Things you just knew were just wrong, wrong, wrong, when you were a little kid
This is a companion thread to "Things you thought were the height of elegance, when you were a little kid" thread. This one won't be as good as that one, but it's here so we don't have to sully the elegant one with some of the déclassé things that were perpetrated against our young sensibilities.
In the mid-70s, our living room had a long wall of 12-inch-square mirrors, imbued with veins of gold, above the wainscoting. I was not even tall enough to see my reflection in them when this home improvement was completed, but apparently announced, with some disapproval, that it looked like a place where hippies would hold a concert.
by Anonymous | reply 228 | May 22, 2020 10:12 PM
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Double-knit polyester. And it was simply EVERYWHERE when I was 10.
by Anonymous | reply 1 | November 10, 2015 9:37 PM
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Sending my nice tabby "alley cat" Tiger to the shelter so my Italian stepmom could adopt a blue eyed seal point Siamese cat with eye color she WISHED she was born with
by Anonymous | reply 3 | November 10, 2015 9:52 PM
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Felt banners and polyester vestments with pictures of grapes in church.
by Anonymous | reply 4 | November 10, 2015 9:53 PM
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Shag carpeting.
And no, I'm not referring to Playboy centerfolds in the 70s.
by Anonymous | reply 6 | November 10, 2015 10:00 PM
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Uncle Mark touching my no-no place.
by Anonymous | reply 7 | November 10, 2015 10:01 PM
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Awwww R3...that is such an awful feeling. My parents "returned" a dog that was sweet but did things like digging up gardens or running through wet cement like a cartoon caricature. The shelter was the first (quick) stop on our road trip to Reno (something else I found dirty and tacky at a young age). My mom breezily assured me that a lady wanted to adopt him but I knew that day she was a lying manipulator.
by Anonymous | reply 8 | November 10, 2015 10:02 PM
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When I was little and flew in an airplane, which I loved to do, we flew over the clouds and I noticed there were neither the souls of dead people nor Care Bears anywhere in sight.
by Anonymous | reply 9 | November 10, 2015 10:02 PM
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THIS kind of 'artwork'. It was all over our house.
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 11 | November 10, 2015 10:07 PM
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My father's second wife redecorated his house (a beautifully restored saltbox built in the early 1800s) in a combination of Miami Vice and Plaza di Napoli Pizza Barn n' Miniature Golf. One bathroom had wallpaper with huge flocked-velvet poppies; another had gold fixtures and a mural of a brick-outlined window looking out over fields of wildflowers with the Leaning Tower of Pisa off in the distance. The kitchen was mauve and gray with fake ivy decorating the top of the cabinets, and the dining room was floor-to-ceiling stark white and chrome.
by Anonymous | reply 12 | November 10, 2015 10:12 PM
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Those motherfucking "Love Is..." comics with the nude kids.
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 13 | November 10, 2015 10:16 PM
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R3's stepmother is burning in hell as we speak.
R7 never grew out of the infantilized state in which Uncle Mark left him. He thinks "no-no place" is a phrase used by adults.
by Anonymous | reply 15 | November 10, 2015 10:42 PM
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I'm the guy from the other thread who kept the car windows closed in the Summer (1960's) so people thought we had air-conditioning.
Ordered the record club thing off the TV around 1970: 10 albums for $1.00. All you had to do was agree to buy so many other LP's at regular club prices over the course of the year. If you didn't order anything, selections would be made for you and you'd be billed.
The records showed up about week before we moved and we never had to buy anything at "regular club prices".
by Anonymous | reply 16 | November 10, 2015 10:42 PM
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My feelings for other boys. They were something I just knew was wrong so I tried not to have them.
by Anonymous | reply 17 | November 10, 2015 10:51 PM
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Frozen dinners.
HS and college football.
Skiing at Hunter Mtn
dry shampoo
"hygiene" spray and scented vaginal douches
all cheap perfume sold at the drugstore
by Anonymous | reply 18 | November 10, 2015 10:58 PM
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Once when very little, I wanted some toy and asked my mother while at the store. She said no, then thought for a moment, then took it from me and hid it in her coat. I had never seen her do something like this, and I was too young to know what the word stealing meant, but I knew it was wrong, and seeing my mother do it upset me enough to make me nauseated.
by Anonymous | reply 20 | November 10, 2015 11:02 PM
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I am white and grew up in a completely white community, around the age of 13 my family took a vacation to Washington DC. My Mother and I were on an elevator in a Washington Hotel, everyone on the elevator was chatting and joking around and very pleasant. When we got off the elevator my mother said to me, "I have never been so scared in my life" I was completely puzzled it was an enjoyable ride all the people were happy and joking. So I asked why, she said "we were the only white people on that elevator" that day I realize that my mother who was a very nice and pleasant person was a racist.
by Anonymous | reply 21 | November 10, 2015 11:04 PM
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OP those "12-inch-square mirrors, imbued with veins of gold" are one of the very few 70s decor that I liked and still like.
by Anonymous | reply 22 | November 10, 2015 11:06 PM
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[quote]12-inch-square mirrors, imbued with veins of gold
Our neighbors had that in their living room along with the lady in the rain dripping oil lamp thing. They had deep shag and an a 70s Mediterranean living room set with portraits of conquistadors hanging above the couch. The chain-smoking dad kept copies of Playboy, Penthouse and Oui magazines casually strewn about the family room as if they were TV Guides (my dad kept his few Playboys tastefully hidden away in his dresser). I knew something was really wrong about that house but it was a lot of fun to visit.
by Anonymous | reply 23 | November 10, 2015 11:14 PM
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[quote]My feelings for other boys. They were something I just knew was wrong so I tried not to have them.
When I first noticed my attraction to other boys, I had never heard of homosexuality, I didn't know it existed. So when I realized that I was attracted to boys, and since I had always been told I would grow up and fall in love with a woman, I thought I was special. I had been granted to ability to love everyone, I thought I had been given a special gift, however I didn't tell anyone not because I was ashamed but because I thought no one would believe me.
I first learned of the word Homosexual in 1967. I saw in the TV Guide there was going to be a CBS Reports story on "The Homosexuals" that was when I learned how hated homosexuals were. I wanted so bad to see that show, but it was after my bed time on a school night, and I doubt my parents would have let me watch it anyway.
by Anonymous | reply 24 | November 10, 2015 11:15 PM
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My mother had my father put up a bronze eagle with red, white, and blue painted bunting over our front door. With the house and front yard already adorned with planters, flag poles, feeders and such, the eagle was one questionable object too many for my taste. I told my parents the house was "starting to look like a done-up trailer." They laughed and never forgot the remark, but the bronze eagle stayed.
by Anonymous | reply 25 | November 10, 2015 11:15 PM
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Adults drinking at 11 o'clock in the morning.
by Anonymous | reply 26 | November 10, 2015 11:25 PM
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Plastic covers on the living room furniture.
Hamburger patties as a main course, either totally plain or with Cream of Mushroom soup over it.
The fashions of the early 1970s. Disco was a huge improvement, believe it or not!
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 27 | November 10, 2015 11:25 PM
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My original post didn't go through, so I'll try again.
My father gave his second wife free rein to decorate his beautifully restored saltbox. She had the kitchen torn out and redone with pale gray cabinetry, mauve countertops, and grape wallpaper borders. The tops of the cabinets were decorated with wine bottles, fake ivy, and grape vines. One bathroom had foil wallpaper with huge flocked-velvet poppies and another had gold fixtures and a mural of a brick-edged window looking out over a field of wildflowers with the Leaning Tower of Pisa off in the distance. The dining room was floor-to-ceiling white and chrome.
He ditched her for wife #3 a couple of years later and signed the house over to my mother (who had initially restored it piece-by-piece from other crumbling farmhouses) and apologized for letting #2 destroy it. He admitted he had only allowed it because he was angry that my mother said there were too many bad memories for her to live there after the divorce.
I was with her when her mincing prisspot of an architect came in to work out a plan to get it back in shape. He saw the kitchen first and starting mumbling "oh my god...oh my god...it's a criiiiiime....oh my god" as he teared up. Drama! I loved it.
by Anonymous | reply 28 | November 10, 2015 11:31 PM
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Kissing my cousin. He was about 12 or 13. I was 5 yo little girl! I was on top of him (fully dressed) and his mom and my mom walked in the room. I can still see the look on those faces and I was embarassed. I felt all that at 5 yo.
by Anonymous | reply 29 | November 10, 2015 11:42 PM
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It took 4 years (the amount of time I have been on DL) for someone to finally use the word "Pedo" correctly.
On DL that word is used to describe a 40-year-old that hits on a 25-year-old.
by Anonymous | reply 31 | November 11, 2015 12:01 AM
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[R26] That never goes out of style...
by Anonymous | reply 32 | November 11, 2015 12:15 AM
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My parents would miss their exit or take a wrong turn in the car. I would tell them where to go, but they would ignore me. Later, when they acknowledged I would be right about where to go, they would still ignore my instructions. "My car, my choice" seemed to be their attitude, even when they had not been paying attention to where we were and I had. I always felt like they were in an ego competition with me.
by Anonymous | reply 33 | November 11, 2015 12:21 AM
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Granted, our family had suffered some deeply wounding losses in the 70s, but when my mother let distant cousins reupholster her wingback chairs in mustard yellow I stopped rearranging furniture.
From then on, I simply threw ugly thrift store finds away when everyone was asleep.
How the fuck do you work with spanish walnut, mustard yellow, and sculpted green carpet?
by Anonymous | reply 35 | November 11, 2015 12:41 AM
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We had one of these painting on the wall in the early 80s. Scared the fuck out of me.
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 36 | November 11, 2015 12:51 AM
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Toupees and leisure suits. My uncle had a horrible rug on his head and an orange leisure suit.
by Anonymous | reply 37 | November 11, 2015 12:54 AM
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[quote] From then on, I simply threw ugly thrift store finds away when everyone was asleep.
How nice of you. Throw out what little your family could afford.
by Anonymous | reply 38 | November 11, 2015 1:53 AM
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Yeah, shelter cat who got gassed and incinerated came back to me later years later laughed at the fact that I totally chintzed on her funeral and never bothered to spend a dime on engraving her death date on her tombstone.
Fuck that big boned, closet dyke narcissistic sociopath who hot away with murdering another Child in the 30s by pushing her down an old well.
by Anonymous | reply 39 | November 11, 2015 2:06 AM
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When I was a teen boy and I started to notice other boys and desperately wished they would notice me, I realized that the heterosexual family model was not the only way to have an romantic and sexual relationship nor was it the only way to raise a family.
by Anonymous | reply 40 | November 11, 2015 4:21 AM
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Qualifying your relationship when your husband and you are equals!
We took each other of our own free will, for life, because we loved each other. We've always given each other our best. I won't qualify that relationship now. It's wrong. Shockingly wrong! And women that stand for such things are beneath contempt.
by Anonymous | reply 41 | November 11, 2015 4:35 AM
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R12 shouldn't that go in the elegance thread??? Sounds dreamy!
by Anonymous | reply 42 | November 11, 2015 4:41 AM
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[quote] I knew something was really wrong about that house but it was a lot of fun to visit.
That is true in sooooooooo many situations, R23.
by Anonymous | reply 43 | November 11, 2015 4:44 AM
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Being made to wear the latest in boys' leisure suits to church in the 70s. Mom hiding a shot of bourbon in her closet, same decade. The fake woodgrain station wagons (we had two at one point). Dad considering trading one of them for a Pacer. Quiche.
by Anonymous | reply 44 | November 11, 2015 4:51 AM
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The concept of gods. My very earliest memory of hearing adults talk about whatever version of a god they were on about left me feeling, "WTF? What is wrong with these people?" There has never been a moment in my life since then when I've experienced anything to alter that perception.
by Anonymous | reply 45 | November 11, 2015 4:53 AM
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The tacky mid '70s paneling, green and yellow shag carpet, green and orange plaid drapes and matching bedspread my parents used when they " updated" my bedroom when I was 7. I kept telling them it wouldnt go together and would look hideous but they wouldn't listen. I was stuck with that ugliness for three years. It damaged mylittle gay soul.
by Anonymous | reply 46 | November 11, 2015 4:55 AM
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The whole "faux colonial" design trend that seemed to really flourish in the 70s. I was not even 10 by the decade's end and the thought of it still makes me shudder...
by Anonymous | reply 47 | November 11, 2015 5:20 AM
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The new parish priest coming over to our house for dinner all the time. Mom was a great cook - and there were 3 altar boys in the family. I didn't put it together at the time - just thought it was odd to have this one guest over so frequently. Later he was transferred out of the parish suddenly.
Drinking at 11 am - that another poster mentioned - is the wonderful tradition of 'elevenses'. Then lunch. Then siesta. Then onward with the glorious day.
by Anonymous | reply 48 | November 11, 2015 7:13 AM
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R36 - if it's "a Tretchikoff" original it's valuable and highly collectable even as an "original" reproduction.
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 49 | November 11, 2015 8:50 AM
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Michael Jackson being a grown man, yet always behaving like a little kid.
by Anonymous | reply 50 | November 11, 2015 12:50 PM
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I had to laugh at the guy whose dad almost bought an AMC Pacer because in 1976 my mom actually DID buy a Pacer!
I thought it was the coolest thing, though, because it was her first car with air conditioning!!
(I suppose the "cars with A/C" story belongs in the "height of elegance" thread!)
by Anonymous | reply 51 | November 11, 2015 1:09 PM
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Pretty much nothing having to do with style in the 70s. Loved it then, love it now.
by Anonymous | reply 52 | November 11, 2015 1:25 PM
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My parents. My desperation not to be associated with them, led me to tell babysitters I was adopted.
by Anonymous | reply 53 | November 11, 2015 4:52 PM
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R51, I thought they came with free air conditioning because the glass bubble design exploded in the hot sun.
by Anonymous | reply 55 | November 11, 2015 5:32 PM
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[quote]Our neighbors had that in their living room along with the lady in the rain dripping oil lamp thing. They had deep shag and an a 70s Mediterranean living room set with portraits of conquistadors hanging above the couch. The chain-smoking dad kept copies of Playboy, Penthouse and Oui magazines casually strewn about the family room as if they were TV Guides (my dad kept his few Playboys tastefully hidden away in his dresser). I knew something was really wrong about that house but it was a lot of fun to visit.
haha. Holy shit... I'm starting to wonder if your neighbors were my aunt and uncle.. that's exactly how their house was from the shag carpet to the lady in the rain oil and the conquistador paintings... and Playboys!
by Anonymous | reply 57 | November 11, 2015 5:49 PM
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The fact that my nice southern Baptist mother wouldn't let me give a valentine to a black girl in 5th grade. I should have married a black man just to spite her.
by Anonymous | reply 59 | November 11, 2015 5:58 PM
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I had a school friend who had two psychiatrists as parents. She was in constant fear for her life from one or both of them.
by Anonymous | reply 60 | November 11, 2015 6:02 PM
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Fuck you, OP. I actually posted about smoked mirrored walls with decorative gold designs in the "things you thought were the height of elegance" thread.
I don't actually think they're elegant now, but your younger self sounds like a real pill. I would've rolled my eyes at your hippie comment.
by Anonymous | reply 61 | November 11, 2015 6:18 PM
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A black female friend asked me to go to junior prom with her. We went to different schools (actually both single-sex schools, different parts of our large city, not a lot of social overlap). I asked my mom because at age 16 my domineering and intrusive mother never let me breath without asking where I was going and who with and why and when would I be back and who was driving and did their parents know (because she will call them and make sure they did) and just who did I think I was answering her with that tone of voice....and she said no, I couldn't. When I asked why she said it was "too complicated" and could "cause problems. I thought she was nuts. It was 1986.
I felt awful calling the girl back and saying no, my mom would not let me go to junior prom with her. I can't even remember what I told her. Looking back I feel bad that she was reduced to asking a timid gay white boy to go to prom with her.
by Anonymous | reply 62 | November 11, 2015 6:24 PM
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[post redacted because linking to dailymail.co.uk clearly indicates that the poster is either a troll or an idiot (probably both, honestly.) Our advice is that you just ignore this poster but whatever you do, don't click on any link to this putrid rag.]
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 65 | November 11, 2015 7:15 PM
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Both the furniture and the upholstery choices.
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 66 | November 11, 2015 7:19 PM
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Throwing a ball in the house.
by Anonymous | reply 67 | November 11, 2015 7:23 PM
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[quote]The fact that my nice southern Baptist mother wouldn't let me give a valentine to a black girl in 5th grade. I should have married a black man just to spite her.
Oh wow, R59. You made me have a flashback. In 1966 I was five years old in kindergarten. I knew how to read and at xmas the teacher let me read Twas the Night Before Christmas to the class. We were seated on the floor. I remember Santa's jacket was flocked on the cover of the book and I let the kids sitting closest to me touch the flocking. After I was done reading the teacher quietly told me I shouldn't have let the black girl in the front row touch the book.
by Anonymous | reply 68 | November 11, 2015 7:35 PM
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Wow, R68, that is SO fucked up. Kindergarten teachers are supposed to be the sweet ones who love all children! [I know, I know]
I wonder wtf did she think was wrong with letting the little black girl touch the flocking - was she gonna stain it black with her skin?
People are so fucking stupid sometimes.
by Anonymous | reply 69 | November 11, 2015 9:14 PM
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Just about every weekend, my parents would cook a big breakfast with eggs and bacon, and we'd usually drink one of those big 2L cans of pineapple juice, the kind that that you had to punch open with those triangle-shaped openers [that usually have a bottle opener on the other side].
My mother would always wipe the can lid before opening it, to remove germs. Which is a great idea in theory, except that her kitchen sponge was always musty and smelly from being damp all the time and never being washed out, so if anything, she was making it dirtier and germier!
Bitch would get mad when I pointed out how dirty the sponge was, too, or tell her that the juice can was now smelly; she's the adult and she's smarter than me so I needed to stfu if I knew what was good for me.
In my teen years, there was a story on 20/20 or whatever about how filthy most kitchen sponges were. When I smugly pointed out to the bitch that I was right all along, she pretended not to know what I was talking about and insisted that she'd always kept a spotless kitchen.
Fucking narcissistic cunt.
by Anonymous | reply 70 | November 11, 2015 9:20 PM
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One time I came home with a report marked down by the teacher who claimed I had made a number of spelling mistakes. In each case, my spelling was correct and hers was wrong. My parents just laughed and laughed. Today they would have sued, called the law, and killed the teacher's dog.
by Anonymous | reply 71 | November 11, 2015 9:20 PM
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Tranniies, and I am not kidding.
by Anonymous | reply 72 | November 11, 2015 9:32 PM
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Hummel figurines. Those wall hangings of macrame owls perched on an old stick from someone's yard. A friend of my mother's had a floor-length maxi-vest made of those ring pulltops from soda cans. Surprisingly, none of her children are diabetic.
by Anonymous | reply 73 | November 11, 2015 9:36 PM
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[quote] those triangle-shaped openers [that usually have a bottle opener on the other side].
Those are called church keys.
by Anonymous | reply 74 | November 11, 2015 9:40 PM
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Those plastic carpet runners that you had to walk on. Walking off the runners would get you shot daggers by your mother.
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 75 | November 11, 2015 10:17 PM
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R36 R49 Those paintings are now considered hip, maybe in an ironic way? I think they're hideous but you can find them in home decor magazines. Those gold veined mirrors- I loved those as a child in the 70s.
by Anonymous | reply 76 | November 11, 2015 11:48 PM
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Did I mention the faux red brick on one wall of the kitchen? It stays on forever and It's impossible to remove - I tried.
by Anonymous | reply 77 | November 11, 2015 11:55 PM
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Women's fur wraps/stoles with the animal heads.
by Anonymous | reply 78 | November 12, 2015 12:07 AM
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The "burnt orange" faux leather sofa that sat upon the avocado shag carpet against the wall mural of the mill by the river. Oh, and over the sofa (positioned in the middle of the mural) were two stuffed deer heads (one shot by my dad and one by my mom).
by Anonymous | reply 79 | November 12, 2015 12:19 AM
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Taking communion, I would return to my pew and get on my knees to pray. I peeked around me and saw all the others with their hands clasped, eyes closed and looks of concentrated holiness upon their faces. I remember thinking "but what are they FEELING"? I felt nothing. I did like the way the wafer sort of melted in my mouth.
by Anonymous | reply 80 | November 12, 2015 12:36 AM
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Adultery. Not just wrong, but SHOCKINGLY wrong.
by Anonymous | reply 81 | November 12, 2015 12:40 AM
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sucking off the quarterback in the gym shower
by Anonymous | reply 82 | November 12, 2015 12:54 AM
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[quote]Women's fur wraps/stoles with the animal heads.
I thought it was cool how their little mink jaws were spring loaded and made into clips that held the garment closed!
by Anonymous | reply 83 | November 12, 2015 1:21 AM
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Oh, God. For my fifth birthday, I got to invite my entire class. (This was in the day when a party was a cake and playing in the yard.)
I'm white. We had one black girl in our class. Her parents declined. I didn't understand because we always played together at recess. Every other child responded yes.
She was shattered. I told my parents "Portia is unhappy" and my parents drove over to talk to her parents.
I don't know what was said, but Portia came. I still don't know if Portia's family couldn't afford a present, didn't like white people, or were just uncomfortable by the whole thing. (This was the 1970s, in a liberal suburb.)
At the time, I didn't know what was happening but I was beginning to be aware that adults had complicated rules for black and white people and just did not understand.
by Anonymous | reply 84 | November 12, 2015 1:38 AM
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r84 - a story well told. I wish everyone acted like your parents.
by Anonymous | reply 85 | November 12, 2015 1:58 AM
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Years ago, I knew a high school girl who was a 10/10 (daughter of a breeder friend). Face of an angel, glowing skin, natural blonde, and a figure that had ever man within a block staring at her. She was also extremely bright and focused, and was accepted by several of the top colleges in the country.
She's the only woman I've ever known who tried to disguise her natural beauty. She got so sick of being constantly hit on and not taken seriously, that she started wearing glasses and wearing sacks. I lost touch with her parents, I do wonder if she ever went back to being gorgeous.
by Anonymous | reply 86 | November 12, 2015 5:06 PM
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Shit, wrong thread! I meant to put that on the thread where people are whining about being good-looking.
Sorry.
by Anonymous | reply 87 | November 12, 2015 5:08 PM
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R70 is what people mean when they say some DLers have "mommy issues."
by Anonymous | reply 88 | November 12, 2015 5:09 PM
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"Open relationships." At 8 I knew it was just whores splitting the rent. True love is forever and ever and it means owning your partner's pleasure and never ever being untrue to the sacred vows you took. If you love someone you should stay with them and only them forever and ever. I saw it in a Disney movie, and the Bible, and also on Oprah.
by Anonymous | reply 89 | November 12, 2015 5:14 PM
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[quote] Those gold veined mirrors- I loved those as a child in the 70s.
Frank Sinatra loved them in his bar in 1965
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 90 | November 12, 2015 5:15 PM
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Mirrored closet doors, rust & avocado plaid couches in dentist waiting rooms. Not in my house though. Despite the time, my mom had fabulous taste.
by Anonymous | reply 91 | November 12, 2015 5:32 PM
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(R70) still hanging to petty shit like that .?
by Anonymous | reply 92 | November 12, 2015 5:32 PM
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R66, my husband's aunt and uncle have a similar wood-encased sofa set (two sofas, not a sofa and loveseat) in their coop as I type this. I think the upholstery might be a zebra or tiger stripe. They bought it from the uncle's brother, who sold furniture from Levitz. They wanted "furniture that will last."
Well, it's lasted....
by Anonymous | reply 93 | November 12, 2015 5:34 PM
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It's also permanent damp from old people's butts
by Anonymous | reply 94 | November 12, 2015 5:41 PM
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[quote]It's also permanent damp from old people's butts
I read that as "permanent dump" first.
by Anonymous | reply 95 | November 12, 2015 5:56 PM
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Men wearing lots of jewelry, especially gold. Even today it makes me queasy. Saw some old queen in an antique shop wearing a ring on every finger and several gold chains and bracelets.
by Anonymous | reply 96 | November 12, 2015 6:05 PM
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R59, R62, and R68 really upset me. Thank goodness there are people like R84's parents. And I'm glad Portia was able to go to the party.
by Anonymous | reply 98 | November 12, 2015 6:15 PM
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R84: [quote]At the time, I didn't know what was happening but I was beginning to be aware that adults had complicated rules for black and white people and just did not understand.
That sentiment pretty much sums it up, sadly.
These race stories are unbearably depressing. And they're still happening every day, every f'ing day.
by Anonymous | reply 99 | November 12, 2015 6:23 PM
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Or Mickey from THE COMEBACK, R97!
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 100 | November 12, 2015 6:29 PM
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R96, the only men who can wear lots of jewelry without looking ridiculous are old Navajos.
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 101 | November 12, 2015 7:01 PM
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[quote]Saw some old queen in an antique shop wearing a ring on every finger and several gold chains and bracelets.
Makes it SO difficult when fisting!
by Anonymous | reply 102 | November 12, 2015 7:08 PM
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When I was a kid, my mother told me that any white girl who dates a black male is lacking in self esteem. I knew she was wrong then even though it was the 70s. She also didn't want me playing with the Tonganese students because she believed they all had head lice.
I also observed the PE teacher, Dawn being extremely close to one of my female friends in middle school. There was something really "off" about their relationship but the truth was, I was jealous since I was a little lezzie even though I didn't know it at the time. Even stranger is finding out as an adult that the PE teacher and the kid ended up together. Still are as far as I know
by Anonymous | reply 103 | November 12, 2015 7:19 PM
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There is an apartment building near me that still has those gold veined mirrors up in the entry way. There is a little bed of rocks and fake plants in front of it.
by Anonymous | reply 105 | November 12, 2015 7:56 PM
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Wallpapers with yellow orange brown hippie flowers in every fucking bathroom of every fucking house.
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 106 | November 12, 2015 8:50 PM
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Getting stuck in a seatbelt and then hit by a train or being chocked to death for finding an ugly tie.
by Anonymous | reply 109 | November 12, 2015 8:56 PM
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"--Women's fur wraps/stoles with the animal heads. I thought it was cool how their little mink jaws were spring loaded and made into clips that held the garment closed!”
My mom had a fox stole that had two or three little fox corpses connected. My bro and I liked to play with the stole. We’d sneak it out of mom’s closet and torment little neighbor kids by snapping the spring-loaded jaws open and shut and lunge at the little kids as if the foxes were attacking them. We’d also occasionally sneak a cigarette from mom’s purse and put it in the foxes’ little jaws. One time we actually lit the cigarette and thought that was hysterically funny. Eventually I somehow wound up inheriting the stole, and when my two sons were old enough (around 7 and 9) I gave it to them to use as a toy. They had as much fun with it as I did when I was their age.
by Anonymous | reply 110 | November 12, 2015 9:59 PM
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My grandparents or rather my grandmother keeping the posh living room pristine , filling it with status symbols. But nobody was ever allowed to use it or sit on anything, only when wie had visitors. Otherwise we crammed ourselves around the kitchen table. This was considered classy. I realised ruch people would never do that and that she was just a lower middle wannabe.
by Anonymous | reply 111 | November 12, 2015 10:10 PM
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Our living room was like that r111, but we had a den (tv room really) and a rec room in the basement. There was no tv in the living room but there was a stereo and we were allowed to listen to music there if it was classical, and NO FOOD OR DRINKS. It was the adult space and thinking back, it wasn't such a bad idea to have a NO BRATS area.
It was the quietest room in the house, and the biggest. In later years I was allowed to study there with the (classical) music playing.
by Anonymous | reply 112 | November 12, 2015 10:32 PM
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I knew it was wrong when a certain elementary school teacher demanded to know the ethnicity of the students, and then separated them by ethnicity. Those she didn't like were grouped in the back. She would bring up the students ethnicity if something happened, such as an injury or misbehavior. This was in the early 1960s in a rural, all-white school.
by Anonymous | reply 113 | November 12, 2015 11:07 PM
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Holy shit R113! Move your story to a Toronto Catholic school circa 1978 and you've described my second and third grade teacher, (same bitch in both classes.)
by Anonymous | reply 114 | November 12, 2015 11:14 PM
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I attended a lovely wedding in a home. They had the formal living room -get this- roped off, so no one could sit in there. It was too good to use, even for wedding guests!
by Anonymous | reply 115 | November 12, 2015 11:24 PM
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Singing in a voice above a whisper.
by Anonymous | reply 116 | November 12, 2015 11:36 PM
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When I was a kid we moved into a ranch house with a Louis XIV themed bathroom. Sparkly gold and white wall paper, white and gold toilette paper holder and towel bars. gold frame on the mirror. It was so tacky.
by Anonymous | reply 117 | November 13, 2015 1:14 AM
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Powder blue Cadillacs with a plastic roof and a diamond in the back.
Shortwaisted chinchilla or rabbit coats on girls.
Super-feathered hair on girls or boys.
Huk-a-poo shirts.
by Anonymous | reply 118 | November 13, 2015 1:18 AM
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R115, that's a riot!
I wonder eactly WHAT was deemed important enough to warrant the velvet rope to be lowered...the pope? Kennedys? Al Parker?
by Anonymous | reply 119 | November 13, 2015 1:31 AM
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"eactly" ---> eXactly
laughing so hard I forgot the "x"...
by Anonymous | reply 120 | November 13, 2015 1:33 AM
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I grew up in Palo Alto and I hated the look of Eichler homes when I was young. Now they're seen as stylish and cool because they're mid-century. I'm 53 and am old enough to remember how ugly a lot of old "mid-century" furniture looked and I'm surprised at how many young people think it's cool.
by Anonymous | reply 121 | November 13, 2015 2:03 AM
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This is a fabulous thread! I second the polyester--when it first came out it stunk like mad if you sweated. My mom made me one of those spread-collar pullover tunic things (baby ghey in training!) like David Cassidy or someone had on TV. I wore it to school one day at the onset of my puberty and by the end of the day I smelled like a Goodyear factory! We still laugh about that
by Anonymous | reply 122 | November 13, 2015 2:28 AM
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Avocado appliances were just so wrong
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 123 | November 13, 2015 2:31 AM
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and so were the Harvest Gold Appliances
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 124 | November 13, 2015 2:34 AM
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Wait, r122, like this? OMG OMG OMG.
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 125 | November 13, 2015 2:38 AM
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R124
Wrong but... those things work FOREVER. My neighbors have a Harvest Gold Refrigerator from the 70's and it's still running, ha. I'd at least say they've gotten their money's worth!
by Anonymous | reply 126 | November 13, 2015 2:52 AM
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Not exactly, r125, but close--the sleeves were long, but it did have a V-neck (no buttons). There was a collar that spread out with points, and it was more fitted.
However, I did have one of those shirts in your pattern pic, also made by Mom. A teenage caftan-to-be, and the lace up front was nifty! Of course I had no chest hairs, so I wasn't the complete cool 70's teen 😔
by Anonymous | reply 127 | November 13, 2015 2:59 AM
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My grandma loved how easy polyester was to care for and her entire wardrobe consisted of that "fabric" from 1970 until she passed in 2011. Unfortunately in her building some of the dryers were calibrated to too high a temperature and she'd open the door to find her clothing had melted into a clump.
I loved the "illuminated ceiling" shown in r124 when I was a kid. Our cousins had that in their kitchen and I thought it was so futuristic looking.
by Anonymous | reply 128 | November 13, 2015 3:00 AM
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When kid's parents talked shit about them, right in front of them. I saw some mom's doing that today and I defended the kids who seemed to appreciate it.
That 70s religious decor. Not just Jesus paintings but the plaques and inspirational bullshit. While I babysat at a neighbor's, I counted them and it was like, 50 things not counting figurines. He was a high school biology teacher who married one of his 20 years younger students. Creepy people.
by Anonymous | reply 130 | November 13, 2015 3:24 AM
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My mom's kitchen has the lighting fixtures like in R124's post.
by Anonymous | reply 133 | November 13, 2015 3:31 AM
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It may have been very wrong but here is a summary of my bedroom circa 1976. (Mother selected everything and it turned ok).
The bedroom theme was Orange - Bright, eye-watering orange. Orange and yellow striped curtains. One orange and white dresser with mirror. And an orange and white desk and white chair.
Mirrored floor to ceiling closet sliding doors. Pink princess phone. Single bed with orange quilt (made by my grandmother). And...under the bed I would "hide" the Exorcist after reading a page or 2 before lights out. Not because of any parental issue, but that book would mentally terrorize me and make think spooks were everywhere. Sounder the bed it went.
Mother thought her tastes were so sophisticated that she herself redid expensive (European looking) sofa in faux French Provincial style (Silver and gold specs of paint). Ditto for master bedroom.
by Anonymous | reply 135 | November 13, 2015 4:03 AM
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R15 Forgot to mention - I also had wall to wall deep orange shag carpet. That was a pain to vacuum and I knew that shag carpets could never be 100% clean.
by Anonymous | reply 136 | November 13, 2015 4:06 AM
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In defense of harvest gold and avocado green appliances: They're perfectly lovely colors, and can be used to fine effect in interior decorating. They just got a bad reputation because everyone mixed them with each other, as well as some lurid orange accents and murky brown woods, a ghastly combination. Am posting a perfectly decent Avacado green room at link.
Actually, the kitchen where I grew up had some harvest gold appliances, together with gold-toned wood cabinets and paneling, and gold-and-brown Mexican tile on the floor. All the rich golden tones made a harmonious whole that looked good in both sunlight and incandescent light, I wish that look would come back into style.
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 138 | November 13, 2015 4:21 AM
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Now you've got me trying to decide which is uglier - the avocado/harvest/orange/brown palates of the early seventies, or the grey/beige/brown/taupe palates of today.
Humph, I probably hate the "greige" look more. At least the earth tones were colorful, while people who decorate in greige are conformist dullards who want their homes to look like the lobby of corporate HQ. Better honest bad taste than that.
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 139 | November 13, 2015 4:28 AM
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Is that picture from the 1970s, R138?
by Anonymous | reply 140 | November 13, 2015 4:42 AM
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I assume it's from the seventies, but I don't have a source.
This one HAS to be from the seventies, this is the shit nobody incorporates into revivals! Yeah, it's genuinely horrible, but at least it's not as bland as today's looks.
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 141 | November 13, 2015 4:50 AM
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'Stylish' people had these hanging everywhere in the '70s.
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 143 | November 13, 2015 5:02 AM
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My brother was an obsessive Rod Stewart fan in the 70s and had this on his wall.
Please not the oh so subtle pubic hair spilling over the top of his bikini underwear.
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 144 | November 13, 2015 5:08 AM
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If you want my body & you think I'm sexy....
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 145 | November 13, 2015 5:11 AM
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I always knew mullets were really wrong that and members only jackets , I remember seeing them when I was about 14 , I aways thought they were corny as hell . And then I noticed thirty years later they were selling at urban outfitters . Still hate them.
by Anonymous | reply 146 | November 13, 2015 5:13 AM
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[quote]and members only jackets
Like this?
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 147 | November 13, 2015 5:16 AM
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^ yes! one of the many glorious styles available lol
by Anonymous | reply 148 | November 13, 2015 5:30 AM
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Members Only jacket, with epaulettes and throat close
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 149 | November 13, 2015 6:06 AM
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Oh crap. Members Only jackets. Absolutely ubiquitous in the early eighties. I had one very much like the one at the link which finally had to be shamed off of my body by acidic comments from a caring friend.
Belated thanks to you, you cunty bitch.
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 150 | November 13, 2015 6:16 AM
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Your welcome (r150) someone had to tell you!
by Anonymous | reply 151 | November 13, 2015 6:20 AM
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Indeed they did, dear old friend at R151, and thanks again ...
Now, about your grammar ...
by Anonymous | reply 152 | November 13, 2015 6:28 AM
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PADDED TOILET SEATS.
[cringe]
Extra special grossness when the vinyl? plastic? coating would inevitably split to reveal the foam padding...and expose it to whatever may come in contact with a toilet seat.
My great aunt who lived upstate had this and I hated our annual sleepover visits. Her bathroom was pink and quite frilly. She had a dramatic and elaborately draped pink lace-trimmed shower curtain set up, crochet tissue box covers and whatnot everywhere, and fake "ivy" garland hanging and trailing everywhere like her bathroom (which had one tiny window that got virtually no sunlight) was a lush tropical greenhouse. I remember after a few years the ivy was just coated in dust.
But that goddamn padded toilet seat was the worst. I can still feel the repulsive crinkle as you sat on it.
by Anonymous | reply 155 | November 13, 2015 6:49 AM
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Plastic movie poster frames with black plastic things holding them together — barely. They fray the edges and diminish the resale value of the posters.
by Anonymous | reply 156 | November 13, 2015 6:53 AM
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Anyone who says "this is for your own good" really means "this is for my own convenience and who cares if you get PTSD".
by Anonymous | reply 157 | November 13, 2015 6:55 AM
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My mother would buy Hydrox cookies instead of Oreos and claim they were the same thing. It was a crime.
by Anonymous | reply 158 | November 13, 2015 7:08 AM
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Disney calling every movie they ever made before 1990 a "classic". Eventually, their abuse of the word became so great, they misapplied it to the DVD cover of [italic]The Million Dollar Duck[/italic], a film featured in Roger Ebert's [italic]I Hated, Hated, HATED This Movie[/italic]. Even so, they sure didn't treat it like one!
by Anonymous | reply 159 | November 13, 2015 7:22 AM
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The fashions of the early seventies. I was in grade school when shit like this was popular, but even a little kid can spot a crime against fashion!
Honestly, the 80s were an era of boring good taste, compared to what came before.
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 160 | November 13, 2015 7:58 AM
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The idea that low-fat cookies and cakes would ever help you lose weight.
by Anonymous | reply 162 | November 13, 2015 8:45 AM
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NBC calling a bunch of awful-at-best, toxic-at-worst sitcoms "Must See TV."
by Anonymous | reply 163 | November 13, 2015 8:53 AM
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The conceit that an overpowering, nauseating chemical scent called "April Fresh" actually resembles anything in nature.
by Anonymous | reply 164 | November 13, 2015 8:55 AM
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[quote]The fashions of the early seventies. I was in grade school when shit like this was popular
I never saw anyone in clothes like that, R160. Where on earth did you live?
by Anonymous | reply 165 | November 13, 2015 10:04 AM
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My mother had the big Paris style very long and backcombed hair of the late '60s. I remember hearing her on the phone, when it was flat and normal looking saying she HAD to get to the hairdresser and thinking, even aged 6, do yourself a favour, dear and give it a miss.
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 166 | November 13, 2015 10:14 AM
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[post redacted because linking to dailymail.co.uk clearly indicates that the poster is either a troll or an idiot (probably both, honestly.) Our advice is that you just ignore this poster but whatever you do, don't click on any link to this putrid rag.]
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 167 | November 13, 2015 10:24 AM
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Lulu the Elephant visits the Blue Peter studio in 1969 & pisses and shits everywhere.
Gosh how funny!
(this clip is famous in England for its hilarity).
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 168 | November 13, 2015 10:30 AM
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Florence Henderson and Elizabeth Ashley's long shag haircuts. They were both too old.
Jumping to the present, nothing is tackier than the flat screen over a fireplace. I cringe whenever I see that.
by Anonymous | reply 169 | November 13, 2015 10:34 AM
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People who took roller skating REALLY seriously. After my cousin saw "Roller Boogie" he became a fanatic and said his goal after high school was to skate at the Olympics.
by Anonymous | reply 170 | November 13, 2015 1:31 PM
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I absolutely adored the fashion and the decor of the 70s and still do. It's the 80s that were an assault on taste.
by Anonymous | reply 171 | November 13, 2015 1:34 PM
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Mediterranean themed decor.
Cornucopias on the wall, vomiting plastic grapes.
by Anonymous | reply 172 | November 13, 2015 1:36 PM
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[quote]I absolutely adored the fashion and the decor of the 70s and still do.
Please reassure us by confirming that you're a shut-in.
by Anonymous | reply 173 | November 13, 2015 1:36 PM
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No, R173, I just appreciate risk-taking and fun. I'm allergic to beige.
by Anonymous | reply 174 | November 13, 2015 2:10 PM
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There was a black guy in my high school group, very arty, into music and dance. When the Mormons dropped their opposition to blacks in 1978, he joined them so he could be one of the first blacks to become Mormon. Also because he wanted to go to college in Utah for dance. I just couldn't believe it. I thought that was a such a stupid fucking thing to do.
by Anonymous | reply 176 | November 13, 2015 2:52 PM
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Speaking of horrible color combinations ...
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 177 | November 13, 2015 3:28 PM
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R177: Oh, it's so risk-taking and fun!!!!!
by Anonymous | reply 178 | November 13, 2015 3:50 PM
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Then you hit 'em with your smarts.
by Anonymous | reply 179 | November 13, 2015 4:55 PM
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Acid washed jeans...or even worse, whole outfits.
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 180 | November 13, 2015 5:43 PM
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sex dungeons--like what the fuck? if jeri ryan wouldn't do it--what makes you twink i will?
by Anonymous | reply 181 | November 13, 2015 5:51 PM
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The ultramacho gay clone look of the 70s which actually looked prissy and contrived on 70 percent of the men who sported it.
by Anonymous | reply 182 | November 13, 2015 6:47 PM
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[quote]The ultramacho gay clone look of the 70s which actually looked prissy
&/or creepy.
by Anonymous | reply 183 | November 13, 2015 6:56 PM
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My "beloved" 50 -year-old 5th grade teacher inviting members of the class "science club" (all girls, by the way) to his home for a sleep-over. I didn't know why it was "wrong"--it just was.
by Anonymous | reply 184 | November 13, 2015 7:04 PM
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[quote] It's the 80s that were an assault on taste.
If the 1980s was an assault on good taste, the 1990s and 2000s were acts of genocide.
by Anonymous | reply 185 | November 13, 2015 7:19 PM
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OMG, I had that pale blue Members Only jacket pictured. I also loved the clone look, especially with the tight jeans and hankie in the back pocket.
Couple of things: Jello 1-2-3
Hamburger Helper
AMC Pacer
Tiny Tim
by Anonymous | reply 186 | November 13, 2015 7:20 PM
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[quote]My "beloved" 50 -year-old 5th grade teacher inviting members of the class "science club" (all girls, by the way) to his home for a sleep-over.
They attended?
by Anonymous | reply 187 | November 13, 2015 7:22 PM
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The empty L'eggs cartons in my dad's closet. My mom was strictly Hanes town taupe!
by Anonymous | reply 188 | November 13, 2015 7:24 PM
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Agree r182 I almost feel like you could say the same thing about the gay clone/hipster/bearded muscle queen look of today.
by Anonymous | reply 189 | November 13, 2015 7:33 PM
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Towel snapping and spraying an aerosol in someone's face, two typical bully type things.
by Anonymous | reply 190 | November 13, 2015 7:33 PM
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The evil lie that white heterosexual gentiles are not inferior to all nonwhite races, gays and Jews.
by Anonymous | reply 191 | November 13, 2015 7:48 PM
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Baggy pants on men. An insidious trend that needs to die in a grease fire.
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 192 | November 13, 2015 8:00 PM
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Uh, I think most people knew that was wrong at the time, R195. She was arrested and her career was ruined.
Are you sure you understand the point of this thread, doll?
by Anonymous | reply 196 | November 13, 2015 8:32 PM
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People looking at their smartphones while having dinner with other humans.
by Anonymous | reply 200 | November 13, 2015 8:55 PM
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Bill Clinton claiming to be pro-gay while making excuses for having passed DOMA and DADT while bragging about it on Christian radio.
by Anonymous | reply 201 | November 13, 2015 9:20 PM
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Using cottage cheese as a substitute for ricotta cheese. 1970's era recipes that use whole wheat pasta. Yuck. All those all-natural versions of recipes back in the '70's used to make me cringe. It was like eating mud.
by Anonymous | reply 203 | November 14, 2015 5:18 AM
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THIS! My great-aunt had one of these hanging on her wall and it scared the shit out of me. Perhaps that's why I'm freaked out by clowns over 40 years later...
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 205 | November 15, 2015 12:20 AM
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R138:
[quote] All the rich golden tones made a harmonious whole that looked good in both sunlight and incandescent light...
M*RY!
by Anonymous | reply 206 | November 15, 2015 7:34 AM
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I had a friend whose father was/is a racist piece of shit. When we were little and the song "Black or White" was popular, I remember him telling us that it did matter if you were black or white.
by Anonymous | reply 207 | November 15, 2015 9:16 AM
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My friend's dad used to make us sit on his lap and "give him a kiss" every time she held a slumber party. He sat on his own chair and made us jump on him.
by Anonymous | reply 208 | November 22, 2015 8:20 PM
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Women's pants suits...especially Orange Sherbet colored ones.
by Anonymous | reply 209 | November 22, 2015 8:34 PM
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R209, but they looked so nice on "Julia."
by Anonymous | reply 210 | November 22, 2015 10:59 PM
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[quote]I loved the "illuminated ceiling" shown in [R124] when I was a kid. Our cousins had that in their kitchen and I thought it was so futuristic looking.
Those were florescent box lights. They were still putting those into new houses into the early 80s.
I think halogen lights finally killed them off.
by Anonymous | reply 212 | November 23, 2015 5:46 AM
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[quote]It's the 80s that were an assault on taste.
Black and White.
Glass and chrome.
by Anonymous | reply 213 | November 23, 2015 5:47 AM
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[quote]It's the 80s that were an assault on taste.
If the 1980s was assault, the 1990s and beyond was murder in the first degree.
by Anonymous | reply 215 | January 2, 2016 5:04 AM
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Trying to put my sister's tampon up my ass.
by Anonymous | reply 216 | January 2, 2016 6:44 AM
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OMG! You did that, too, R216???
by Anonymous | reply 217 | January 2, 2016 6:54 AM
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I betcha didn't know R217 knew your sister, did you R216?
by Anonymous | reply 218 | January 2, 2016 6:55 AM
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Bitches, PLEASE!
The eighties were not an assault on good taste, the eighties were an attempt to rehabilitate good taste after the brutal long-term abuse it had received during the seventies!
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 219 | January 2, 2016 8:32 PM
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This. Even though everybody seemed enamored at the time.
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 220 | January 2, 2016 9:07 PM
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At least he's well dressed, R220.
by Anonymous | reply 221 | January 2, 2016 11:24 PM
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That I shouldn't be watching big breasted sluts take on 5 guys then have them all cum on her face.
by Anonymous | reply 222 | January 7, 2016 2:21 AM
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Cheeze wiz at about 6. I only remember since mom and i were at a neighbor's house serving it one day and i made it known it was crap when i tasted it and i got in trouble for being so rude as a guest. We were not perfect eaters by any means by today's standards but we eat such crap food even then.
by Anonymous | reply 223 | January 7, 2016 3:10 AM
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Margaret Keane prints. They would give me the creeps and they were EVERYWHERE.
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 224 | January 7, 2016 6:06 PM
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[quote]I remember him telling us that it did matter if you were black or white.
He was right!
by Anonymous | reply 225 | January 7, 2016 6:21 PM
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Jorts. I always thought they looked stupid.
by Anonymous | reply 227 | May 22, 2020 9:54 PM
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I don’t remember doing this, but apparently I would rearrange people’s furniture when I was very little. I thought the 80’s were very ugly—the permed fried hair, the stone washed jeans, the apricot colored walls. I rejected it all and dressed like the early sixties.
by Anonymous | reply 228 | May 22, 2020 10:12 PM
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