These are just some weird beliefs people had a while ago…
What thoughts come to mind when you say aloud, “It happened fifty years ago”? If you’re anything like me, then you’re probably convinced that the 1960s and the beginning of the 70s were, like, I don’t know, five years ago, not fifty. And I don’t blame you! Time passes quickly when you’re enjoying yourself or attempting to understand the world around you.
But let’s stop a bit. How do you think the people were back then? While significant events took place back in the day, like the fight for civil rights, the moon landing, the Beatles coming to light, and so on, there were also a couple of weird beliefs people had that now seem quite far-fetched.
The majority of these theories drew from real research and experiments. However, the lack of knowledge led to accepting many lies as truths. Remembering such incidents can help us become more conscious of how other people react and adapt to misinformation. Ready for a reality check?
People used to think seatbelts weren’t a necessity
People back in the day didn’t, that’s for sure. Since this is one of those weird beliefs people had a while ago that shocked me, I had to put it in first place. And to be honest, I am struggling to fit this information in my brain since I am a very cautious man, especially when I drive the car with the kids in the backseat, so I find seatbelts more than mandatory.
I’ve also read that in 1949, people hated seatbelts so much that, in addition to calling them “tyrannical,” they even removed them with razor blades. Say what? By the early 60s, they became more acceptable, even if it was still seen as optional.
Most people did not want them, and those who did tended not to use them. By 1966, only 30% of cars on American roads had seatbelts, and only 44% of drivers used them full-time. In 1968, the powers that be finally passed legislation requiring seatbelts as standard equipment in all cars, but nothing changed.
You can’t deny that the 60s were wild, and the list of weird beliefs people had just started, but neither did the auto manufacturers design the seatbelts to be comfortable. Over 90% of Americans now regularly wear seat belts, reflecting the growing popularity of these devices among the general public. The only state without a seat belt law is New Hampshire, which has license plates that read “Live free or die.” Crazy, right?
The Jell-O craze with unusual ingredients
I think this is just a matter of taste, so I won’t judge people by what they eat, but I will admit that’s a tad unusual. For those who forgot what Jell-O is, I will remind you. Jell-O is made up of the ground-up, processed body parts of cattle and pork, and occasionally the bones of animals that have been rendered in a factory until they create a wiggling goo.
According to research and my mother (yes, I did ask her some questions about these beliefs), housewives put practically everything in the Jell-O because they were caught between the terrible fear of being accused of being lazy for serving convenience food.
Among the recipes in one well-known cookbook from the early 1960s were “Molded Avocado and Tuna” and “Jellied Veal Loaf.”
Sugar was absolutely fine to consume
We all love sweets! Since we were kids until late in life, we were accustomed to having a sweet little treat after lunch or dinner, or even as a snack. Which is not a crime, but it depends on how often you feed your love for sweets.
Back in the day, one of the weird beliefs people had was that sugar wasn’t harming our bodies. Before the 1950s or so, heart disease was uncommon in middle-aged people. Then, all of a sudden, people started getting sick, and pretty much everyone at the time blamed saturated fat for the epidemic, which was false.
The sugar industry vigorously backed studies in the 1960s that focused on the drawbacks of fat rather than sugar. Additionally, they were trying to hide the fact that some research had discovered a link between sugar and coronary heart disease.
But now, we’re living in a world where people understand that certain foods, like sugar, for example, can cause serious illnesses, especially ones related to heart disease. So we can proudly say that one of the weird beliefs people had that sugar is not unhealthy has also been abandoned.
Credit cards were off-limits for single women
If you were fortunate enough to have grown up in an era when being single at 25 did not automatically make you a social outcast, you likely believed that a job where your main responsibility is to make yourself romantically available to airline passengers couldn’t get much worse. The 1960s misogyny was far more common than that.
When women wanted to apply for a credit card, bank employees asked them if they were married or planned to get married. Additionally, the bank expected you to bring a man along to cosign if you weren’t married because, as everyone knows, girls struggle with math and need big, strong men to remind them how to use a decimal point.
Women existed solely to please men
Among the weird beliefs people had back in the day, there was also this one: the woman must dedicate her life to making her husband happy. The general opinion in the 1960s about husband-wife relationships was that, for the most part, men did not genuinely respect the women they were married to, which somewhat devalued the “love” component of the arrangement.
This may sound strange to younger people who are reading my blog. But my work here isn’t done yet, so before I get into the next couple of weird beliefs people had back in the day, let me add another one: there were manuals written about womanly behavior that you could consult if you wanted to exceed expectations and be an extraordinary wife.
If reading out loud these weird beliefs people had made you remember how life used to be back in the day, then I think you will have fun with this trivia game called Journey of Something 70s Trivia Card Game – Fun Adult Party Game.
Keep this game on hand for those memorable nights when you can laugh (and maybe cringe) about them with your friends! Don’t forget, you can involve the grandkids in this fun lesson about what life was like many years ago. It’s such a great way for them to learn! Plus, the price of the product is currently just $9.99, but it might go up soon, so be sure to grab it while you can!
Only attractive women could become stewardesses in the past
You wouldn’t be particularly surprised if we told you that some male executives in the 1960s chose secretaries based more on appearance than qualifications. When it comes to weird beliefs people had back in the day, the fact that stewardesses were supposed to look attractive and pleasant to the eyes of the customers. Because of that, most airlines were known as the kind of employer that really went overboard with the “hot employee” craze.
For many people, especially for women, hearing the word “stewardess” brings bad memories. The term “stewardess” evokes a time long past when being able to tend to passengers on lengthy flights primarily meant looking amazing in a miniskirt.
If you were at least 20 years old but no older than 27, if you were lean and “well-proportioned” and weighed no more than 140 pounds, if you were at least 5 feet 2 inches tall but no taller than 5 feet 9 inches, and if you were single and childless, you could become a stewardess back then. Oh, and you had to retire early at a maximum of 32 years old.
Luckily, we learned something from that era because now, people are more open to learning and understanding, most airlines have dropped their absurd standards, and working as a flight attendant is a more pleasurable and stress-free job, especially if you love traveling.
Bottom line:
Looking back at this list of weird beliefs people had is almost impossible not to giggle or maybe feel a little embarrassed. It’s really interesting to see how much our society has changed over the years! While we know we’re not living in perfect times, far from it, but we can definitely celebrate the progress we’ve made and the fact that we don’t put tuna in Jell-Os. Sheesh! I don’t know about you, but I surely hope the youngsters from 2075 won’t say the same about us!