Describe the decades you grew up and what changes did or did not affect you

[D_Harvey Schmeckel]

Since others are going beyond their "growing up" decade, I'll add that the 1970s were all about college and grad school and getting established in a career, but there was plenty of sex along the way. But the 1980s were my decade of celibacy, as the rise of mysterious "gay cancer" and the progressive unfoldment of the AIDS epidemic kept me too terrified to do anything sexual. Finally by the 1990s the risks and safety measures were clear enough that I resumed dating and soon was established in LTRs. But like nudeyorker I remember the 1980s as my worst decade by far. I expected to fall ill at any moment until HIV testing because widely available late in the decade and I learned that I was HIV-.
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[unabear09]

I don't remember tons about the 80's (aside from the bad clothing, music...well everything in general was bad lol). I think I've idealized the 90's to a certain extent. I think they were the best ten years of my life, despite all of the drama and trauma of living with an abusive parent, having an absent parent, and a sexually abusive grandparent.

I love the music, looks, syles and vibe of the 90's (ok the exception would be the first year or two of the decade...those year(s) just leave a permanent WTF in my brain). It seemed like everything was good in the US, though looking back I know better.

 

[nudeyorker]

Despite my more macabre post about the 80's I did like most of the music (except anything by Madonna)
This is a cool blast through the decade... for you more serious 80's fans I was in two of the videos!The 80's in the time it takes to solve the rubik's cube

 

[elegant20]

A lot of people that still can't figure with the Rubik's Cube would love to replace the tape to cheat. Still do it. I know that because I have a Rubik's cube key chain. LOL.

Well, anyway....what's my memory of the 70s? The hairstyle I had.

The 70s: I had something like a John Travolta Welcome, Kotter look going on when I was eight years old. It's funny how much volume my hair had then. I remember being rather wavy and curly...but I did grew my hair the most in the 70s than the 80s. It was even much longer than Baio's so-called Disco hairdo. Just looking at my hair, I realize that's the longest my hair has been. Nowadays, my doesn't even reach the colars of my shirt at least. I was like a little John Trovalta back then during his Welcome Back, Kotter years.

The 80s: My hair was also naturally curly, as I said before. So curly it actually looked like a cross between Michael Ontkeans and Freddie Barthelomew. I was never that much in the styles with the exception of Levi jeans and LaCoste shirt.

The 90s: My hair was becoming then less curly. So had sort of a River Phoenix My own Private Idaho hairdo, but then judging from that look. It probably did not do my forehead justice. I think in the 90s that is when my clothing kind of changed a bit.

The 00s: A little balding and not as update as I should been now, but I am still me.

Well, that's all I have with me. I try to come up with more later.

 

[Penis Aficionado]

The 70s were my teen years. To a degree impossible to describe today, we were given a level of freedom and autonomy that teens of even the 80s simply didn't enjoy. My high school even had a student smoking area outside of the cafeteria

Drugs were commonplace and very few kids (at least in my school) did not indulge. The drinking age was 18, so beer and booze were also ubiquitous throughout high school. More than one of my friends completely fried their minds before graduating from high school, if they even did.

I graduated from high school in the late '80s, and we had a smoking area. And like Bbucko said about the '70s ... compared to the teens of today, teens in the '80s were basically just little adults. Things must have started changing when Baby Boomers became parents of teens ... they brought in all this sheltering, overprotective stuff.

One thought about drugs, since this just recently occurred to me ... I think '70s teens grew up with ubiquitous drugs (think Dazed and Confused.) By the mid-'80s, although kids from all walks of life still smoked pot, and ecstasy briefly became a huge fad, a lot of kids considered drugs stupid and drug users losers. This didn't make you a "square" like it did in the '70s and later in the '90s.

Although I've done my share of drugs and don't begrudge anyone else, that attitude has stuck with me a bit. Thus I tend to find drug "connoiseurs" -- people who know about different strains of weed, or buy stuff at head shops, or can tell you the nonofficial uses for every prescription pill on the market -- very annoying and lame. I have some hippie friends but can only deal with them for short periods of time because they will discuss that stuff for what seems like hours.

 

[nudeyorker]

Thought this was and interesting addition to the topic!
30 years, 30 events, countless stories]