission was a little too familiar.
19. Wearing Sunglasses During a Conversation
Keeping your sunglasses on is hardly an issue now, and most tolerate it indoors, too. But if you ever try to pull that with a boomer, they’ll undoubtedly complain. Older adults interpret hidden eyes as a sign that someone wasn't giving them their full attention, so unless you want their contempt, you might as well remove them.
20. Leaving Without Saying Goodbye to Everyone
The so-called Irish goodbye has become a popular way to escape a crowded party without spending another half hour making small talk. However, in more formal social circles 50 years ago, slipping away without thanking the host and acknowledging important guests was terribly discourteous.
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