Grabbing a coffee while dressed in a business suit and rushing to a meeting might seem like a common thing now. But there was a time when two of these things were frowned upon. Take a look at these 10 everyday things that were once considered scandalous.
#1. Reading in Bed
During the 19th century, reading in bed was considered immoral and dangerous. A newspaper called it an accident waiting to happen because if you fall asleep while reading, those candles could burn down your house.
#2. Mass printed books
The moment books started to be mass printed, scholars started worrying that they could hamper the growth of society and lead to barbarism if their access wasn’t checked. Things like book reviews and bibliographies were created as a response to that.
#3. Coffee
As much as we love coffee today, it was not a smooth sailing for coffee. In the 16th century Mecca, it was prohibited as it was believed that the drink could cause political thoughts and rebellion. Not only this, one century later, European clergymen called it ‘the devil’s drink’ due to its Islamic origins.
#4. Women tuxedo
Wearing suits is a necessary dress code in every business today but when these suits were introduced for women, the society did not accept them.
#5. Ankle flashing dresses
During the 1850s, Victorian women were expected to be covered from head to toe and avoid anything that exposed skin which included long skirts that flashed ankles. Women would stockings and long-skirts to avoid any skin show.
#6. One-piece bathing suit
Even full-body covering bathing suits like wet-suits for surfers were frowned upon during the 1900s. for swimming, women would wear knee- length, puffed-sleeves, woolen dresses over long black stockings and even caps!
#7. Comic Books
Our generation has grown up devouring all kinds of comic books and maybe our parents too loved their comics but there was a time when sale of comic books to kids was prohibited. In post depression America, comics were considered evil and the root cause of all juvenile problems. Comic books would be burned in public and many cities made it illegal to sell comic books to kids.
#8. Bullet bras
It was a common sight to find posters of pinup girls in those bras during the 50s but they were met with resistance in the everyday life. These bras came into vogue after the war when women wanted something more womanly. To most people, it suggested a moral decline.
#9. Mini skirts
It might be commonplace to find girls clad in miniskirts during summers but it wasn’t always so. When they were introduced in the 60s, they caused quite a stir and people obviously were concerned as to where the next generation was heading.
#10. Soda pop
Another thing that teenagers were expected to stay away from was soda pop. During the prohibition times, people believed that it corrupted kids and drinking soft drinks at a soda fountain will push them to consume hard liquor at a bar tomorrow.