Adults Over 40 Are Sharing The Products And Trends That Were All The Rage Back In The Day But Have Disappeared Entirely

Buzz Feed

03-05-2025

Nostalgia is a hell of a drug, and as we all know, the trend cycle is cyclical. There are some things that need to come back ASAP, and some that, honestly, need to stay in the past. So, I decided to ask members of our very own BuzzFeed Community to share one trend from back in the day they remember clearly that has disappeared entirely. Their answers did not disappoint! Naturally, I had to share; here are some of the best!
1. "In the '70s, it was cool for young men to dress a little androgynous. From long hair (stylish feathered mullets) to low-rise jeans that were tight at the top (maybe too tight!) but with big bell bottoms, bracelets, earrings and jewelry, and serious platform shoes of course."
"The style was influenced by the 'glitter rock' movement. I would have gotten into it, but there was no way my father was going to let that happen. I can't even use the words he used to describe that look. It was just fashion and fun."
— saudade13
2. "AOL chatrooms!! We grew up hearing we could be anything we wanted to be when we grew up (LIES!), but in those chatrooms, you really could be whatever/whomever you wanted to be! "
3. "Perms. Curly hair was the rage in the '80s. 'Rods and paper' have not made a comeback."
4. "High-top Nikes or Adidas, unlaced at the top with jeans tucked in."
5. "Video game arcades."
6. "I miss sweaters that cover your butt. Stop the Crop!"
7. "Side parts."
—Anonymous, 44 USA
8. "MTV showing videos all the time!"
9. "Outrageous brand shampoo. I've never found another shampoo that smelled as good. "
—Anonymous, 51, Canada
10. "Padded shoulder fluffy sweaters with high rise skirts/acid wash jeans and short-haired women."
11. "Choker necklaces! Whether it be the old-school plastic goth kind you used to get out of a gumball machine, or something more preppy and fancy. Definitely a fashion we need to bring back. They can be classy or playful! "
13. "Washing my face with Noxzema. The big blue jar. It made your face tingle, so you knew it was working!"
14. "I loved going to discotheques back in the '70s. There were clubs that played disco music every night with a crowded floor. I loved the music, and I felt like the Dancing Queen out there gyrating to those fabulous tunes. I still do it to this day when a fabulous song is played."
15. "Passing handwritten letters in school. Writing to pals abroad. Receiving handwritten letters in the mail."
16. "Oh so many things I can think of, but a few favorites are LA Gear shoes, Sidekick Phones, CD walkmans, and body glitter!"
17. "In the '70s we wore pastel felt-like jeans called 'Dittos' — I had two pairs, one in yellow and one in pink!"
—Anonymous, 65, Pasadena, CA
18. "Wearing hoop earrings and adding a key to dangle it!"
19. "White Rain hairspray."
20. "Oh man, in the late '80s and early '90s, girls wearing penny loafers (with actual pennies in them), with tight rolled cuff jeans. Horrible. We were in middle school and our shoes looked like we were middle-aged Wall Street bankers!"
21. "Body glitter! It wasn't a night out without spreading gel with literal glitter in it on your collarbone, cheekbones, etc."
22. "Platform shoes with goldfish in the heels. 😂"
23. "White go-go boots and black lipstick —1966."
24. "Swatch watches rocked. I remember their TV commercial in the '80s where a British guy said, 'You better swatch yourself!'"
25. "Roller skates you could attach to your shoes."
"Also, Red Ryder BB guns."
—Anonymous, 77, Rhode Island
26. "Color toilet paper. It was a reason for the pink and blue and yellow bathrooms."
Porechenskaya / Getty Images/iStockphoto
—Anonymous, 57, New Jersy
27. "Marijuana that didn't render me useless for the day."
— hiddenraptor893
28. "Camo pants. When I was in junior high, all the cool boys had camo pants."
PYMCA/Avalon / Universal Images Group via Getty Images
"I tried to get my mom to buy me a pair, but for whatever reason, she wouldn't. In retrospect, probably for the best, since I would get roasted by my kids if they ever saw a picture of me wearing them."
— parryboucher
29. "How about 8-tracks? I had a pickup full. I'd play one for a few weeks and then bam! My 8-track player ate it. As soon as I could get it out of the damn 8-track player, I'd throw it out the window. Not really, but I wanted to!"
Heritage Images / National Motor Museum/Heritage Images via Getty Images
— goldenorc84
30. "Aquanet. And banana clips."
Fairfax Media Archives / Fairfax Media via Getty Images
— carrieannsop
"I'll never forget that Aquanet smell! And I loved banana clips. Also, my crimping iron. I still think I looked good with crimped hair and am waiting patiently for it to make a comeback."
— heatherchristie1
31. "I miss buying CDs at large discount stores. You could discover amazing music that never got played on basic radio."
ViktorBond / Getty Images
"I don't miss being forced to wear foam rollers, having my hair permed every three to six months. THE SMELL!!!"
— lauragipe23
32. "Being judged on how ripped/scuffed/dirty the heel of your bootcut jeans were (by heel, I mean the bottom of the leg at the back), back when it was the fashion to wear those really long jeans that were like non-goth versions of the industrial ones you'd get at Hot Topic and Torrid."
Jena Ardell / Getty Images
"The dirtier and more scuffed and damaged the heel of the pants, the cooler you were, apparently. I'm not confused that I don't see it anymore, as we've apparently now gone around to buying pants that are pre-ruined with holes in the knees and legs. I'm honestly just really confused as to why it was a trend in the first place. Was it a UK/Ireland thing only?!"
— teeldubya
"No, that was popular in the US. The way to top off your heel distressed (from actual wear and tear) jeans was with a pair of Doc Martens. I had the brown/coppery Mary Janes, and I still wear them sometimes. They're almost 30 years old but have held up.
— heatherchristie1
33. "I miss the excitement of a much-anticipated album coming out and going to the store (shoutout to Sam Goody!) to get a copy of it."
Ron Galella, Ltd. / Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images
"I remember going to Target right after school to get NSYNC's album No Strings Attached, and it being a massive thrill. I camped out on the steps of the San Diego Sports Arena to get NSYNC concert tickets, too. People don't do stuff like that anymore, and it's sad."
— awfulhouse65
34. "I badly miss my iPod, be it the Shuffle or the Nano. It was a miracle, the tiniest little piece of technology just filled with your favorite songs. It's just not the same using your phone to play music."
Justin Sullivan / Getty Images
— shyswan35
35. "When I was a college student in the late '70s/early '80s, we would write letters to our college friends over the summer because calling them would be too expensive. (Remember long-distance calls?)"
Julian Yewdall / Getty Images
"How I looked forward to writing and getting those handwritten letters in cursive that were written with such detail and usually lots of humor! I kept some of them and reread them recently. Like a trip back in time, lol."
— magicalbubble58
So, what do you think? Do you remember these? I wanna hear your thoughts down below; or, feel free to talk about your own favorite trend of the past!
Or, if you have something to say but prefer to stay anonymous, you can check out this anonymous comments form!