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“Times Have Changed”: 40 Examples Of Things That Were Once Unacceptable But Are Now Accepted As Shared By The Bored Panda Community
Interview
There are many things that were once considered taboo or socially unacceptable, but have since become more accepted by society. As time goes on, people's attitudes and beliefs can change, and what was once considered unacceptable may become widely accepted. This can be seen in a variety of areas, such as relationships, fashion, and even language. While some may view these changes as positive, others may resist them, leading to ongoing debates and discussions about what is and is not socially acceptable.
Ultimately, what is considered acceptable can vary greatly depending on the time and place, and what may be accepted in one society may not be in another. I asked Pandas from our community to share things that weren't socially acceptable until now, and there were a lot of interesting answers to say the least.
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Interracial marriages.
As a child of an interracial marriage, people still give me and my family strange looks. A hospital once locked me and my white mother in a room because they thought I was kidnapped. It is still weirdly taboo unfortunately -mixed 13 year old
Bored Panda reached out to Arizona Professor of Sociology, Dr. Mia Crawford. We asked her to explain to us what are some of the factors that contribute to changes in social norms and attitudes.
"Well, that's a good question," She started. "As you can guess there are a number of factors that can contribute to changes in social norms and attitudes. For example, demographic shifts. So imagine that changes in the composition of a population can lead to changes in attitudes and norms. An example of that would be, that when a population becomes more diverse, attitudes towards minorities or marginalized groups may shift." Dr. Crawford said.
Women being financially independent. Being able to have their own bank account, their own credit cards, and take out their own loans without having to have a man co-sign for them.
When my dad left my mom in the 70s, she could not have her name alone on the house, nor a bank account nor credit cards, without her dad co-signing. Women still have few options for being financially independent by comparison. I can't f*****g believe we're not only still begging and fighting for equal wages, but are being dragged back to the dark ages instead. This is the world Conservatives want, after all.
Being openly gay. It used to be taboo and sometimes downright dangerous to be open about it. Now it’s no big deal and I think that’s awesome.
"Things like economic and technological change can also impact the shift in social norms. For example, advancements in technology may lead to changes in the way people communicate and interact with one another, which in turn can affect social norms.
It's also worth noting that social movements and activism are a big part of this whole thing as well! Social movements, such as the Civil Rights Movement or the LGBTQ rights movement, can also play a significant role in changing social norms and attitudes. These movements bring attention to issues and injustices, and through sustained activism and mobilization of people, bring about changes in the laws and social norms."
Tattoos. My parents cried and said I would never find a job.
I went from an office job where I had to cover all my tattoos and my boss tried to publicly shame me fore getting another one (I say tried because I have no shame) to a blue collar job where the rest of the shop is emotionally invested as I design my sleeve.
Being accepted and treated like a normal person despite having disabilities and disorders.
It wasn't that long ago people with any form of mental, learning, physical and cognitive disabilities or mental disorders were put in mental hospitals and cruel asylums when all they needed was some extra help from an Aide or counseling. People would be mean and call slower kids the 'R-word', bully them and teachers would outcast them to a "special ed" program.
Some kids never even get an assessment or diagnosis because their parents would be more concerned about the social impact, or refused to cater to the thought bad marks were not the fault of their child.
Now, kids who need extra support or be somewhere quiet to do their work go to the resource rooms, which sounds more inclusive.
"Lastly, we cannot exclude psychological and cultural factors: Social norms and attitudes can be influenced by psychological factors like cognitive biases and cultural factors like tradition, religion, and beliefs." Dr. Mia shared.
We also asked Dr. Crawford to explain some of the key factors that influence the acceptance or rejection of something in society. She broke down the complex dynamics behind social norms and attitudes, and provided some insights and examples that shed light on the subject.
"A variety of key elements can play a role in determining the level of acceptance or rejection of something within a society. One must first take a look at social norms and expectations. People tend to conform to the norms and expectations of their social groups. When something is seen as acceptable or normal within a particular group, it is more likely to be accepted by the individuals within that group." Dr. Crawford told Bored Panda.
Cosplay. Especially cosplay for people with disabilities or less-than-ideal bodies. I'm a cosplayer, I'm partially disabled and overweight, and no one bats an eye at the con when I dress up.
Crying for men.
"Another thing that could be counted equally as important is the fact that familiarity breeds acceptance." The sociologist shared. "When people are exposed to something and given the chance to become familiar with it, they are more likely to accept it. Initially, new or unfamiliar things may be met with rejection, but as people become more accustomed to them, their attitudes can shift."
According to an Emily Post Etiquette book published in 1984, it was not socially acceptable to ask a guest NOT to smoke in your home.
You could not ask someone to not smoke, esp if you were a kid. I now have severe asthma thanks to being stuck in closed spaces with smokers for my entire childhood. If you asked to move or roll down a window, you'd get in trouble.
Bi-racial relationships & Bi-racial children
I love seeing bi racial families, it's a big FU to all these racist d@&ks. Plus mixed raced people are really very striking to look at, things like black skin with blue eyes, the model with the darkest skin in the world, there are so many beautiful people out there, see what happens when love has no barriers. Screw the racists, I was raised in a very racist and homophobic home. I was a child I did not understand why we did not like people with different colour skin, I'm now in my 30s and feel so guilty for believing that was the norm until my late teens. I still feel so bad for not being a better person and connecting the dots, like why is this persons skin colour an issue? I have other family huge homophobes, they have no place in my life or my kids.
"Though there are a lot more factors to this, and I only named a few, these are one of the most important ones. These factors play a crucial role in shaping societal acceptance or rejection of something, however, it's important to note that their interplay and importance can change depending on the specific context and society." The sociologist lastly stated.
Maybe someone has already said this, I don't know. Back when I was growing up it was considered bad manners to make an incoming phone call more important than the person that you were talking to, right there, in person. I am still appalled at how many people answer their cell phones even if you're sitting right there in person talking to them. Seems like bad manners to me.
Women exposing their ankles.
Although at my school, my skirt must be no higher than 2 inches above my knee.
Well not entirely acceptable by everyone yet, but it's starting to be: men who aren't cross-dressers or even gay wearing skirts/nail polish/makeup.
And I fully support being you and expressing yourself. I think it's awesome that this is happening and becoming more acceptable to society. An article of clothing or accessory shouldn't be genderized.
K-12 girls being allowed to wear pants to school. I know it's still no tube tops or short shorts, etc., but when I was in school, girls wore dresses and skirts, and if you knelt and the skirt didn't touch the floor, it was deemed to be too short. In high school, there were about 2 designated days per year when we could wear pants.
Pants are so much more practical & safe for females to wear to school.
Now if only the clothing manufacturers could put actual pockets in those pants, I think my wife would be happy.
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to be fair I dont think children should want/wear tube tops and IDK why I keep seeing a lot of women fighting for kids under 14 to wear "sexy" clothes, children shouldn't have "sexy" clothes
You're an american? In germany, there are no clithes regulations for boys or girls. In the 90ties, some of my male classmates wore skirts and black nailpolish, one girl i knew wore tube tops without a bra(she had a big chest), it did not look to good on her, but the school was cool with it.
If someone made stylish cargo pants for women they would be ridiculously rich. As a man I have pockets and if I wore pants without pockets or very tiny ones I would be like “What is the point of these pants”!
I see school age girls hanging from trees and monkey bars - they wear shorts under their dresses, as a matter of course!
My 5th grade teacher got our school to let girls wear pants. She was also the first person I knew to use Ms. in front of her name. This was in California, in the 70s. Nevertheless, I think it is sad that a person has to wear pants to feel safe at school. I am a teacher, and I do not care about hair color, clothing style, romantic choices, etc.
Weird. I was born in 1970 and we could always wear pants to school.
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I was in elementary school in the late 50's and early 60's we could wear long pants if it was cold enough but we had to wear them UNDER OUR SKIRTS!! I kid you not! I just remembered, in high school we couldn't wear "granny dresses" ( ankle length) but could wear skirts ay the knees. Go figure.
In my school, students are allowed to wear whatever unless it is underwear or inappropriate
I'm 100% convinced that all the "kneel tests" were mostly administered by (straight) male teachers so they could fantasize about them pleasing them. I don't know how parents didn't get arrested.
I teach high school. Tube tops are ok (with a jacket), no one checks short or skirt length and girls and now boys are showing their midriff.
The kids around where I live in Scotland (High School age) all wear a skirt that barely covers their butt cheeks, black tights and black hi top Converse (other shoes are available). They look like clones! I must be showing my age as think the skirt length is super inappropriate. If I had a daughter (I have a son), I'd be worried about them walking to school like that.
Our principal was so cool. She changed our uniform to denims, just for the winter. Skirts didn't give much protection against the cold, plus there was a deadly disease being carried around by mosquitos. So denims offered much needed protection. Living in a small conservative city, wearing our denims beneath our school coats and riding our scooters, we felt so cool!
I’m in Australia where school uniforms are the norm. Legislation was passed a few years back that school need to provide pants options for girls uniforms (this was happening in a lot of school already but some needed a push). My kids go back to school this year with a new uniform that is now gender neutral with a choice of skirts/shorts/pants/skorts on the bottom. Great for girls who want to be active, great for boys who want skirts and great for everyone who doesn’t want to be put in a gender box.
Oh I used to LOVE “pants day”! Having to only wear skirts was the worst and sexist in many ways. I can be ladylike in pants too.
AND after a certain age you had to shave your legs, lol.
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My school allowed pants. My mom did not. I did not get to wear pants until 5h grade. Pierced ears were high school.
I was in the 8th grade when my school started to allow girls to wear pants. Unfortunately, they weren't a solid color, like the boys had. Our option was the exact same plaid our jumpers and skirts were made of. I stuck with my skirt for that final year- I wasn't going to play their passive-aggressive "we'll give them their stupid option" game. NO! Not me, mighty middle school refusnik that I was. (And the fact that they looked like the go-to leisure wear of the parish bingo crowd).
1950's grade school:.no pants, ever. On cold days you could wear pants under your dress, but had to take pants off when you got to school.
Most schools in Ireland have uniforms, which simplifies things considerably. It used to be that all-girl schools required skirts and socks, now most give a choice of skirts or trousers.
My mom (who went to high school in the 60s) told me she had special permission to wear pants because she was involved in the tech for the school plays, and had to go up into the catwalks above the stage, and they (and she!) didn't want people to be able to look up her skirt!
Yeah it was a big deal when they went from letting, 1st it was letting girls wear "nice dress slacks" and then finally it was allowed to be jeans... that was a big controversy!!!
No shorts? I taught 1980-2012. Mostly Elementary. They were allowed the whole time. In fact they were required on girls who wore skirts as not to show their underwear to everyone in PE class or recess. I was in the generation where pants were allowed but not until I was in 5th grade. At first it had to be polyester pant suits with tunic tops as not to reveal our rears to the boys. As in covered with pants but a tunic over your front and back hips. Pretty nuts. -in Texas. In Elementary in Maryland we went through one of the coldest winters but girls could only wear dresses with tights. I was walking over a drift in the road to get to the bus stop. I fell in. Slushy up to my waist. My sisters pulled me out. Was blue by the time I got to school. Luckily had a good teacher who got me a change of clothes from the nurse.
Go on TikTok and look up Scottish school uniform - been pretty much that way since I was at high school - it's a bit over the top these days but I'm ok with teachers realising there's more important things to concentrate on other than dictating what teenage girls wear
When I started secondary school back in '64, girls were not allowed pants unless it was freezing. Got detention à couple of times because it was above freezing by the time I got to school 🙄 No make up or nail polish allowed and always wear socks or stockings.
When I was in school like 40 years ago a few girls wore trousers. It was allowed, as long as they were grey (our uniforms are usually hwite shirt, grey lower part).
My school has a strict looking dress code but it’s hardly ever enforced.
I remember that, although by the time I got to junior/senior high I wore pants everyday.
Protesting whaling.
Females in revealing clothes. I'm grateful that I can wear pants/shorts. I hate dresses.
Actually I don't hate dresses. I just hate that I can't find one that fits my body type and looks cute.
Cannabis use, especially (where it’s legal for recreation,) is much more acceptable than it was years ago.
Discussing private issues.
Depression. Sexual abuse. Queer identities. Harassment. Bad parenting. Not wanting to have kids/marry. We literally could not even breathe hints that some of these things existed for most of our lives.
Being LGBTQ+ and supporting it. Also, someone said being openly gay and I’m not trying to copy them.
A related one would be HIV no longer being a death sentence. In the 80s-90s, when someone said they were positive, you knew you only had a year or two left with them, and it was going to be agony for them. Not anymore.
Having babies out of wedlock.
My now-husband was concerned when our first was born because we weren't married and he thought being a bastard was still a stigma. Not gonna lie, I laughed.
not liking religion. if you didn't like church the church would not like you existing
Even if I was religious l, I wouldn't be able to sit still at a place of worship. I get cold if I sit still for 2-5 minutes or more while awake. I have to use a blanket when I watch TV
1. Looking like you're talking to yourself.
The in past you've been taken away to the crazy hospital. These days you're most likely on your phone so you can feel free to talk to yourself all you want and just blame it on that, lol.
2. Being an actual crazy person.
It used to be if you were crazy they'd give you tin foil to play with and cart you off to a mental hospital because you shouldn't be allowed in regular society. Now you can say things like believing the earth is flat. Or that school shootings where children have died and it can be proven are just 'false flags' and never happened. Or that the government is a conspiracy of snake people from another planet. And instead of a tin foil hat, you get elected to the house of representatives or a radio show making millions of dollars.
Mental hospitals "back in the day" did FAR worse things than give you tinfoil to play with
Black people going to the same school as white people (but I guess that’s racism) but it was still socially unacceptable.
Being friends with an African American person.
Not answering your phone. It used to be expected that if you were home and the phone rang, you picked it up. Then there were answering machines so we could screen. Then voicemail, and now we have a call display so you can just decline. I honestly never expect people to pick up if I call. Text is way easier anyway.
I still get people pissed off when I don't answer my home phone. My mom will call my cellphone, text me and then try my home phone. If I don't answer, then I did a terrible, horrible thing. Then I get interrogated where I've been, why I didn't answer or reply to her texts. Like geezus. I miss not having all these communication avenues.
Not dressing to the 9s when on an airplane. You used to essentially have to wear business suits/business formal when flying. Now comfy clothes are fine.
It's a giant, dirty bus, in the air. I'd wear a plastic bubble if I could.
Expressing pro-LGBTQ opinions without first saying "I'm not gay, but..."
Telling your parents they're wrong.
Just did this the other day, it was so awesome. She called me a b*tch in front of my coworkers this morning, but it was worth it. No one calls me a liar for having sleep problems and then gets mad at me for them later! Have fun with that "mom"
Being a minority, whether it be religious or ethnic. Luckily, it is legal to not be a white Christain now, but you used to be mobbed or persecuted over what you believe in or what you look like.
Accomodating neurodivergent people. Don't get me wrong, it's still awful. But it's a hell of a lot better than it was maybe 5 years ago. Whether it's "autism hours" in supermarkets to lower risk of overstimulation or just not commenting on stims being "weird", it's definitely progress. It's less taboo and less ignored now than it's been in the past
I am a high functioning autistic so I'm not overly sensitive to noise or bright lights, but I still appreciate people understanding my DIFFERENCE! Not disability, not fault, not defect, DIFFERENCE!
The stigma surrounding mental illness has dissipated. We can now talk openly about mental health struggles and even take a mental health day off work. Mental Health struggles are being seen as legitimate and debilitating illnesses that used to be brushed off and people told to "Brighten up" or "Just get over it"
In my own personal experience, this is true. I have bad anxiety and sometimes have panic attacks. My current employer and coworkers are so understanding about it, whereas in the past I've been penalized or even mocked for having anxiety.
Not knowing how to write in cursive.
I'm sorry cursive is no longer being taught. We are losing a great art.
Swearing (to an extent).
Especially for women. I still have people policing my wording when I use profanity. My favorite thing is when some Conservative Christian unleashes all of their usual rhetoric about how I'm a murderer sinner brainwasher who's going to burn in hell for all eternity and LGBTQ+ is a sin, and when I respond with "f**k off," they then complain about my "bad language" and it's "unladylike" and "rude." Sorry, but I think telling a kid that they're going to burn in hell for being bi is far more offensive than a four-letter word, but I'm just so wacky and sinful that way. But really, f**k ALL the way off.
Being a witch/pagan although I did discover that in some countries it is still best to keep your pentacle tucked away,
disrespect and rudeness. it happens all the time and no one speaks up because they're afraid of the confrontation and i don't blame them. rage is on the rise.
Honestly, disrespect and rudeness have always existed. I feel like people romanticize the past in a way that's not realistic. Every single generation thinks the next generation coming up is so much worse than theirs. It's really not any different. I think the opposite - people speak up about rudeness and disrespect so much that they're labelled "snowflakes."
Mylar balloons aren't good for the environment. They can short-circuit power equipment and lead to outages and fires. They can float for days and miles and return to earth as ugly litter that pollutes pristine places. They end up in the stomachs of countless land animals and sea creatures that eat them and die. They waste helium which is a finite resource. They are synthetic products that will never biodegrade. They're pretty to look at but releasing them to ride the winds is irresponsible.
So, I read this prompt backward. This answer works if the question was worded opposite, "What is something that ISN'T socially acceptable now, that used to be okay?" I'd delete it, but I don't know how.
Now I actually think about it... anything. You can carry a lightsaber in public and nobody blinks, everybody has an opinion but nobody is accountable, and now I've said all of that, I'll let you know that it was what ruined the Star wars franchise years ago.
Being a Catholic Christian. The KKK tried to wipe us out. One Catholic priest was killed because a White Protestant man's daughter married someone outside of her own race.
Yes, Black people were not the only target. Jews, Catholics, gays, and other groups that were not WASP
Wearing colours at Wimbledon
Note: this post originally had 99 images. It’s been shortened to the top 40 images based on user votes.
It entirely depends on where you live. Here being gay is "legal" but people are still killed for it, even more so being trans. And try to get a job being trans or disabled or worse, being both, no one wants to employ you.
Employers will absolutely jump thru hoops to get rid of Trans employees, I've seen it happen. It's ridiculous. If they do their job well and don't eff things up for the company, that should be all that matters.
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They totally left out not having kids if you don't want them. A lot of people are tossing aside the "Life-Script" expectations and not putting up with the "...a woman's purpose in life..." b******t that's been shoved down our throats since childhood.
It's not acceptable to all people. My married sister is still hounded to reproduce all the time even though she and her husband don't want any. And there are so many articles and discussions about it. If anything I feel like people should give reason to why they want kids.
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I feel like society has come a long way, but we still have a long way to go...
Heck, auto correct is such a bummer... Sometimes I read what I think I wrote to see that it's all written wrong but still all correct English words, only it doesn't make any sense at all XD
I feel like "Going to the hospital" used to not be socially acceptable. I vaguely remember my great grandmother fighting against going to the hospital because in her time, going to the hospital meant you were so sick that you would surely die.
Depending on when your grandmother was young, it may have involved a lot more guess work then it does now. Things like MRI have taken a lot of the mystery out of why the body does what it does.
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Honestly, this whole list still happens now. But it IMPROVED. So please stop commenting ‘ but it still happens’ honestly there will always be that one person who’s gonna be annoying lol
That made me laugh. I'm old school but even l had to think about it for a few. Tin foil to stop the aliens from reading their minds.
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Not wanting to have a family or kids! I think that should have been one of the 40. Not all of us want a family or kids. I hate children! I love my niece but I have no intention of having kids of my own!
Or a member of the Satanic Temple - I always tell people to read the faq if they think its like the Church of Satan.
Load More Replies... I love how this was supposed to be a list of 40 things but once you cut all the repeats it ended up being eight things.
From the posts, people being allowed to be who they are. You do you.
I appreciate that it's more acceptable to consider a pet a family member, and that their death is sometimes just as emotional as a person's death. Also, I believe that many things are more acceptable in general, and that there will always be people who still think of it as unacceptable.
Wow. So many people posting as if their little area of the world is the only one. It being acceptable for men to cry is not a new thing for goodness sakes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Just a new thing after not being acceptable in very specific societies in this little tiny slice of time.
Ya typically when people post they write what they know. Usually that means from the perspective of where they live and when they live (which would be the present).
Load More Replies... It entirely depends on where you live. Here being gay is "legal" but people are still killed for it, even more so being trans. And try to get a job being trans or disabled or worse, being both, no one wants to employ you.
Employers will absolutely jump thru hoops to get rid of Trans employees, I've seen it happen. It's ridiculous. If they do their job well and don't eff things up for the company, that should be all that matters.
Load More Replies... They totally left out not having kids if you don't want them. A lot of people are tossing aside the "Life-Script" expectations and not putting up with the "...a woman's purpose in life..." b******t that's been shoved down our throats since childhood.
It's not acceptable to all people. My married sister is still hounded to reproduce all the time even though she and her husband don't want any. And there are so many articles and discussions about it. If anything I feel like people should give reason to why they want kids.
Load More Replies... I feel like society has come a long way, but we still have a long way to go...
Heck, auto correct is such a bummer... Sometimes I read what I think I wrote to see that it's all written wrong but still all correct English words, only it doesn't make any sense at all XD
I feel like "Going to the hospital" used to not be socially acceptable. I vaguely remember my great grandmother fighting against going to the hospital because in her time, going to the hospital meant you were so sick that you would surely die.
Depending on when your grandmother was young, it may have involved a lot more guess work then it does now. Things like MRI have taken a lot of the mystery out of why the body does what it does.
Load More Replies... Honestly, this whole list still happens now. But it IMPROVED. So please stop commenting ‘ but it still happens’ honestly there will always be that one person who’s gonna be annoying lol
That made me laugh. I'm old school but even l had to think about it for a few. Tin foil to stop the aliens from reading their minds.
Load More Replies... Not wanting to have a family or kids! I think that should have been one of the 40. Not all of us want a family or kids. I hate children! I love my niece but I have no intention of having kids of my own!
Or a member of the Satanic Temple - I always tell people to read the faq if they think its like the Church of Satan.
Load More Replies... I love how this was supposed to be a list of 40 things but once you cut all the repeats it ended up being eight things.
From the posts, people being allowed to be who they are. You do you.
I appreciate that it's more acceptable to consider a pet a family member, and that their death is sometimes just as emotional as a person's death. Also, I believe that many things are more acceptable in general, and that there will always be people who still think of it as unacceptable.
Wow. So many people posting as if their little area of the world is the only one. It being acceptable for men to cry is not a new thing for goodness sakes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Just a new thing after not being acceptable in very specific societies in this little tiny slice of time.
Ya typically when people post they write what they know. Usually that means from the perspective of where they live and when they live (which would be the present).
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