Looking back at the 1970s feels like watching a film from a completely different planet, especially when you realise how much the goalposts for basic decency have moved.
Things that were considered standard banter or harmless fun back then would get you sacked or ostracised in a heartbeat today. We’ve collectively decided that a lot of the language and behaviour from that era was actually pretty toxic, even if people at the time didn’t see it.
It was a decade of massive change, but it was also a time when a lot of casual prejudice was baked into every sitcom, workplace, and dinner party. Looking back at how things used to be is a massive wake-up call about how far we’ve come in terms of what we’re willing to put up with. What was once just a bit of a laugh is now recognised as a genuine slap in the face to millions of people. You might have got away with these things 50 years ago, but certainly not today.
1. Commenting on women’s bodies and appearance was considered normal workplace banter.
Bosses routinely told secretaries they looked “sexy” in that dress, colleagues commented on women’s legs or figures, and nobody batted an eye because it was just seen as harmless flirting. The term “sexual harassment” wasn’t even coined until 1975, so before that, this behaviour didn’t have a name. Women who complained were told they couldn’t take a joke or should feel flattered by the attention. A 1976 survey showed 80% of women had encountered this treatment at work, but it was simply considered part of having a job as a woman.
2. “She’s asking for it” was an acceptable response to assault and harassment.
When women reported unwanted advances or worse, they were routinely asked what they were wearing, whether they’d been drinking, or how they’d “led him on”. Even in the 1980s, prominent figures publicly testified that “virtuous women are seldom accosted,” implying victims shared blame. This victim-blaming language was mainstream and accepted in legal proceedings, police reports, and everyday conversation. The idea that a woman’s clothing or behaviour could justify assault was considered common sense rather than deeply offensive.
3. Drink-driving was treated as a punchline rather than a serious crime.
People joked about weaving home from the pub, and getting pulled over whilst drunk was considered an unlucky inconvenience rather than dangerous criminal behaviour. The 1970s had a remarkably lenient culture around driving under the influence, with far fewer consequences than today. Comedians built routines around drink-driving mishaps, and it was socially acceptable to laugh about barely making it home after too many pints. The shift to zero tolerance and massive social stigma didn’t happen until the 1980s and beyond.
4. Calling someone “a bit slow” was casual everyday language.
These terms were thrown around freely to describe anyone perceived as unintelligent, clumsy, or making mistakes, without anyone considering it deeply offensive. The word “slow” appeared in official medical terminology and casual insults interchangeably. People called their mates the r-word for forgetting something or being rubbish at sports. The understanding that these terms are ableist slurs targeting people with disabilities didn’t become widespread until much later, and in the 1970s they were just normal vocabulary.
5. Homophobic slurs were standard language on television and in public.
Words like “fairy,” “queer,” and the f-slur were casually used in comedy shows, newspaper headlines, and everyday conversation without backlash. British tabloids regularly used offensive terms in their reporting throughout the 1970s and 1980s. These weren’t whispered insults but printed in major publications and spoken openly on broadcast television. The first ruling against a newspaper for anti-gay language didn’t happen until 1990, showing how normalised this language remained for decades.
6. “Stifle yourself” and other commands to shut women up were considered funny.
Archie Bunker constantly told his wife Edith to “stifle yourself” on All in the Family, and audiences roared with laughter at this overbearing husband dismissing his wife. Today that kind of language would be criticised as outdated and downright rude, but back then it was prime-time comedy. Similar phrases telling women to be quiet, stop talking, or know their place were standard husband-wife banter. The idea that constantly silencing your spouse might be problematic simply wasn’t part of the cultural conversation.
7. Telling women they were “too emotional” for serious work was acceptable workplace feedback.
Managers openly told female employees they couldn’t handle pressure because women were naturally more emotional and irrational than men. This wasn’t whispered behind closed doors but stated directly in performance reviews and hiring decisions. Women were routinely denied promotions or opportunities because decision-makers believed female hormones made them unsuitable for leadership. These weren’t controversial opinions, but widely accepted “facts” about gender differences that justified workplace discrimination.
8. “That’s women’s work” was a perfectly acceptable response to household tasks.
Men openly refused to cook, clean, or care for children because those were women’s jobs, and nobody challenged this division. Husbands who changed nappies or washed dishes were mocked by other men for being henpecked or unmanly. Advertising reinforced these roles constantly, with women shown only in kitchens whilst men relaxed after work. The expectation that domestic labour was inherently female wasn’t seen as sexist but as natural order.
9. Commenting “you don’t look disabled” to wheelchair users or people with invisible disabilities was common.
People freely questioned whether someone was “really” disabled if they didn’t fit narrow stereotypes, treating it as reasonable scepticism rather than invasive and offensive. Strangers felt entitled to interrogate disabled people about their conditions, ask intrusive medical questions, or suggest they were faking. This wasn’t considered rude but curious interest. The understanding that disability comes in many forms and people don’t owe explanations to random strangers didn’t exist in mainstream culture.
10. “You people” followed by generalisations about any minority group was normal conversation.
This phrase appeared constantly on television and in real life, signalling that the speaker viewed certain groups as fundamentally different and lesser. Archie Bunker used it regularly when talking to Black neighbours, Jewish friends, or any minority, always followed by offensive generalisations. Whilst the show meant to satirise prejudice, many viewers missed the point and laughed with Archie rather than at him. The phrase immediately others people and signals bigotry, but it was mainstream language throughout the decade.
11. Asking women when they planned to have children was standard job interview practice.
Employers openly asked female candidates about marriage plans, pregnancy intentions, and childcare arrangements because they wanted to avoid hiring women who might leave. This wasn’t illegal or even particularly controversial but considered prudent business practice. Women were routinely passed over for jobs or promotions because interviewers decided they’d probably get pregnant soon. The idea that reproductive plans were private and irrelevant to job performance wasn’t legally established until later.
12. Calling grown women “girls” in professional settings was universal.
Secretaries were “the girls,” female colleagues were “the girls in accounting,” and nobody questioned infantilising adult professional women. Even women used this language about themselves and each other without recognising the inherent condescension. Male colleagues of the same age and rank were never called “the boys” in equivalent contexts. The workplace hierarchy was built into the language, with “girls” reporting to “men” regardless of everyone’s actual age.
13. “She’s too old to be wearing that” was acceptable commentary on women over 30.
People freely policed what women could wear based on age, declaring certain styles, colours, or cuts inappropriate once women hit arbitrary age thresholds. A woman over 40 in a short skirt or bright lipstick would face open mockery and criticism for not “dressing her age”. Men faced no equivalent scrutiny regardless of what they wore at any age. This age-based policing of women’s appearance was considered helpful advice rather than sexist nonsense.
14. Smoking around babies and pregnant women was completely normal behaviour.
People lit up in hospital maternity wards, smoked whilst holding infants, and puffed away in cars with children without anyone suggesting it might be harmful. Pregnant women smoked throughout their pregnancies because the dangers weren’t widely recognised or accepted. Aeroplanes, restaurants, and even doctors’ surgeries allowed smoking everywhere, exposing everyone including children to constant secondhand smoke. The idea that this could be dangerous or inappropriate simply wasn’t part of public consciousness until the 1980s and beyond.
