# Things that were once cool, but today scream "old geezer/ette" **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 18, 2026, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-were-once-cool-but-today-scream-old-geezer-ette/1026789 "2026-01-18T14:34:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 9
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2026, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-were-once-cool-but-today-scream-old-geezer-ette/1026789/161 "2026-01-22T02:31:34Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > I carry a sweat rag when i dance, and sometimes at other times. Its primary use is mopping my forehead. You _could_ dance with a mop for mopping your forehead. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/VWwqY6wTa6U/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEmCOADEOgC8quKqQMa8AEB-AHSBoAC4AOKAgwIABABGGUgZShlMA8=&rs=AOn4CLBVPsSnkqmBwMuNmssbGCRESmGPYA "Amy's Mop Dance - Honey, I Shrunk The Kids") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWwqY6wTa6U) ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2026, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-were-once-cool-but-today-scream-old-geezer-ette/1026789/162 "2026-01-22T02:45:59Z")
> [@ParallelLines](#): > > I’m not a rider - my wife wanted to be, and got her license, but never bought her own bike (rode friend’s bikes though). This was 15-20 years ago, and even then, that crew (early 30s) saw HD as a “geezer” bike - too big, too heavy, faaaaar too expensive - bikes that only 50+ old, rich, white guys rode. Harley Davidson is headed for a demographic crunch that’ll bury the company if they don’t figure out a way to turn things around. Like Playboy, HD is on the track to becoming an outdated brand signifying a bygone era. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2026, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-were-once-cool-but-today-scream-old-geezer-ette/1026789/163 "2026-01-22T02:53:40Z")
Huh? Substantially zero women in public where I am don’t carry purses of some form. I suspect this is more a matter of SES than of era. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2026, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-were-once-cool-but-today-scream-old-geezer-ette/1026789/164 "2026-01-22T02:55:14Z")
Exactly what I’d expect for a company selling 1930s tech in 2026. HD was obsolete crap when I was a teen in the 1970s but my Dad was nostalgic for it in its heyday when he was a teen in the late 1940s. ---
**Author:** ![P-man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/p-man/32/3606_2.png) [@P-man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/P-man)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2026, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-were-once-cool-but-today-scream-old-geezer-ette/1026789/165 "2026-01-22T03:08:27Z")
My wife rarely carries a purse now, but she sometimes did when she was younger. Our 27 year old daughter does carry one. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2026, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-were-once-cool-but-today-scream-old-geezer-ette/1026789/166 "2026-01-22T03:28:17Z")
> [@jnglmassiv](#): > > > [@Johanna](#): > > > > My knee was torn up and bloody as you’d expect. But it was covered by my long thin cotton dress, which was not torn or even scuffed > > I was shot above the knee with a BB gun as a kid, by another kid (100% accidental) and it didn’t pierce my jeans. It DID compression-fabric-grind(?) a BB sized divot into the skin Yep, fabric is looser on the body and yields to impact. Skin fits tightly and has a much lower range of movement when being poked or dragged before it actually ruptures. Hence also why many fighting-dog breeds have a lot of loose skin in the neck area. Harder to puncture if it just moves with the tooth. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2026, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-were-once-cool-but-today-scream-old-geezer-ette/1026789/167 "2026-01-22T03:34:09Z")
My wife, almost 67, carries and has always carried a purse And she routinely leaves the goddamn thing somewhere and spins off into a panic. I’m glad they invented Air Tags. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2026, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-were-once-cool-but-today-scream-old-geezer-ette/1026789/168 "2026-01-22T04:46:50Z")
My daughter carries a purse. But she’s old fashioned in many ways. I’ll watch on the streets and see who carries a purse these days. ---
**Author:** ![Al128](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/al128/32/16541_2.png) [@Al128](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al128)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2026, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-were-once-cool-but-today-scream-old-geezer-ette/1026789/169 "2026-01-22T11:45:17Z")
Pipes … cigars and cigarettes - also come to mind [![](https://i.postimg.cc/65KXFXLg/image.png) ](https://i.postimg.cc/65KXFXLg/image.png) as do gentlemen’s and other social clubs ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2026, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-were-once-cool-but-today-scream-old-geezer-ette/1026789/170 "2026-01-22T12:30:31Z")
> [@ricepad](#): > > I figure that a lifetime of using tissues maybe accounts for perhaps one tree. More like half a tree. Now, American non-bidet-using TP usage, on the other hand… ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2026, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-were-once-cool-but-today-scream-old-geezer-ette/1026789/171 "2026-01-22T12:34:36Z")
My 21-yo daughter carries a backpack or uses pockets. ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2026, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-were-once-cool-but-today-scream-old-geezer-ette/1026789/172 "2026-01-22T14:25:53Z")
When you say you don’t see them much anymore, are you talking specifically about the old-fashioned sort that my grandmother called a “handbag” that closed with a clasp that you twisted, either at the top or on a flap? Yeah , nobody really uses those anymore. If you’re talking about “carrying something because women’s clothes don’t usually have enough pockets” , that’s going to be most teenage girls/women and it might be anything from a cellphone wallet with a strap so you can wear it crossbody to a tiny backpack. What’s actually different is that nowadays, a much greater number of men are carrying some sort of bag most of the time - when I was young, it was only when they were traveling to and from work and it was either a briefcase or a lunch box. ---
**Author:** ![Al128](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/al128/32/16541_2.png) [@Al128](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al128)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2026, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-were-once-cool-but-today-scream-old-geezer-ette/1026789/173 "2026-01-22T14:45:52Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > Now, American non-bidet-using TP usage, on the other hand… … is a rounding-error in comparison to the **“_I define my social status by the size of my vehicle_”** craze… ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2026, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-were-once-cool-but-today-scream-old-geezer-ette/1026789/174 "2026-01-22T15:34:05Z")
And trees are a renewable resource. The lumber industry manages vast swaths of forest, most of it “wild” enough for people to hike in it and animals to live there. Yes, it takes energy to turn those trees into paper, and to transport the paper to you. But i doubt it’s a significant fraction of our energy diet. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2026, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-were-once-cool-but-today-scream-old-geezer-ette/1026789/175 "2026-01-22T15:38:03Z")
True, that. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2026, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-were-once-cool-but-today-scream-old-geezer-ette/1026789/176 "2026-01-22T15:38:58Z")
In addition to my handkerchief, I’m active in a social club. I must be older than I thought. (Admittedly, the club membership skews elderly.) ---
**Author:** ![Al128](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/al128/32/16541_2.png) [@Al128](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al128)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2026, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-were-once-cool-but-today-scream-old-geezer-ette/1026789/177 "2026-01-22T16:32:13Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > And trees are a renewable resource. The lumber industry manages vast swaths of forest, most of it “wild” enough for people to hike in it and animals to live there. Yes, it takes energy to turn those trees into paper, and to transport the paper to you. But i doubt it’s a significant fraction of our energy diet. ohhh … a pet-peeve of mine: I don’t know why/how many people still think the paper-mill-industry raids nightly some virgin-woods and take out trees and shrubs to make paper … The Paper industry is just like the corn/wheat industry: there are 100s and 100s of squaremiles of plants/trees being planted and then at a given time, havested and processed for flour, taco-shells and paper. No native tree will be harmed when producing toilet-paper, (for the simple fact that it is just too inefficient) ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2026, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-were-once-cool-but-today-scream-old-geezer-ette/1026789/178 "2026-01-22T17:26:56Z")
At least in Maine, the land managed by the lumber industry is much better habitat for wild animals, and is subject to much less spraying, etc., than most other farm land. In general, the lumber industry is a good neighbor. (Although paper plants smell terrible, and you can smell them for miles away, downwind.) ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2026, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-were-once-cool-but-today-scream-old-geezer-ette/1026789/179 "2026-01-22T18:25:40Z")
> [@Al128](#): > > is a rounding-error in comparison to the **“_I define my social status by the size of my vehicle_”** craze… Oh gawd yes. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2026, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-were-once-cool-but-today-scream-old-geezer-ette/1026789/180 "2026-01-22T19:25:18Z")
> [@doreen](#): > > What’s actually different is that nowadays, **a much greater number of men are carrying some sort of bag most of the time** - when I was young, it was only when they were traveling to and from work and it was either a briefcase or a lunch box. That’s me. First aid kit, pens, power bank and cables, multitool, etc. Wallet, keys, phone, checkbook go in the [preens] _fanny pack_ [/preens]. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-were-once-cool-but-today-scream-old-geezer-ette/1026789.md?page=8) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-were-once-cool-but-today-scream-old-geezer-ette/1026789.md?page=10)