I came across this article on the internet today 15 Unwritten Teen Rules in the ‘70s. It was published three months ago by Ace Vincent, but I am usually behind on the “latest” news. I enjoy these types of articles, sometimes they bring back fond memories and sometimes just confusion. This article was a mix of that. Now it should be noted that I consider myself very naïve at that time in my life. I grew up in a small rural town and lived in the country—not a lot of life experiences to draw from, but then again, do we ever at that age? Here are some of the unwritten “rules” that were addressed:
PHONE ETIQUETTE: The article mentions “Teens learned to master the art of polite conversation with adults…” I don’t think that was any kind of unwritten rule or anything to master. I mean, you learned to be polite or you got smacked.
RECORD STORE PROTOCOL: I had no idea there was any protocol. I just walked in, found the record I wanted, and bought it. The article talked about records like they were fragile pieces of art.
DRIVE-IN THEATER RULES: Okay, I am very confused about this one. I think whoever helped with this article, had no idea what a drive-in theater was. The picture they had attached, was one of a regular movie theater. Then the article went on to say: “Teens quickly learned to bring extra blankets regardless of the weather, serving the dual purpose of warmth and creating a comfortable seating area outside the car during intermission.” Ummm, I don’t think that was why there was a blanket, and I also don’t think they sat outside during intermission. So to be clear here, I never went on a date to a drive-in. I did go with friends and I remember sitting inside the car. (I did learn a lot about what went on in drive-ins when I managed outdoor theatres).
MIXTAPE CREATION: “The unwritten rule demanded a mix of familiar hits and personal discoveries to demonstrate both your mainstream knowledge and unique taste.” What??!! It was hard enough to get it to record just right, let alone demonstrate any knowledge. Who knew this was a rule?
DENIM MANAGEMENT: Okay, this one is a prime example of how I had no knowledge of fashion. “The proper breaking-in of new jeans involved wearing them as long as possible before the first wash. Friends would validate when jeans had reached the perfect level of worn-in comfort and style. Some dedicated teens even wore new pairs into swimming pools to speed up the softening process.” Mind blown… I blame my friends. They never validated my jean level of perfected worn-in comfort.
ROLLER RINK HIERACHY: “The center of the roller rink belonged to the skilled skaters who could perform tricks and dance moves. Beginners understood they should stick to the outer edges until they developed enough confidence and ability to venture inward.” Beginners stayed on the outside so they could grab the side and not fall down. I don’t know where this person skated, but the ones who knew what they were doing just smoothly passed us as we repeatedly went around in circles.
The middle was for the limbo contests.
GAS STATION POOLING: “When gas prices soared during the energy crisis, teens developed sophisticated money-pooling systems for fuel… Passengers were expected to contribute proportionally to the distance traveled.” Well, I guess we weren’t sophisticated. This is the first time I ever heard about this. We took turns driving—usually our parents cars—and rarely worried about fuel.
Of course I could have lost a few brain cells over the years when I fell down too many times as I ventured to the middle of the skating rink confidently performing tricks as my friends complimented me on my well-worn jeans. But I don’t think so.