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People are sharing things teachers did in the '80s and '90s that would 'never fly' now

Students and teachers had different relationships back then.

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via EaglebrookSchool/Flickr

Eaglebrook School, Deerfield, Massachusetts.

The typical kid’s experience in school is a lot different today than it was 30 to 40 years ago. It’s hard to say whether things are better or worse, but there’s been a sea change in how children are raised.

One negative development is that teachers tend to think parents are more likely to side with their kids over faculty in disputes than they were decades ago. On the positive side, corporal punishment is on the decrease, so students are much less likely to be physically punished for breaking the rules.

A Reddit user with the username u/theSandwichSister asked the ‘80s and ‘90s kids on the forum, “What’s something a school teacher did to you that would not fly today?” A lot of the responses were about the type of physical punishment and humiliation that used to happen in schools that would never happen these days.

There were also a lot of posts about teachers who smoked around their students. Can you imagine a kindergarten teacher lighting up in front of their students these days? They’d be fired in a flash.

Overall, the responses show that schools are a lot more concerned with the mental and emotional health of their students these days, which is a wonderful improvement. Schools also seem to be much more friendly environments to students who are people of color, LGBTQ or have disabilities.

Here are 17 of the best responses to the question, “What’s something a school teacher did to you that would not fly today?”

1.

"Not a teacher, but school one. If you read enough books during the year in elementary school you got to have a sleepover in the library. Like we brought sleeping bags and slept on the floor. In the morning they had griddles out and we made pancakes. I know, total nerds, but it was my favorite elementary school memory." — 7askingforafriend

2.

"My elementary school principal would pull loose teeth. You could go to his office, have him pull your loose tooth and he would give you a lollipop." — snowfuckerforreal

3.

"I told my biology teacher that I wasn't feeling too well, he said that I didn't look sick, and as punishment made me stand in the corner until I fainted." — AustrianReaper

4.

"In high school, we would sometimes play knee soccer which was in our wrestling room (wall to wall wrestling mats) and was really just handball but on our knees. The PE teacher (football coach) let us play rough since it was an all male class and we were on our knees and couldn't do too much damage. During the game, two of the students were grappling for the ball and as these things go, one of them accidentally knocked the other a little too aggressively. The kid that got hit (an known asshole of the school) got pissed and stood up and kicked the other kid.

The PE teacher (225lb jacked military hair cut) stormed over and shoved the kid who flew about 10 feet before crashing to the ground. The kid gets up ready to fight whoever shoved him and the teacher had closed the gap and started screaming at him. Then the teacher lectured the entire class about sportsmanship and honor. The teacher never got in any trouble." — hangingonwith2fingers

5.

"In 5th grade, I was called to the office at my public school. I was a goody two-shoes so I had no idea why I was called, so I started tearing up thinking something bad must've happened to my family. Eventually, I was ushered into a room as my two best friends left. The principal and 2 other staff members then sat me down and showed me a piece of paper. It was a silly poem I wrote one of my friends about a good witch who granted wishes by mixing together some mundane ingredients. Apparently, their mother found the poem and complained to the school. Their response was to interview my friends about MY RELIGION." — ktbunny

6.

"6th grade teacher Ms. Sullivan would take 3 kids every Friday to McDonald’s for lunch. She was cool as hell. Smoked during the drive and everything." — SigP365SAS


7.

"My 3rd grade teacher had the whole class camp in her backyard after the last day of school. She took us to see the original TMNT movie in the theater, then we stayed up late telling ghost stories. One of my absolute fondest memories." — Cambot1138

8.

"Yeah, there are a lot of negative things in this thread, which makes sense, but there are some 'cool teacher' things that we lost too. I got a ride home from school once from a male teacher in middle school (I'm female) when it was pouring rain and my mom wouldn't come get me, but I bet that's not allowed these days." — rabidstoat

9.

"English teacher in high school used to cuss kids out for being noisy in class and if that didn't work, he'd throw the blackboard eraser at us. I wasn't on the receiving end of the eraser. That chalk would leave marks on kid's backs for the rest of the day so everyone knew who pissed off Mr Charvet." — Roscoe_Cracks_Corn

 

10.

"7th-grade science class, the teacher walked around with a beaker full of mercury and told us to stick a finger in it to feel how dense it was. Then he gave us each our own penny-size drop of mercury to play with at our desks, so we could see how it moved. I’m sure we were poisoned that day. Nowadays if a thermometer breaks they clear the school." — weirdkid71

11.

"Not something done to me per se, but my 3rd grade teacher had a little office with a door inside our classroom, and she would smoke cigarettes in there while we were at lunch/recess." — HutSutRawlson

 

12.

"Cheese Day in the Midwest. It was in first grade. For an entire day, all you ate was cheese. Cheese puffs, curls, sticks, slices, balls, and Doritos. Drank orange Hi-C as well. For 10+ years, smelling that fake cheese made me gag. After her wedding, and the birth of her son, my sister says Cheese Day the best day of her life. Wasn’t Wisconsin either." — 2_Spicy_2_Impeach

13.

"They told us Pluto was a planet." — Representative-Fig96

14.

"Best math teacher ever made us say numerator/denominator in Schwarzenegger voices as we were learning fractions." — kittensington

15.

"High School, we were on campus, drove a van to the locker rooms because I was with The QB, Linebacker and a couple of linemen who needed to get crap from their lockers. We were drinking beer in the van, it was 1:30, the football coach sees us, stops the van, looks inside and sees the beer, and shook his head and told us to be careful and get off campus. I don’t think that would fly today." — kentro2002

16.

"A lot of people are posting bad stuff, so let me share a good one. In 9th grade, in 1984, I had a class analyzing lyrics in pop music. Students brought in records by Led Zep and John Cougar and we'd discuss what they meant. Seriously a life-changing class. It makes me sad that younger students in America are so caught up in the rat race that they never had experiences like that." — Adventuresphere

 

17.

"I had an awesome teacher who would send one of us to the shop (just a minute’s walk away) with enough money to get ice creams for everybody whenever it was hot and she didn’t feel like teaching." — wanderingsteph


This article originally appeared on 08.30.22

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Another school district just shifted to a 4-day week and parents are making themselves heard

America already has fewer school days than most other countries.

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Many school districts are moving to a 4-day week, but there are pros and cons to the approach.

American kids have fewer school days than most other major countries as it is, which poses a big challenge for families with two working parents. In a system designed for the "classic" stay-at-home mom model, it's difficult for many modern families to cover childcare and fulfill their work obligations during the many, many holidays and extra days off American children receive in school.

Some school districts, in fact, are ready to take things one step further with even fewer instructional days: for better or for worse.

Whitney Independent School District in Texas recently made news when it decided to enact a four-day week heading into the 2025 school year. That makes it one of dozens of school districts in Texas to make the change and over 900 nationally.

The thought of having the kids home from school EVERY Friday or Monday makes many parents break out in stress hives, but this four-day school week movement isn't designed to give parents a headache. It's meant to lure teachers back to work.

Yes, teachers are leaving the profession in droves and young graduates don't seem eager to replace them. Why? For starters, the pay is bad—but that's just the beginning. Teachers are burnt out, undermined and criticized relentlessly, held hostage by standardized testing, and more. It can be a grueling, demoralizing, and thankless job. The love and passion they have for shaping the youth of tomorrow can only take you so far when you feel like you're constantly getting the short end of the stick.

School districts want to pay their teachers more, in theory, but their hands are often tied. So, they're getting creative to recruit the next generation of teachers into their schools—starting with an extra day off for planning, catch-up, or family time every week.

Teachers in four-day districts often love the new schedule. Kids love it (obviously). It's the parents who, as a whole, aren't super thrilled.

- YouTube www.youtube.com

So far, the data shows that the truncated schedule perk is working. In these districts, job applications for teachers are up, retirements are down, and teachers are reporting better mental well-being. That's great news!

But these positive developments may be coming at the price of the working parents in the communities. Most early adopters of the four-day week have been rural communities with a high prevalence of stay-at-home parents. As the idea starts to take hold in other parts of the country, it's getting more pushback. Discussions on Reddit, Facebook, and other social media platforms are overrun with debate on how this is all going to shake up. Some parents, to be fair, like the idea! If they stay-at-home or have a lot of flexibility, they see it as an opportunity for more family time. But many are feeling anxious. Here's what's got those parents worried:

The effect on students' achievement is still unclear.

The execution of the four-day week varies from district to district. Some schools extend the length of each of the four days, making the total instructional time the same. That makes for a really long day, and some teachers say the students are tired and more unruly by the late afternoon. Some districts are just going with less instruction time overall, which has parents concerned that their kids might fall behind.

A study of schools in Iowa that had reduced instructional days found that five-days-a-week students performed better, on average.

Four-day school weeks put parents in a childcare bind.

Having two working parents is becoming more common and necessary with the high cost of living. Of course—"school isn't daycare!" But it is the safe, reliable, and educational place we send our kids while we we work.

Families with money and resources may be able to enroll their kids in more academics, extracurriculars, sports, or childcare, but a lot of normal families won't be able to afford that cost. Some schools running a four-day week offer a paid childcare option for the day off, but that's an added expense and for families with multiple kids in the school system, it's just not possible.

kids, school, school days, school week, schedule, 4 day week In a 4-day model, kids often (but not always) receive less instructional time. Photo by Ivan Aleksic on Unsplash

This will inevitably end with some kids getting way more screentime.

With most parents still working five-day weeks, and the cost of extra activities or childcare too high, a lot of kids are going to end up sitting around on the couch with their iPad on those days off. Adding another several hours of it to a child's week seems less than ideal according to expert recommendations.

Of course there are other options other than paid childcare and iPads. There are play dates, there's getting help from family and friends. All of these options are an enormous amount of work to arrange for parents who are already at capacity.

Working four days is definitely a win for teachers that makes the job more appealing. But it doesn't address the systemic issues that are driving them to quit, retire early, or give up their dreams of teaching all together.

@5th_with_ms.y

Replying to @emory here are my thoughts on my 4day work week as a teacher✨ #foryou #fyp #fypシ #foryoupage #foryoupageofficiall #teachersoftiktokfyp #teachersoftiktok #teachertok #teachersbelike #teachertiktok #tik #tiktok #viralllllll #teachertoks #teaching #teacher #tok #viralvideo #teacherlife #viral #trendy #teacher #teaching #worklifebalance #worklife #publicschool #publiceducation #school #student

A Commissioner of Education from Missouri calls truncated schedules a "band-aid solution with diminishing returns." Having an extra planning day won't stop teachers from getting scapegoated by politicians or held to impossible curriculum standards, it won't keep them from having to buy their own supplies or deal with ever-worsening student behavior.

Some teachers and other experts have suggested having a modified five-day school week, where one of the days gets set aside as a teacher planning day while students are still on-site participating in clubs, music, art—you know, all the stuff that's been getting cut in recent years. Something like that could work in some places.

In any case, the debate over a shortened school week is not going away any time soon. More districts across the country are doing their research in preparation for potentially making the switch.

Many parents don't theoretically mind the idea of their busy kids having an extra day off to unwind, pursue hobbies, see friends, catch up on projects, or spend time as a family. They're also usually in favor of anything that takes pressure off of overworked teachers. But until we adopt a four-day work week as the standard, the four-day school week is always going to feel a little out of place.

This article originally appeared in February. It has been updated.

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Man who was mistakenly added to a group chat shares the moment he knew they'd be lifelong friends

"Now I know some pretty dope people."

group chat, happy accident, Brent Milner, Kendrick Constant, friendship
Photo Credit: Kendrick Constant

Kendrick Constant and Brent Milner attend a baseball game.

It was just one of those things: someone transposed two numbers, causing a ripple effect that changed the lives of total strangers.

In a popular Instagram Reel, a man named Kendrick Constant AKA "The New Guy" writes, "7 years ago I was added to a group chat by mistake…but there are no coincidences." He explained that, due to a number being incorrectly added on WhatsApp, he began receiving texts from complete strangers more than twice his age. They had been planning a party, and one after another, the texts came rolling in. Finally, he decided to pull a little gag.

The Reel continues with a screenshot of the group text where its members were all reminiscing about a "great dinner party." One even writes, "Feel more karaoke in our future together with the extended PC family. Next time, Tony picks the song and we bring Mimi's drums. I'll run down a kazoo or maybe a snare drum. On a serious note, one of the best night's I've had in Park City. Great friends with the Miners in common."

Finally, Constant chimes in. "I'm glad to hear your friendship is so strong and you had a great night. Happy birthday! Unfortunately, I believe I was mistakenly added to the group chat, or maybe the van forgot to pick me up." He then adds his face into their group photo and, well, now the friendship has officially been seeded.

Someone on the thread spots the photo edit and writes, "No way, is that our new CT friend in the second pic? Welcome!" Constant responds, "See you at the next one." The group begins calling him "The New Guy" and soon enough, he's officially part of the gang. He becomes especially close to a man named Brent Milner, who even asks him to make a video for his wife's 50th birthday. Constant is enthusiastically up for the task.

Cut to: the friendship keeps building and a few months later, it was time to meet up and play some music. Constant happens to play drums, and we see some snapshots of their fabulous band in a jam session.

Milner and Constant's friendship grew stronger, and when Milner's son Beck got accepted into Yale, Constant would join to support him at baseball games. The Reel ends with a screenshot of Brent's message, "Can't call him New Guy anymore. Kendrick is part of the Milner family now, thanks to a one transposition number of Paul's wife, Leia!"

Group chat, dinner party, Kendrick Constant, Brent Milner, photoshop Kendrick Constant photoshops himself into a group photo. Photo Credit: Kendrick Constant

Upworthy had a chance to chat with Constant, who told us there were over 40 text messages before he responded. "At first, I thought it was a normal group chat that I was supposed to be in. Then the next day I started reading through and I realized none of the names matched anyone I knew."

When asked what his first indication was that they were likely to become real friends, Constant shares it was their willingness to immediately go with the joke. "They went along with the banter when they said, 'See you at the 60th!' I was 23 at the time. Now my 30th is 15 days away. I'm expecting a video of them missing this evasive party bus."

We also spoke with Milner, who answers the same question abour how he "knew" they'd be pals. "How could you not want to know the young man who took the time to photoshop himself into the group after his sincere attempt to just let us know he was mistakenly added? His effort was simply just too funny to us to be ignored and he gave us an out and we didn't want it! However, in earnest it could have simply run its course had there not been a follow-up birthday party for my wife a few months later. When Kendrick video’d himself missing the bus on a snowy day (the group he entered all live in Park City), I simply felt I wanted to meet him in person, which was going to be possible that summer."

This is when they played music. As for how the jam band session came about, Milner explains that the band is simply a "group of friends interested in music who would play and sing together on vacation." He adds, "I asked him if he played any instruments or sang, he said he did and could play the drums. We gave him the date and the time and he showed up after work and the rest is history. Performance went great."

Kendrick Constant and friends have a jam band session. www.youtube.com, Kendrick Constant

Constant shares that he feels his life was altered because of this happy accident. "I mean younger was me was always open-minded and had a heart for people. Life can be challenging and beat you up along the way. This allowed me to continue to be open in the moments where I wasn't sure or hesitant. Its natural to be a skeptic, its wise to use good judgment in how vulnerable to be. However, staying good despite it all is a sign of strength and resilience that I recognize. Its a familiar feeling that I felt with the Milners."

Milner, like Constant, feels the friendship has truly improved his life. "I really enjoy having Kendrick in my life. We can talk about a range of topics and I have enjoyed his perspective. Beck (Milner's son) is 7-8 years younger than Kendrick and he is my oldest so I have enjoyed Kendrick’s perspective as a young adult and watching him navigate career changes and finding what makes him happy and motivated. I’ve also watched he and Beck blossom into a real friendship that has been fun to witness. I continue to appreciate Kendrick’s humor but also his character and his passions. He sometimes calls me a 'mentor.' I tell him that makes me feel old so I like 'friends.'"

Constant adds, "Brent has taught me a lot, made me more self aware and a better person and professional as a financial advisor. Our stance on topics aren't the same all the time, but we can agree to disagree from our different walks of life. Beck, his son, and I clicked better than I have with people I have known for over a decade. Its awesome that our relationship is real and has now spanned multiple generations."

Milner was pretty shocked by the virality of the moment. "I have actually been amazed at the online response. I am old so I don’t have any social media presence beyond what my children show me–witness that I call it a “distribution” not a group chat. I tried to tell Kendrick that I felt 'distribution' meant useful information being provided for a purpose and group chat meant an ongoing conversation. He responded that 40 texts implies a conversation."

Kendrick Constant, friendship, group chat, Beck, family, the Milner family Kendrick Constant has dinner with his friend Beck.Photo Credit: Kendrick Constant

He adds, "Humans seem to be getting lost in today’s world of divided echo chambers and divisions of non-substantive issues for which neither party is even close to an expert, and yet, people divide. At this point, Kendrick and I have covered a lot of ground from socio-economics, age-diversity, religion, and politics as examples. We don’t agree on every point but we learn from each other every time we talk deeply about our perspectives. When we both leaned into this we had no idea what was going to come of it nor did we care what the divisive markers were. It just seemed like we could learn and benefit from knowing each other and that is what we did. I wish we were closer and could see each other more but he and Beck have picked up that ball as they are not far from each other. Somehow, I think people can sense an old fashion friendship built here in the length of this relationship and the randomness of this story. "

Constant also shares that the story has inspired others. "People keep telling me it made them text someone they hadn’t talked to in years, or that they want to be added to the group chat. That the story made them cry, restored their faith in humanity. Its a great story and if it nudges people to be a little more open and human."

He adds that Brent has given him solid advice for the last many years. "Brent told me to be yourself and you will gravitate toward like-minded people. So it encouraged me to be truly authentic, embrace my individuality. Now I know some pretty dope people."

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In 1969, the Monkees appeared on The Johnny Cash Show and played a stunning, original country song

"Nine Times Blue" is a jaw dropping intersection of craftsmanship and pure talent.

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via Colleen Gruver/YouTube

The Monkees perform on "The Johnny Cash Show."

The great debate about The Monkees is whether they were a real band or just a group of actors thrown together for a TV show. The answer is yes. They were actors cast to play an American version of The Beatles, and many of their early songs were written by big-time professional songwriters such as Tommy Boyce, Bobby Hart, Neil Diamond, Carole King, and Gerry Goffin.

However, The Monkees would pick up their own instruments, play on the 1967 Headquarters album, and perform as a live band on sold-out tours. After a resurgence in the '80s, the band enjoyed a lucrative career as a legacy act, with various members continuing to perform as The Monkees until Michael Nesmith died in 2021. Nesmith, originally a country singer from Dallas, Texas, wrote several of The Monkees' hits, including "Mary, Mary," "Papa Gene's Blues," "The Girl I Knew Somewhere," and "Listen to the Band," and was a driving force in the group being taken seriously as musicians.



By the summer of 1969, The Monkees' TV series was off the air, and the affable Peter Tork had exited the group, citing exhaustion. The remaining three soldiered on, performing on The Johnny Cash Show to promote their latest album, Instant Replay. The band chose to perform "Nine Times Blue," a country song written by Nesmith that he had demoed at the time but wouldn't be released until he recorded it as a solo artist in 1970.

The performance is a wonderful reminder that The Monkees were great comedic actors and accomplished musicians. Davy Jones and Micky Dolenz do a fantastic job singing harmonies on the chorus, while Nesmith plays some nice fills on his Gibson acoustic.

- YouTube www.youtube.com

Later in the show, The Monkees joined Cash for a performance of his 1966 novelty song, "Everybody Loves a Nut," which perfectly suited the band's comedic sensibilities. Two weeks after the release, Cash scored one of his biggest hits with "A Boy Named Sue," recorded live at San Quentin prison.

A few months later, Nesmith left The Monkees to pursue a country-rock career, first with the seminal group The First National Band, which scored a Top 40 hit with "Joanne" from the album Magnetic South.

- YouTube www.youtube.com

Although Nesmith's country-rock albums of the '70s were moderately successful, he was still overshadowed, as a musician, by The Monkees' towering success and subsequent downfall. In the '70s, it wasn't easy for Nesmith to get the respect he was due as a country artist. But in the years leading up to his death in 2021, Nesmith's work was reappraised, and he was seen as a brilliant songwriter who anticipated the rise of alt-country.

The Monkees hold a complicated place in rock 'n' roll history. While some see them as a prefabricated band assembled to cash in on The Beatles' success, others recognize them as talented musicians brought together under bizarre circumstances who forged their own path and created something fresh and innovative, only earning proper respect years later.

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Photographer films empty, snowy street that sparks massive Millennial and Gen Z metaphor

"When I was in my 20s and it snowed... we would all meet at the bar."

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Photo credit: Canva

A New York man was curious why no young people were out at bars during a recent snow.

A photographer named Josh Alvarez recently ventured out into the snow one evening and noticed something he found peculiar: No one was out and about.

The New Yorker compiled video footage from several spots around Nyack, New York and posted it to Instagram. The scene was quite beautiful, with light snow flakes falling, leftover Christmas lights shining, and a fresh layer of powder covering nearly everything. There was also dead silence and no signs of people, save for a few footprints in the snow.

"When I was in my 20s and it snowed like this," he wrote in the caption, "we would all meet at the bar. Now nobody goes out anymore. Definitely different times."

In the post, he elaborated that he wasn't casting judgment on the younger generation. Rather, he was genuinely curious about how and why things had changed.

"I wonder why nobody goes out anymore how we used to? Is it just too expensive now? I’ve also noticed people prioritize their health more now, which is amazing! Us 80’s babies sure loved to party"

Millennials and Gen Xers chimed in with plenty of their own memories about younger, wilder days:

It seems the "blizzard bar crawl" was a major rite of passage for people living in cold climates in their 20s.

"Living in Manhattan in my 20s, we’d meet at the bar on a snowy Saturday and then call the bar across the street and challenge them to snowball fight in the middle of Second Avenue," one wrote.

"Mannnnn… snow day barcrawl was my favorite time of year. Use to have a bottle of Jameson in my bag so we could take shots as we were walking in the blizzard to get to another bar," said another.

snow, snow day, new york, nyc, new york city, bars, alcohol, millennials, gen z, gen x, generational differences Gen Z goes to bars far less than previous generations. Photo by Mick Haupt on Unsplash

"Walked to the bar and walked home during a snowstorm!! It was the best time! Actually met my husband at a bar during a NYC blizzard in 1982!" someone added.

"Oh but i have amazing memories of leaving bars in NYC at 4 am to a fresh snowfall and peace and quiet in the streets which was perfection"

"Don’t be sad those moments are no longer happening , be happy they ever happened in the first place"

There were opinions abound about the younger generation, as well:

"The younger generation doesn’t socialize. They are scared of their own shadow."

"We knew how to party and socialize- nothing would get in our way-The younger gen would rather pop gummies and sit on the couch alone"

"Boring group today..too busy staring at their phones"

It's true; generations that came of age during and after COVID-19 are different. They socialize less in person, are more anxious, and are less prone to drinking and partying. But it's not because they're "boring."

Gen Zers took to the comments to defend themselves against the accusations of being sticks-in-the-mud. Not least of all, was the cost of the fun night out Millennials remember so fondly. It has changed dramatically.

"We can’t afford to drink out anymore when the cocktails are $20 each" one wrote.

"Because we aren’t paying 90s and early 2000s prices. Yall literally ruined our 20s for us and then call us weird for not AFFORDING to be social. Minimum 9$ per drink, to get in 15-25$, uber or parking 20+," added another.

"Went out the other day in Anchorage and a beer was $8.25. Not cheap to hang out anymore," someone agreed.


@resumeofficial

Like of course we don’t drink, a cocktail is $20 #drinkingculture #genz #sober #dryjanuary #nodrinking #greenscreen #costofliving #inflation #expensive #sobercurious

Bar specials like ten cent wings or dollar bottles used to be the norm on certain nights per week. Today, they're rare. It's not just the snow, but rather the idea of a "pub crawl" in general is a bit of an antiquated concept with a typical beer costing an arm and a leg due to inflation and supply chain issues.

There's also the fact that Gen Z drinks notoriously less alcohol than previous generations. They're more aware of the adverse health effects and, yes, more likely to prefer THC. It all comes full circle when you think about alcohol as a social lubricant that's not really necessary for a generation that doesn't socialize in person as much.

Finally, consider the entire concept of a snow day. Millennials and Gen X think fondly of snow days as a kid; long days spent sledding and having snowball fights. It was a permission slip to have reckless, wild fun, even from a young age. Today's young people are more likely to be stuck inside finishing remote homework or attending digital lectures with fresh powder outside. The sight of snow doesn't fill them with that nostalgic glee.

However, people of all ages are craving more analog experiences these days. More tactile objects and interfaces, actual buttons instead of touch screens, vinyl records instead of Spotify, and even chatting with friends in a coffee shop versus texting. If there's ever a world where going to bars could be affordable for young people again, maybe a snow day bar crawl with friends could be just what the doctor ordered.

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Fascinating video reveals 7 reasons why people in the past looked so much older

Why did teenagers in the 50s look 45?

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via The Wittenberger/Wikimedia Commons

The Wittenberger College 1956 yearbook.

Ever look through your parents’ high school yearbook and all the teenagers look like they are 35 years old? When you think about how teenagers look today, the difference is striking. But why? Did people grow up much faster back in the day, or is there something else at play?

If you look back to the 1980s, there’s a clear difference between actors Paul Rudd and Wilford Brimley at 50.

Sure, that's a cherry-picked, extreme version of the difference in how people age, but it does support the idea that just a few decades ago, people aged much faster.

In a recent video, the folks at Recollection Road did a deep dive into why your average high school junior in 1958 looked like a 55-year-old bank manager, and they found seven reasons. They were a mix of environmental and cultural factors that boiled down to one central point: people are much healthier these days.

- YouTube www.youtube.com

1. Smoking

“Cigarettes were everywhere: in diners, in offices, even on airplanes. In the 1950s, it wasn't unusual to see a mother with a baby in one arm and a cigarette in the other. High school kids would light up behind the gym, and by adulthood, many were chain smokers.”

A Gallup poll found that in 1954, 45% of U.S. adults smoked cigarettes at least once a week. Compare this with 2024, when only 11% of Americans smoked a cigarette in the previous week.

2. Sun exposure

“Back in the 1960s and 1970s, a summer tan wasn't just fashionable, it was almost required. People slathered on baby oil, laid out under the blazing sun, and cooked. There was no SPF 50. In fact, lotion was designed to help you burn faster for a deeper tan. Families on vacation didn't think twice about spending hours on the beach with no shade. By the time they were in their 30s or 40s, the sun had also carved wrinkles and dark spots into their skin.”


3. Fashion

“Think about old photos of your parents or grandparents. A 25-year-old man in 1948 was often dressed in a suit and tie, maybe even a fedora. A young woman might be wearing a conservative dress and practical shoes. By modern standards, those styles look more grown-up, more like something we'd expect from someone middle-aged.”

4. Life was harder

“Someone who grew up during the Great Depression often started working as a teenager to help put food on the table. A lot of young men were drafted into World War II or Vietnam before they were even old enough to legally drink. That kind of responsibility leaves its mark. … Even women carried heavy burdens. In the 1950s, a young mother might have had three or four kids by the time she was 25, while also running a household without modern conveniences like microwaves or dishwashers.”


5. Drinking

“Having a three martini lunch was common in the business world of the 1960s. Beer was practically considered a food group in some households. Combine that with less knowledge about exercise and health, and you can see why bodies wore down faster, giving people an older appearance earlier in life.”

There has been a sharp decline in the number of Americans who consume alcohol. In 1971, 71% of Americans had the occasional drink, but that number dropped to 54% in 2025. The decline in drinking is attributed to concerns over alcohol’s effect on health and a decrease in consumption amongst younger people.


6. Cultural expectations

"By their mid-20s, most people in the 1950s and ‘60s were married, raising children, and working full-time jobs. Life was about responsibility, not self-expression. They dressed older, behaved older, and carried themselves as adults.”

7. Testosterone

“Studies show that the average testosterone has been steadily declining for decades. Men in the 1950s and ‘60s often had higher natural testosterone than men today, which gave them more muscle mass, broader builds, and in some cases, more facial hair. While that might sound like it would make them look younger, it often had the opposite effect. The heavy brows, thick body hair, and rugged features made young men look tougher, older, and more weathered than their actual age.”

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