Elleneast

The dress code was changed at my big public high school during my junior year but my father was an old fashioned guy and was having none of it. I used to pull on my jeans behind a tree every morning while waiting at the bus stop. My mother swears that she knew but looked the other way when I headed out the door each morning in a skirt with my books and a suspicious brown paper bag.

It does not seem that long ago that we all had one but my daughter did not know what a Polaroid camera was........remember The Swinger?

CBBBlinker

Yes, we had a Swinger! Didn't you have to coat the photos with something after it developed?

I also remember (not fondly) the gym uniforms in Jr. High & HS. We had to line up at the start of each PE class for "inspection." Honestly, we were supposed to have ironed the uniforms.

swimcatsmom

Gladmom - do you mean they had naked swim lessons? Am I misreading it. If not that is creepy. Imagine the outrage nowadays!!

gladmom

swimcatsmom: Yes, that's exactly what I mean. The boys did not wear swimsuits for their PE swim classes. I have spoken to people who went to hs in the chicago suburbs from the same time (mid-1960's) and they had the same experience. Even my H who is from Berkeley CA from the same time period had naked swim classes. These were all large, public high schools, too.

Nowadays kids in our area never take showers after PE. When you take swimming there are artful ways of changing your clothes without showing anything (or you can go into a bathroom stall), so kids never really need to be naked in front of anybody. I still have nightmares about being naked in high school.

mathmom

According to John Updike Harvard used to have naked swim lessons too. I guess it was the thing back then. The Early Days of John Updike '54

Elleneast

My brother refused to take swim lessons at the YMCA because the beginner classes had the little guys swim naked. I can't say that I blame him but it was the norm back then. This must had been in the mid-1950's

swimcatsmom

It's funny - the current generation is exposed to so much more about sex through the media but they are so modest - even prudish - about nudity. Come to think about it maybe that is why they are so prudish - because they are made 'aware' so young.

When my daughter's swim team would change at the YMCA there was much wriggling under towels and t shirts to change without exposing them selves. They were unanimously horrified by older women who who just strip down and change. Even more so by the odd one that would wonder around naked. There was one elderly lady (at least in her 80s) who would wonder round naked. There was an exercise machine in the changing room and the swim team girls were standing round it wondering how you use it. The naked elderly lady said she would show them and proceeded to sit on the machine - which involved straddling it - and give them a demonstration. Needless to say none of those girls ever attempted to use that machine!!

Actually neither did I. Changing quickly I can handle. Naked on exercise machines - not so much.

je_ne_sais_quoi

The boys swam naked at my Chicago-suburban high school, and swimming was required. There was a set of doors labeled "Natatorium" that opened onto the pool area from a classroom hallway, with a very skinny crack that provided a sneak peek. Those poor boys.

We had to take group showers after gym in Jr. High and HS.

gladmom

Hilarious story, swimcatsmom! Another excuse for me to never get on an exercise machine -- what might have happened on it.

Does anyone remember the supplies list that included a bottle of ink and a fountain pen? The messes we elementary-age kids made just trying to get the ink in the pen. And then when cartridges of ink and cartridge pens came out, we thought they were so cool. More permanent messes.

mom2three

yes! what a MESS... I had completely forgotten.

btw..i am circa 1960

swimcatsmom

I remember - I think the desks had inkwells but I may be misremembering - loooong time ago. We had to write in italic - the pens had special angled italic nibs. Got a good rap on the knuckles from a nun with a ruler if it was not neat too!

yayverily

JHS mentioned mimeograph machines. I can still see those blue sheets and remember the smell of freshly mimeographed handouts. Xerox copies were too expensive.

How about cars before power steering? My first car was a '65 Chevy and making a simple 90-degree turn took about 20 laborious turns of the steering wheel. It also had only 3 forward gears and a clutch that took the strength of 5 men to push down.

sherpa

I just saw this thread for the first time. It brings back memories...

galoshes

8 track tapes

Kodak's "Instamatic" camera

those plastic sandwich bags that didn't seal; you just folded the top over ineffectively.

soda cans pre pop-top, where you needed a punch can opener

And does anyone remember the awesome lawn sprinkler that would propel itself along the path you set by how you laid out the garden hose?

momof3sons

Hey sherpa, we have that kind of lawn sprinkler now!

dmd77

Both of my kids' single-sex summer camps had regular skinny dipping. I miss it myself. When we had a pool I'd go out after dark to swim. It's such a pleasure.