Things We Got Away With In The 80's

Ah, the 1980s: a time of big hair, loud music, and even louder fashion. It was an era of cultural quirks and norms that seem quaint—or downright wild—by today’s standards.  Society has come a long way in terms of safety, technology, and awareness, but let’s take a trip down memory lane to explore the things you could get away with in the 80s that just wouldn’t fly today.

1.  No Seatbelts or Car Seats for Kids

Road trips in the 80s were a free-for-all. Kids lounged in the back of station wagons without a seatbelt in sight.  Car seats were rudimentary at best and often optional.  Parents didn’t think twice about stacking kids in the back of a pickup truck for a bumpy ride.

2.   Smoking Was Everywhere

Airplanes, restaurants, offices, and even hospitals were fair game for smokers. Ashtrays were as ubiquitous as coffee cups, and the idea of a “non-smoking section” was still a novel concept.  Today, indoor smoking bans are the norm, and lighting up in public is rare.

3.  Latchkey Kids

It wasn’t unusual for kids as young as eight or nine to come home from school to an empty house.  Armed with a house key and a microwaveable snack, they’d fend for themselves until their parents got home from work.  Today, this level of independence would likely raise eyebrows (and CPS reports).

4.  Prank Calls

Before the days of caller ID, prank calls were the ultimate form of mischief.  “Is your refrigerator running?” was a classic line that could leave a victim laughing or fuming.  Now, advanced phone technology has all but extinguished this art form.

5.  No Helmets on Bikes or Skates

Kids cruised the streets on bikes, skateboards, and roller skates with zero protective gear.  Skinned knees and bruises were badges of honor, and parents shrugged off minor injuries with a “walk it off” mentality.

6.  Unsupervised Adventures

“Be back before dark” was often the only rule.  Kids roamed neighborhoods, woods, and playgrounds for hours without adult supervision.  In today’s world, this kind of freedom is considered risky and unusual.

7. Saturday Morning Cartoon Commercials

Cartoons like He-Man and Transformers were essentially toy commercials in disguise.  Regulations now prevent such direct marketing to kids, but back then, Saturday mornings were a barrage of animated ads.

8.  Driving Without GPS

Getting lost was part of the adventure.  People relied on paper maps, handwritten directions, or vague landmarks.  “Turn left at the big tree” was a legitimate instruction.

9.  Offensive Jokes in Movies and TV

Comedies of the 80s often featured humor that wouldn’t pass muster today.  Movies like Revenge of the Nerds and Porky’s pushed boundaries that modern audiences would find problematic.

10.  Trick-or-Treating Without Your Parents

Halloween in the 80s meant grabbing a pillowcase and heading out without adult supervision.  Entire neighborhoods were fair game, and candy inspection was optional.

11.  Hitchhiking

Hitchhiking was a fairly common way to get around.  It was considered a mix of adventure and necessity, whereas today it’s largely seen as a risky endeavor.

12.  TV Violence and Lack of Parental Controls

Action-packed shows like The A-Team and G.I. Joe glorified explosions and gunfire but were marketed to kids.  Modern streaming platforms now offer robust parental controls to filter such content.

13.  No Internet Privacy Concerns

Before the internet, privacy was a non-issue.  Sharing personal details on a second phone line or leaving your address on a pen-pal ad was normal. Today, data protection is a major concern.

14.  The Passion For Fashion

The 80s was a riot of shoulder pads, neon spandex, leg warmers, and mullets. While today’s fashion trends are more subdued, 80s styles are often celebrated for their sheer audacity.

The Takeaway

While some of these norms feel charmingly nostalgic, others make us grateful for progress.  The 80s was a unique time, defined by its carefree attitudes and lack of modern constraints.  It’s a reminder of how much society has evolved and how every decade has its distinct flavor—for better or for worse.

What’s your favorite (or most cringeworthy) 80s memory? Let us know in the comments!