# What will we be embarrassed about in 20 years? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 24, 2009, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-we-be-embarrassed-about-in-20-years/500860 "2009-06-24T18:34:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ianjohnson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a3d4f5/32.png) [@ianjohnson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ianjohnson)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2009, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-we-be-embarrassed-about-in-20-years/500860/1 "2009-06-24T18:34:18Z")
When I was younger I remember thinking that fashions and fads in the 60’s got pretty weird, and the 70’s in retrospect were often ugly, very much a “what were we thinking” decade. I liked those plaid bell bottoms at the time, but now? But this decade, the '80s are pretty cool. I figured we might eventually feel embarrassed about the ‘80s too, but I couldn’t image how because the styles were pretty rockin’, especially those parachute pants, acid wash jeans, and giant glasses, and combinations of black and teal and silver and neon. Now of course we know better. So in 2022 when we are looking at pictures of ourselves from the 00’s, what is going to make us cringe? What fashions or fads will be laughable, what interior and architectural design choices will seem dated, what colors will be emblematic of the decade, as earth tones were for the '70s? Do you already feel this way about the '90s? ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2009, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-we-be-embarrassed-about-in-20-years/500860/2 "2009-06-24T18:42:56Z")
Hillary Clinton ---
**Author:** ![The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/74df32/32.png) [@The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Devil_s_Grandmother)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2009, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-we-be-embarrassed-about-in-20-years/500860/3 "2009-06-24T18:52:55Z")
The pants that only come up to the hips, with resulting bulges even on skinny people. ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2009, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-we-be-embarrassed-about-in-20-years/500860/4 "2009-06-24T18:53:53Z")
(Some) Hipster fashion, which is basically the [dumbest](http://www.latfh.com/post/104625638/my-silly-mustache-migrated-north-for-the-summer), [ugliest](http://www.latfh.com/post/109501244/yeah-i-know-this-seat-is-reserved-for-disabled) [parts](http://www.latfh.com/post/107800546/im-currently-working-on-a-screenplay-called) of the 80s fashion, which itself was/is embarrassing. And, with apologies for being a downer so early in the thread, the ban on gay marriage. ---
**Author:** ![Knorf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/58956e/32.png) [@Knorf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knorf)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2009, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-we-be-embarrassed-about-in-20-years/500860/5 "2009-06-24T18:57:52Z")
Tattoos. ---
**Author:** ![Chopper9760](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cdc98d/32.png) [@Chopper9760](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chopper9760)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2009, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-we-be-embarrassed-about-in-20-years/500860/6 "2009-06-24T18:59:16Z")
Oh the 90’s, weren’t they precious? The 80’s don’t have a monopoly on big hair - Andre Agasi and Billy Ray Cyrus, I’m looking at you. Remember Bum Equipment? Ragged, holy, faded, and ill-fitting, expensive to boot. Color change t-shirts - it was fun to make handprints for about 5min, once this bit of fun wore off you were left with an ugly mottled t-shirt. Does anyone outside tennis and basketball actually wear tennis shoes any more? Maybe this is just a northwest thing but I take notice of sneakers now because they are bloody rare. 'Round these parts it’s all Keens and Tevas unless the situation calls for some sort of boot. Future speculation is much harder. It seems like we’re shrinking and combining our devices all of the time so I wonder if we’ll be lampooned for having a laptop, netbook, smartphone, bluetooth headset, ipod, and a desperate need for power outlets wherever we go. ---
**Author:** ![cjepson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@cjepson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cjepson)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2009, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-we-be-embarrassed-about-in-20-years/500860/7 "2009-06-24T19:28:35Z")
Guys’ shorts that go below the knee (or, as I like to think of them, “clown pants”). Soul patches. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2009, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-we-be-embarrassed-about-in-20-years/500860/8 "2009-06-24T19:28:47Z")
Ass text. ---
**Author:** ![ianjohnson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a3d4f5/32.png) [@ianjohnson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ianjohnson)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2009, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-we-be-embarrassed-about-in-20-years/500860/9 "2009-06-24T19:32:08Z")
Bluetooth headsets have to be a big one, not just leaving it in your ear when you are not using it (already annoying) but using one at all. Just as phones have largely disappeared from belt clips into pockets (phone on the belt would be another one) I’m guessing there will be some kind of remote device that is equally discreet. Maybe something small that sticks behind the ear and uses bone conductance. I think cargo pants and shorts may be a prime candidate. I like them now, especially since I have young children and often need to stash some extra stuff. However they are a specialized style that moved into daily wear, and may well move back out. The muffin top is definately a “what was I thinking”. Looking good in those jeans is a worthy goal to aspire to, but don’t jump the gun. ---
**Author:** ![ianjohnson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a3d4f5/32.png) [@ianjohnson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ianjohnson)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2009, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-we-be-embarrassed-about-in-20-years/500860/10 "2009-06-24T19:34:10Z")
> [@cjepson](#): > > Guys’ shorts that go below the knee (or, as I like to think of them, “clown pants”). My wife bought me a few pairs of these which I wear reluctantly. They come dangerously close to capris, which a straight man must never wear. ---
**Author:** ![ianjohnson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a3d4f5/32.png) [@ianjohnson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ianjohnson)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2009, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-we-be-embarrassed-about-in-20-years/500860/11 "2009-06-24T19:38:32Z")
How about some styles that are due to people imitating a celebrity whose influence seems to override their own taste, like Jennifer Aniston hair or Curt Cobain’s flannel? ---
**Author:** ![Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tastes_of_chocolate/32/3232_2.png) [@Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tastes_of_Chocolate)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2009, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-we-be-embarrassed-about-in-20-years/500860/12 "2009-06-24T19:43:33Z")
How about the pants so baggy you have to hold them up style. The ones where the crotch ends up at about your knees. Kids, if you have to use one or two hands to hold up your pants when you walk, it’s time to get a smaller size or a belt. ---
**Author:** ![PoorYorick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecccb3/32.png) [@PoorYorick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PoorYorick)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2009, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-we-be-embarrassed-about-in-20-years/500860/13 "2009-06-24T19:45:10Z")
$75 hair cuts styled to make you look like you woke up with bed-head. ---
**Author:** ![Chopper9760](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cdc98d/32.png) [@Chopper9760](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chopper9760)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2009, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-we-be-embarrassed-about-in-20-years/500860/14 "2009-06-24T19:46:29Z")
I support knee-length shorts. I concede that they are a little weird. You know what’s even weirder, seeing the hairy upper thighs of dudes. I caught an episode of Magnum P.I. the other day and there was Tom Selleck sporting a Hawaiian shirt and [way too much hairy man leg for my comfort.](http://www.chimpsahoy.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/images//2007/09/selleck_shorts.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swallowed_My_Cellphone)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2009, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-we-be-embarrassed-about-in-20-years/500860/15 "2009-06-24T20:01:24Z")
> [@Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](#): > > How about the pants so baggy you have to hold them up style. The ones where the crotch ends up at about your knees. That was going to be my contribution to this thread: sagging. I can see Ugg boots going the same route as "Peter Pan getaway"s or “desert boots”. ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2009, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-we-be-embarrassed-about-in-20-years/500860/16 "2009-06-24T20:16:33Z")
I predict we’ll positively _hoot_ at the big fat Crocs on everybody’s feet, along with the general slovenliness and lack of class that permeates most fashion today. [Exhibit A](http://gofugyourself.celebuzz.com/assets_c/2009/06/88182484-thumb-420x615.jpg) [Exhibit B](http://gofugyourself.celebuzz.com/assets_c/2009/06/88150003-thumb-420x718.jpg) [Exhibit C](http://gofugyourself.celebuzz.com/assets_c/2009/06/31328PCN_BdayGirl04-thumb-420x630.jpg) Hey, I can dream. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2009, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-we-be-embarrassed-about-in-20-years/500860/17 "2009-06-24T20:20:10Z")
Wait…80s fashions are cool? Mall claws? Mullets? Scrunch socks and leggings? ---
**Author:** ![Saintly\_Loser](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saintly_loser/32/4045_2.png) [@Saintly\_Loser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saintly_Loser)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2009, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-we-be-embarrassed-about-in-20-years/500860/18 "2009-06-24T20:21:25Z")
> [@Chopper9760](#): > > I support knee-length shorts. I concede that they are a little weird. You know what’s even weirder, seeing the hairy upper thighs of dudes. > > I caught an episode of Magnum P.I. the other day and there was Tom Selleck sporting a Hawaiian shirt and [way too much hairy man leg for my comfort.](http://www.chimpsahoy.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/images//2007/09/selleck_shorts.jpg) Pictures like that are why everyone was convicned Tom Selleck was gay back then. I swear, every guy standing on the corner of West and Christopher in those days looked just like that. ---
**Author:** ![corkboard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@corkboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/corkboard)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2009, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-we-be-embarrassed-about-in-20-years/500860/19 "2009-06-24T20:22:31Z")
Muffintops. Manpris. Bluetooth earpieces. Droopy-drawers. “Juicy” sweatpants. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2009, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-we-be-embarrassed-about-in-20-years/500860/20 "2009-06-24T20:34:16Z")
> [@Ellen\_Cherry](#): > > [Exhibit A](http://gofugyourself.celebuzz.com/assets_c/2009/06/88182484-thumb-420x615.jpg) > [Exhibit B](http://gofugyourself.celebuzz.com/assets_c/2009/06/88150003-thumb-420x718.jpg) > [Exhibit C](http://gofugyourself.celebuzz.com/assets_c/2009/06/31328PCN_BdayGirl04-thumb-420x630.jpg) I agree. I would love to see every one of those women out of those clothes. Are muffin tops actually a fashion? I though it was just a fashion as practiced by women who can’t pull it off. Does anyone actually say “I’m going for the muffin top look.”? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-we-be-embarrassed-about-in-20-years/500860.md?page=2)