These decades were a strange cocktail of postwar optimism, social upheaval, and almost zero awareness of boundaries, safety, or long-term consequences. What passed as normal back then would spark outrage—and probably a lawsuit—today.
From chain-smoking indoors to dangerous parenting choices disguised as freedom, these were the norms that defined a generation. But hindsight is 20/20, and what once felt casual now reads as how did anyone survive that? Here are the behaviors that used to be totally acceptable—and are now completely unthinkable.
1. Smoking Everywhere Without A Thought For Anyone
Airplanes, restaurants, hospitals, office buildings—smoking wasn’t just allowed, it was expected. Doctors lit up at their desks. Pregnant women smoked through entire conversations with zero side-eye. As detailed by Rey Abogado in their comprehensive timeline of indoor smoking laws, smoking was once widely accepted and prevalent in public places such as offices, restaurants, and hospitals throughout the early 20th century.
Today, lighting a cigarette indoors would get you fined, shamed, or escorted out. Back then? It was a lifestyle. No ashtray? Use a Styrofoam cup.
2. Driving Without Seatbelts Or Car Seats
Kids rode in the front seat, sat on laps, or lay stretched out in the back of station wagons like tiny human luggage. Forget five-point harnesses—if you had a seatbelt, it was buried under the upholstery. And no one used it.
Car safety laws weren’t enforced until the mid-1980s. Until then, every road trip was a high-stakes gamble. Somehow, that was just “family time.”
3. Slapping Kids In Public
If you got out of line at the grocery store, you might get a slap to the face, and no one blinked. Teachers could paddle students with wooden boards. Discipline wasn’t questioned; it was applauded.
Corporal punishment was seen as responsible parenting. Now? It’s a call to Child Protective Services. We don’t parent like that anymore—and thank God. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), corporal punishment increases children’s behavioral problems over time and has no positive outcomes. The WHO explains that corporal punishment triggers harmful psychological and physiological responses, including pain, fear, and stress, and is linked to changes in brain structure and function similar to those seen in more severe abuse.
4. Making Casual Sexist Comments
“Sweetheart, grab me a coffee.” “You’re too pretty to be this smart.” Offices in the ’70s ran on Mad Men energy—and no, that wasn’t satire.
Sexual harassment policies barely existed, and women were often expected to smile through it all. Today, that behavior would be an HR scandal. Back then, it was just “office culture.”
5. Drinking On The Job
A lunchtime martini wasn’t just normal—it was stylish. People brought bourbon to meetings, sipped Scotch while typing reports, and kept flasks in their desk drawers. No one thought it was weird. Research by the BBC on the fading workplace drinking culture offers a clear overview of how alcohol consumption at work, once a sign of status and functionality, has become increasingly unacceptable in modern professional environments.
Today’s workplace would implode if someone cracked open a cold one during a Zoom call. In the ’70s? It meant you were an executive. Or just functional.
6. Letting Kids Roam Unsupervised All Day
You left the house at 9 a.m., came back when the streetlights turned on, and no adult asked where you were in between. No phones, no tracking, no check-ins. Just bikes, creeks, and the honor system.
It wasn’t neglect—it was “building independence.” Today, the same behavior might be labeled child endangerment. The ‘70s were a free-range childhood experiment with no safety net.
7. Hitchhiking Without Fear
Thumb out, smile on, and a stranger pulls over to give you a ride. That was just how people got around. Young women did it. Teenagers did it. Everyone did it.
As noted on Wikipedia, hitchhiking has seen a steady decline since the 1970s due to increased fear of strangers, changes in travel options, and safety concerns amplified by media portrayals and real incidents. Today, we know better. The rise of true crime stories and safety awareness has completely changed how we view that kind of risk. Back then, it was an adventure. Now, it’s a Dateline episode waiting to happen.
8. Using Racial Slurs In Conversation
Terms that are now universally recognized as offensive were once part of everyday dialogue—on TV, at the dinner table, in the workplace. People didn’t just use them—they defended them. “It’s just how we talk.”
Today, those words are understood as deeply harmful. We know language shapes reality. Back then, it shaped silence and normalized harm.
9. Advertising Cigarettes To Kids
Cartoon mascots, candy-flavored cigarettes, and “starter packs” made smoking look like child’s play. Tobacco companies marketed directly to teens and preteens with no shame. It wasn’t subtle—it was strategic.
The Marlboro Man and Joe Camel weren’t just mascots—they were recruitment tools. Today, those ads would be banned in minutes. In the ’70s, they were on billboards and Saturday morning cartoons.
10. Treating Mental Illness Like A Dirty Secret
Depression, anxiety, or trauma weren’t discussed openly. Therapy was something rich people did in secret—or a sign you’d “gone crazy.” People self-medicated, stayed silent, or were institutionalized without real support.
Mental health awareness was decades away. Today, we recognize that silence can be fatal. Back then, it was a survival strategy disguised as stoicism.
11. Catcalling Without Consequence
Leering at women, making comments about their bodies, and calling it “just a compliment” was standard behavior. Men weren’t taught boundaries—they were taught entitlement. And women were expected to smile through it.
Today, catcalling is recognized as harassment. But in the ’70s, it was so normal that women had to plan outfits around avoiding attention. Consent wasn’t even part of the conversation.
12. Smoking And Drinking While Pregnant
There are photos of pregnant women sipping cocktails and chain-smoking at baby showers. Not because they were rebellious, but because no one thought it was dangerous. The research wasn’t widely accepted or was ignored altogether.
Today, this would spark public outrage. In the ’60s and ’70s? It was just another day of “treating yourself.”
13. Making Fun of LGBTQ+ People
Queer characters were almost always the punchline—effeminate, villainous, or completely erased. TV shows and movies made homophobia seem like harmless humor. It was more mockery than representation.
Today’s media still has work to do, but we’ve come a long way from using identity as a joke. In the past, there were no consequences for it. Now, there’s at least a conversation.
