The Baby Boomer era introduced us to many unforgettable icons, but not all have lasted through the years. From outdated technologies to cultural trends, let’s explore what’s becoming a relic of the past and why these once-beloved symbols are losing their charm. Here are 15 Boomer era icons that are slowly fading away.
Smoking
We now know that smoking kills. In the Boomer heyday, smoking was seen everywhere, including in the office and in hospitals. Luckily, times have changed, and being able to smoke in most public places is no longer accepted or even legal. With the rise in vaping and cigarette costs and continued anti-smoking campaigns, traditional cigarette smoking is on the decline.
College
Colleges will not be going away, but the way we look at higher education is changing. The children of Boomers were really only given one option after high school—to go to college. The high cost of education and the questioning of its value are leading to the exploration of alternatives. Trade schools and apprenticeships are becoming more mainstream, as is being an entrepreneur at a young age.
China Cabinets
Once a staple in every household for displaying fine china, their popularity has diminished, as has the fine china that went into them. Millennials and younger generations are focused on experiential living instead of material objects. Many are also unable to afford large homes, so they are choosing minimalist approaches to their smaller homes.
Workers Standing
The expectation for retail workers to stand throughout their shifts is being reconsidered for health reasons. While Boomers appreciated the formality of retail workers standing and giving the appearance of always being busy, the younger generations don’t see the benefits. A cashier being allowed to sit does not make them lazy or less effective at their jobs.
Writing Checks
Digital payments and online banking are making checks nearly obsolete. Most Gen Xers and Millennials probably don’t know where their checkbook is, and Gen Z and Gen Alpha have probably never even seen one. In the early 2000s, businesses began refusing to take personal checks with almost everyone having a card, and it has snowballed from there. Now, when a business needs a check, it’s met with, “Who has checks?”
Suits to Work
Watching an episode of Mad Men may seem like an entirely different world. People wore suits and business attire every day to work, not even on casual Fridays. People would also not have been seen in public in athletic wear unless they were doing an athletic activity. Casual work attire is becoming more accepted, reducing the need for formal suits and reducing the need for pants at all with remote work.
Landline Phones
Once upon a time, people had phones in their homes attached by cords, and only one call could come through at a time. If people weren’t home, you would have to leave a message on their answering machine for them to check when they got home. As cell phones gained popularity, the need to have a cell phone and a house phone became redundant.
Hands-on Service
Why talk to a person when I can have the machine at Target yell at me that I added the wrong thing to the basket? The rise of self-service technologies and online customer service is changing how we interact with businesses, making actual human interaction less common.
Bridge (the card game)
According to reporting from the Wall Street Journal, there has been a noticeable decline in family card games, which can be attributed to, in part, advancing technology. With a wide array of options for entertainment, the younger generations are turning toward digital options for game nights over traditional card games.
Phone Calls
No one makes phone calls anymore, except our parents and bill collectors. Texting and messaging apps are becoming the preferred modes of communication for every generation after Gen X. The younger generations either suffer from social anxiety or prefer the efficiency of texting over long phone calls.
Newspapers
The paperboy delivering a newspaper to every door in the neighborhood is now just a concept we’ve seen in movies. With the ease of access to news from our phones and laptops, people are opting for the more environmentally friendly option over paper copies of media.
Ironing and Shoe Shining
People just don’t dress up like they used to. Casual attire trends and durable, low-maintenance materials are making these tasks less common. Even when buying dress shirts, there are no-iron options. As far as shoe shining, it may only be required of those in the military these days.
Dads Doing the Bare Minimum
Before feminism and the movement of two-income households, fathers weren’t expected to have much interaction with their children at all. Even as the work dynamic changed, men were able to skate by with the bare minimum, leaving the mom as the default parent. This trend is dying, and fathers are stepping up to the plate and being just as involved as moms.
Church/Religion
There’s a trend toward declining religious affiliation among younger generations. This decline began with the erosion of the traditional family model. With more single-parent homes and homes with both parents working, the emphasis on church started to dwindle. Today, people are looking for spiritual experiences that feel more authentic to them.
Getting Buried
No one wants to put their loved ones in debt to be buried. Also, there are environmental concerns with the amount of land taken up for cemeteries. Between environmental concerns and the cost of cremation, other alternatives, like being planted as a tree, are becoming more popular.
