When you look back on your youth, do you ever wonder what fads and fashions will come back around?
I do. And here is a list of 16 random Generation X memories that I don’t think will ever make a comeback.
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Wooly Willy: Using magnets to apply funny facial hair styles to a 2D cartoon face? The technology was astounding.
Remote controls with a cord connected to the TV: I remember sitting on the couch and just casually changing the channel…without having to get up from the couch! It was so cool! Just make sure you don’t trip anyone with that cord stretched across the carpet…
Reebok pumps: My vertical leap is a few feet short of a slam dunk, but if I just pump this shoe-button on the tongue of my sneakers a few times…
Beta Max: I think this brand got overshadowed by VHS almost immediately. I remember going to the video rental store on a Friday night, so excited about all the movies on the shelves! Then my parents would say, “You have to pick from the Beta section,” and point me to the corner of the store with no more than 12 movie choices. Beta is right.
Jazzercise: Leotards, leg warmers, and braided headbands. Oh my.
Scrunch Socks: Pull your socks up tight, then spend several minutes trying to scrunch and bunch them in just the right way to give them that effortless, slouchy look.
Bubble Tape: “Six feet of fun!” I think I had more fun using the teeth on the container to chop off stick-sized pieces than I did actually chewing it.
Extra long telephone cords stretched down the hall and passing under your bedroom door: Status symbol #1: Having the longest phone cord of all your friends.
Waterbeds: They were the epitome of luxury. As a kid, I vowed to one day sleep in the rubbery, unstable embrace of a heated slosh mattress. Then I got older and they seemed impractical and like a massive liability.
Princess phone: So classy. So compact. Not sure where the name came from…
Glamour shots: So popular in the 90s. They’d fix up your hair and makeup and wrap you in a shiny shawl. They’d make you look like…like…well, almost as good as your Instagram filters.
Car lighters and ashtrays: Remember pressing the lighter against your thumb to make the burn rings? That wasn’t just me, was it?
Door-to-door encyclopedia sales: This was an actual profession. Like, the doorbell would ring and you would wonder if it was an encyclopedia salesman. Honestly, I don’t know why we don’t have door-to-door smartphone salesmen, am I right?
Calculator watch: They were cool for a bit, then only for nerds. But sorry, calculator watch. You don’t make sense anymore.
Radio alarm clocks: No more worrying about whether the volume is up high enough! This is another casualty of smartphones.
Phone books: Just buy a booster seat and save some trees.
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What do you think? Am I missing the most important, never-to-return memories? Are any of these memories on their way back into our lives? Let me know in the comments.
And don’t miss my list of 16 Gen X Memories That Could Make a Comeback.
Here are some more Generation X posts you might like:
Why is Generation X Called The Slacker Generation?
Generational Stereotypes Chart
Gen X vs. Gen Jones vs. Xennials
We Need a Gen X President But We Aren’t Going To Get One
Or visit the Home page and explore this Generation X in Midlife site.