The 1960s might have been the era of peace and love for some, but mainstream society was living by some seriously bizarre rules that would shock people today. Let’s look at some social norms that everyone just accepted as totally normal back then.
1. The Office Dating Pool
The idea that your boss shouldn’t hit on you hadn’t been invented yet—in fact, it was considered flattering if your married manager asked you out. Job listings were openly divided into “Men’s Jobs” and “Women’s Jobs” sections in newspapers, with women’s listings regularly including requirements like “attractive appearance” and “pleasant personality.” Secretaries were basically treated like a dating pool for executives, and refusing your boss’s advances could definitely cost you your job. Having your bottom pinched or being whistled at around the office was just considered part of the work experience. Nobody thought twice about male bosses hiring women based on their looks rather than their qualifications.
2. The Pregnancy Dress Code
Pregnant women were expected to basically become invisible once they started showing, and many workplaces had official policies about this. Teachers would be forced to quit as soon as they started showing because apparently, children couldn’t handle seeing a pregnant woman exist in public. Maternity clothes were designed to hide rather than accommodate the pregnancy, with huge tent-like dresses being the only acceptable option. Many restaurants and upscale stores would refuse service to visibly pregnant women, considering them inappropriate for public viewing. Even wearing pants while pregnant was considered scandalous in many social circles.
3. The Great Child-Free Shame
Not wanting kids wasn’t just frowned upon—it was treated like a mental illness that needed curing. Doctors would regularly refuse to give women birth control if they weren’t married, and even married women needed their husband’s permission to get the pill. Family members would stage actual interventions for women who expressed no desire to have children, often involving priests or doctors to talk some “sense” into them. The idea of being happily child-free was so foreign that people assumed you must have some deep trauma or physical defect. Your career achievements meant nothing if you hadn’t produced offspring, and people felt totally comfortable asking when you were going to start “living a real life.”
4. The Birthday Party Protocol
Kids’ birthday parties weren’t the elaborate productions they are today, but they had bizarre social rules that everyone followed religiously. Boys weren’t allowed to attend girls’ parties past the age of seven because apparently, cooties became official at that point. Parents would force their kids to invite every single child in their class to avoid social drama, even if their kid actively disliked some of them. Birthday gifts had to be opened in front of everyone so you could perform the appropriate level of enthusiasm, even if you hated what you got. Children who didn’t get invited to a party were expected to still send a gift to maintain social standing.
5. The Clothing Gender Lock
Wearing clothes meant for the opposite gender wasn’t just frowned upon—it could get you arrested in some places. Women could be fired for wearing pants to work, and men could be kicked out of restaurants for having hair that touched their collar. Girls had to wear dresses to school regardless of the weather, and boys caught playing dress-up would be rushed to therapy. The idea that clothing was just fabric that anyone could wear would have blown people’s minds.
6. The Marriage Timeline
If you weren’t married by 25, people started treating you like you had a terminal illness that needed immediate attention. Family members would set you up on dates without asking, and every conversation started with “Have you met anyone special yet?” Women’s colleges were often referred to as “finishing schools” where you went to find a husband rather than get an education. Unmarried women over 30 were called “spinsters” to their faces, while unmarried men were just “bachelors” living their best lives. The idea that someone might want to establish their career before marriage was treated as a sign of mental instability.
7. The Dinner Party Hierarchy
Dinner parties had more rules than a medieval court, and breaking them was social suicide. The hostess was expected to serve her husband first, then all other men, then the women, and finally herself—even if she was starving. Women were expected to laugh at men’s jokes (even the bad ones) while men could freely ignore women’s attempts at humor. Wives were supposed to rescue their husbands from “boring” conversations but never interrupt “important” male discussions. The idea of couples mingling freely was considered chaos.
8. The Doctor’s Orders
Doctors were treated like gods, and questioning their decisions was considered extremely rude and inappropriate. Women weren’t allowed to read their own medical charts, and doctors would often discuss a wife’s condition only with her husband. Patients who asked questions about their treatment were labeled “difficult” and could be refused care. Medical procedures would be performed without explanation because apparently understanding what was happening to your own body wasn’t necessary.
11. The Phone Etiquette Rules
Phone calls had more protocol than a diplomatic summit in the ’60s. Children were forbidden from answering the phone unless specifically instructed, and when they did, they had to recite a formal greeting that included their full name and household. Long-distance calls were treated like rare events that required the whole family to gather around. Calling after 9 PM was considered incredibly rude unless someone was dying, and calling during dinner was practically a criminal offense.
12. The Emotional Man Taboo
Men showing any emotion besides anger was considered a sign of serious weakness in the ’60s. Fathers weren’t supposed to cry even at their own parents’ funerals, and boys would be sent to therapy if they showed too much sensitivity. Men were expected to handle all their feelings with either alcohol or silence. The idea of men participating in their children’s emotional lives was seen as weird and inappropriate. Even being too affectionate with your own children was considered suspicious behavior for a father.
13. The Widow’s Timeline
Widows had a strict timeline for grieving that everyone monitored. You had exactly one year to wear black, and then you were expected to magically be ready to date again. People would actually track how long you wore your wedding ring after your spouse died and gossip if you took it off too soon or too late. Widows who showed too much grief after the “appropriate” time were labeled dramatic, but those who didn’t show enough were considered heartless. Young widows were expected to remarry quickly because apparently, women couldn’t possibly handle life alone.
14. The Neighborhood Watch Committee
Neighbors felt completely entitled to monitor and report on each other’s private lives in ways that would get you arrested for stalking today. They kept detailed mental notes about what time your lights went out, who visited your house, and what you brought home from the grocery store. Women who lived alone were watched especially closely, with neighbors actually keeping logs of their comings and goings. Having visitors of the opposite sex would get you reported to your landlord or even the police in some communities.
15. The Perfect Housewife Standards
Housewives were expected to maintain magazine-perfect homes while making it all look effortless. Women would actually get dressed up, including heels and pearls, just to vacuum their own living rooms. Your mother-in-law could show up unannounced for a white glove inspection of your baseboards, and this was considered totally normal. Having a messy house was seen as a moral failure rather than just being busy or tired. Women would secretly take pills to keep up with these impossible standards, but nobody talked about that part.
16. The Children’s Seen-Not-Heard Rule
Kids were expected to be completely invisible unless specifically called upon by adults. You could get in serious trouble for speaking during adult conversations, even if the house was on fire. Children were sent away when guests came over, often eating dinner separately from adults at family gatherings. Making noise in public could get you dragged out of stores by your ear, and nobody thought this was extreme. Parents would actually apologize to strangers if their children were simply existing too loudly.
17. The Mental Health Conspiracy
Having any kind of mental health issue was treated like a shameful family secret that had to be hidden at all costs. People would make up elaborate stories about relatives “visiting aunts in Florida” when they were actually in mental hospitals. Depression was seen as just being lazy, and anxiety was dismissed as attention-seeking behavior. Families would often hide or deny their relatives’ mental health issues so intensely that death certificates would list false causes of death. Even seeing a therapist could cost you your job if anyone found out.
