Times have changed since I was a latchkey kid fending for myself and spending the majority of my life outdoors. Kids today have no idea about anything from my childhood today. After someone asked a Gen X forum, “What are the most Gen X things ever?” They responded with a nice trip down memory lane.
1. “Whatever”
If you were there, you know, “The rallying cry of our generation” is “whatever!” Thousands of forum members reminisce about the Gen X mantra before one states, “Gen X gets completely ignored on social media: it’s always millennials, Gen Z, and baby boomers. That, in and of itself, is the most Gen X thing I’ve ever seen: The invisible generation that everyone forgot about.”
2. Radio Request and Record
Do you remember calling your favorite radio station to request a song so that you could record it onto a mixtape? Making mixtapes was one of my favorite things to do. Someone rightly reminds us that it was the worst when the DJ would talk over your song at the end, and yes, that was the worst!
Another Gen Xer explains, “The secret was to do this really late at night because this dj was lonely or sleeping, and the advertisers wouldn’t pay for commercials, so you might even get a complete version of “Jam on It.” Or the 12″ inch version of “Rapper’s Delight.”
3. Video Arcade
Video arcades come up several times. A user notes that video game graphics before Gen X weren’t the best, and after Gen X, people gamed on home consoles.
Before Gen-X, graphics weren’t good enough; after Gen-X, you’d play the games on your own home console. No other generation claimed arcades like Gen X. “Putting a $20 into the change machine at the mall arcade felt like dropping a house payment on a Vegas poker table.”
4. Massive CD Binders
You weren’t Gen X if, at some point, you didn’t have a massive CD case with hundreds of CDs on your lap while driving. Many people note that we also had CD changers holding five-to-twelve disks for music rotation, allowing you to be hands-free.
5. Grunge Music
Every time I hear the words “Grunge music,” the opening sequence of Nirvana’s “Teen Spirit” plays in my head. A forum member admits working with a group of Gen Xers, and “The only music they can consistently agree on is the Pearl Jam station.” A second user adds, “For whatever reason, Eddie Vedder blasting vowels from the back of his throat captured the essence of an entire generation.”
6. Last Unreachable Generation
Long gone are the times we send our kids outside from sun up to sun down without a means to communicate with them. Now they all have cell phones. But back in the day, you would find a phone booth and make a collect call to home. When it prompted you to say your name, it was something like, “Hey, Dad, I’m ready to be picked up at 7-11!”
7. Baby Oil and Sun-In
I have memories of pulling out a black blanket, setting it up on my roof, lathering my skin with baby oil, and spraying Sun-In all over my hair in hopes of blond highlights. I would lay in the sun baking myself for hours, along with the rest of my generation.
8. Perms and Hair Crimpers
I loved having my hair crimped. It was one of those fads I wanted to wear well after it died out. Everyone got spiral perms when I was in middle school, but my dad refused to pay $80 for one. So the hairstylist (in a barber shop, mind you) said she could cut my hair shorter, which made the perm less.
Needless to say, I was in the bathroom wetting my hair between every period for a solid couple of months. I absolutely identify with one who admits, “After seeing Dirty Dancing, I had the great idea to get my hair permed to look like Jennifer Grey. Instead, I turned out looking like Richard Simmons. That ended my perm fetish forever.”
9. The Crow Movie and Soundtrack
Yes, I remember The Crow being a significant phenomenon. Several people add the comic to the equation, followed by an R.I.P. Brandon Lee. One admits it’s their first CD and R-rated film before another suggests, “This is the answer- especially if you got the CD for ‘free’ from Columbia House.”
10. Blockbuster on a Friday Night
While many recall memories of renting movies at Blockbuster, I mostly went to Hollywood Video. Nonetheless, there was something special about wandering the aisles, looking at the cases, and picking them up to read the back. The cover of Monkey Shines terrified me as a kid, but I insisted on walking by it every time.
11. Pencil in the Car
Gen Xers always had a pencil in their car, but not to write things down. Nothing created quite as much panic as the cassette deck “eating” your tape! Many remember the crinkling sound taunting them. However, having a pencil helped ensure winding it back into the cassette, praying it still played.
12. Trapper Keepers
“I can still picture the smell of a brand new Trapper Keeper and the sound of the Velcro,” admits one. Yes! I always wanted a Trapper Keeper, and I think my dad finally got me one right as they were on their way out of being “cool.” They were the epitome of cool in middle school. Bonus points if it was Lisa Frank.
13. Crank Calls
My sister and I loved making prank calls before *69 came into play. I remember coming home and flipping through the white pages to dial random numbers. My sister was obsessed with saying: “Is your refrigerator running? Well, you better go catch it!”
14. Talking on the Phone
Did everyone have a telephone with a 15-foot cord, or was it just me? I remember talking aimlessly on the phone for hours while twisting the cord up. Now you try to call someone, and they ignore it and text you, “What’s up?”
15. Music Videos on MTV
It’s a running joke that MTV hasn’t played music in decades. However, Gen X was there from the beginning. I raced home after school and immediately put it on, waiting for my favorite songs to play.
From staying up late to watch Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” after my parents went to sleep to trying to decipher what happened in the Guns N’ Roses video “November Rain,” MTV used to be rad.
16. Blowing Nintendo Cartridges
I don’t know why, but blowing into your favorite Nintendo game cartridge was often involved in order for it to work properly. I had to push Adventure Island and Kid Icarus at certain angles, I swear. A user reminds Contra and other Konami game fans of the cheat code, “Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, Start.”
17. Oregon Trail
Oregon Trail receives lots of praise, with one Gen Xer stating, “I’ve heard it’s a bridge between the late Gen Xers and elder millennials. A brief period where kids learned to use computers early, but everybody’s whole lives weren’t on them yet. The Oregon Trail generation.”
18. Going To the Mall
Going to the mall was all the hype as a Gen Xer. Strolling stores like Camelot Music, Sam Goody, Wet Seal, Rave, Deb, Hot Topic, and Spencer Gifts was always a good time. One of my favorite parts of the mall was always the Orange Jukias stand for their delicious strawberry smoothies.
19. Saturday Morning Cartoons
G.I. Joe, Care Bears, Jem and the Holograms, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Thundercats, Rainbow Brite, He-Man, and She-Ra were some of the best. Also, the Disney Afternoon lineup of Gummi Bear, Duck Tales, Chip and Dale Rescue Rangers, Tale Spin, and eventually Darkwing Duck.
20. John Hughes Movies
Gen X welcomed many John Hughes classics, including Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink, Uncle Buck, Home Alone, Weird Science, The Great Outdoors, Planes Trains, and Automobiles, National Lampoon’s Vacation, and Christmas Vacation.
More From Sober Healing
- 20 Nostalgic TV Shows Gen X Tried To Watch That Just Don’t Cut It Today
- 20 Important Things These Kids Today Aren’t Ready to Hear and Accept
Source: Reddit.
Elizabeth Ervin is the owner of Sober Healing. She is a freelance writer passionate about opioid recovery and has celebrated breaking free since 09-27-2013. She advocates for mental health awareness and encourages others to embrace healing, recovery, and Jesus.