# 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:** 5
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-we-be-embarrassed-about-in-20-years/500860/81 "2009-06-26T01:02:20Z")
I think faux-hawks will be laughed at. Tattoos also. You have to be a certain type of person for it to look right. Also you have to have them done right and not to excess. Tattoos are art, and now they are commericalized so people are just out to sell them and they lost any meaning. I think men will desperately cling to the bald head look not because it is good. Indeed it looks good on like 1% of the population with a nicely shaped head, but because most men lose their hair… But then again, a mustache looks so out of place today. ---
**Author:** ![Bacon\_Salt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/65b543/32.png) [@Bacon\_Salt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bacon_Salt)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 8:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-we-be-embarrassed-about-in-20-years/500860/82 "2009-06-26T08:02:27Z")
I disagree about the messed-up jeans. People have been distressing their own jeans since at least the '70s, paying for stone- and acid-washed jeans since at least the '80s and paying for distressed jeans since at least the '90s. Horn rimmed glasses. Twenty more years later they’ll come back again-again. Giant sunglasses. Which is a shame, because I much prefer them to those tiny sunglasses that were popular about 10 years ago which were worse than useless UV protection-wise. The intentional dark roots look. The emo hairstyle- super chunky layers of hair from 2 to 12 inches randomly interspersed all over your head, with the longest pieces framing your face. I actually like this hairstyle, but I am aware that in 20 years people will be wondering why teenagers were getting small children to cut their hair. Empire waists. “Was there a baby boom in the oh-ohs?” “No, millions of women just didn’t think through the implications of wearing a shirt that ballooned at bellybutton level.” ---
**Author:** ![dwc1970](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a183cd/32.png) [@dwc1970](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dwc1970)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-we-be-embarrassed-about-in-20-years/500860/83 "2009-06-26T16:31:05Z")
> [@Casserole](#): > > Am I the only one who’s going to mention Rap music? Couldn’t stand the stuff today, but like it or not, it’s an indelible part of our culture for this time period. I was going to mention rap music, but since it has been with us since the mid 80s and it doesn’t appear to be going anywhere any time soon I’m afraid we’re stuck with it, at least for awhile. Whatever eventually replaces it can’t possibly be any better. On the other hand, people don’t have much of an appreciation for “classic rap” (if such a thing even exists) as they do for classic rock, which has held up over the generations, so maybe rap will one day (God be willing) be seen as passe. Passing music fads, such as disco, breakdancing, hair metal bands, and perhaps ska and the big-band revival of the mid 90s, are more subject to derision by future generations. ---
**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-we-be-embarrassed-about-in-20-years/500860/84 "2009-06-26T16:44:40Z")
Escalades with flashy rims. The only people who get a pass are rap stars and professional athletes. These are already gone, but the Baywatch-neon red and yellow colored “look at me!” cars. ---
**Author:** ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-we-be-embarrassed-about-in-20-years/500860/85 "2009-06-26T18:39:53Z")
Goatees and soul patches…as soon as our business executives started wearing them, I knew the trend was dead. Fauxhawks and combed-down emobangs…hasn’t hit our executive ranks yet (possibly due to receding hairlines), but it is almost a required dress-code for our 20-30 y.o. marketing reps, and whenever marketing tries to reflect edgy youth, it’s the first nail in the coffin. …and lastly, gaudy ironic hipster wingtip bowling shoes. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-we-be-embarrassed-about-in-20-years/500860/86 "2009-06-26T18:56:41Z")
> [@Bacon\_Salt](#): > > Empire waists. > “Was there a baby boom in the oh-ohs?” > “No, millions of women just didn’t think through the implications of wearing a shirt that ballooned at bellybutton level.” These drive me insane. **They don’t look good!** How can someone look at themselves in the mirror and think that’s something they want to go out in public in? My manager is an exceptionally attractive person who is really easy on the eyes…except when she wears an empire waist. Agh. \ ---
**Author:** ![antechinus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/fbc32d/32.png) [@antechinus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/antechinus)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2009, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-we-be-embarrassed-about-in-20-years/500860/87 "2009-06-27T06:52:21Z")
> [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](#): > > In 20 years, NOTHING will be more embarrassing than the number of hit songs that used: > [Auto-Tune!](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auto-Tune) Eerrggh…the Cher Effect. ---
**Author:** ![slime](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@slime](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slime)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2009, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-we-be-embarrassed-about-in-20-years/500860/88 "2009-06-27T21:00:35Z")
So for the knee length shorts on men, we always figured they’re not shorts and they’re not long pants therefore the proper name is schlongs. This is also due in part to those that wear them. ---
**Author:** ![InterestedObserver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@InterestedObserver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InterestedObserver)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2009, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-we-be-embarrassed-about-in-20-years/500860/89 "2009-06-28T03:28:09Z")
I’ve been hoping the “pants around the knees” fad would vanish for well over a decade. Sadly, it doesn’t seem to be going anywhere. It always make me think of a male baboon flashing his ass colors to impress females and intimidate rivals (which, come to think of it, is probably pretty close to the truth:smack:) ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2009, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-we-be-embarrassed-about-in-20-years/500860/90 "2009-06-28T03:59:10Z")
granite countertops. His and Hers basins in the bathroom. Huge houses. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2009, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-we-be-embarrassed-about-in-20-years/500860/91 "2009-06-28T16:46:36Z")
stainless steel appliances ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2009, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-we-be-embarrassed-about-in-20-years/500860/92 "2009-06-28T17:18:02Z")
> [@slime](#): > > So for the knee length shorts on men, we always figured they’re not shorts and they’re not long pants therefore the proper name is schlongs. This is also due in part to those that wear them. The length of men’s shorts really seems to be a preference thing. Nothing more. Neither side is wrong and everyone will be better off when we just get along. Personally, I don’t like wearing shorts that stop above the knee. They bunch and they’re just uncomfortable. I also think they look hideous on 95% of men (and at least half of the women in the world for that matter). I have no plans on changing and showing pictures of Tom Selleck in short shorts just reinforces my belief that shorts were meant to go to the knee. ---
**Author:** ![lolagranola](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ea5d25/32.png) [@lolagranola](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lolagranola)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2009, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-we-be-embarrassed-about-in-20-years/500860/93 "2009-06-28T17:59:05Z")
I can’t wait until my son’s generation is in the old folks home. Those tramp stamps won’t age well - I guarantee it! There will be hordes of old people shuffling around, faces scarred from multiple facial piercings, giant earlobes from the stretching, and cute little sexy tattoo’s that are now three feet long. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2009, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-we-be-embarrassed-about-in-20-years/500860/94 "2009-06-28T18:23:13Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > I have to mention this: the anti-hair fad among men. Trimmed eyebrows, no facial hair, clipped body hair. It makes everyone look like a eunich. Around here, it makes them look like Russian army conscripts. Of course, around here, a few of them probably _were_ Russian army conscripts. ---
**Author:** ![Savannah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@Savannah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Savannah)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2009, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-we-be-embarrassed-about-in-20-years/500860/95 "2009-06-28T19:22:46Z")
I also agree with tattoos. I don’t like them, but what someone else does with their body is none of my business. However, I’ve seen some makeovers on What Not To Wear where the tattoos all over the arms and legs really don’t mesh well with an upgraded wardrobe and hairstyle. I bet a lot of people who get tattood at a relatively young age will not be as pleased with the decision when they’re 40-something. This is not going to be true for everyone, of course, but I think a lot of fad tattoos are going to be really embarassing for their owners in a while. > [@](#): > > Regardless of the colour or even the design, however, many people realize a few years down maturity’s lane that their tattoo just doesn’t belong on them anymore. I was one of them. > > “Why don’t I have an elephant on my ankle?” asked my daughter one day. The fact that the design appealed to a three-year-old was telling me something important. Back when I was 15, however, a purple elephant seemed like a cute idea. > > But now, as an adult, whether I’m at a lavish party in a cocktail dress or in a business skirt at work, my little purple elephant follows me around, playing peek-a-boo with the wandering eyes around her. Some women think it’s sleazy and some co-workers find it childish. > > My cuddly character is small enough to look like a splotch of dirt from afar and big enough to make me self-conscious when pants aren’t concealing it. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2009, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-we-be-embarrassed-about-in-20-years/500860/96 "2009-06-28T21:24:56Z")
> [@Ellen\_Cherry](#): > > 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. I’ve said it before and will say it again; we’re currently in the worst-dressed period in centuries, and decades from now the manner of dress of the 2000s will be regarded with the same hilarity and contempt as the interior design of the 70s of the music of 1961. And I think the #1 target of hilarity will be footwear. I find it amazing that adults actually leave the house wearing crocs or flip-flops and by 2025 people will be embarassed of pictures in which they’re wearing such things. ---
**Author:** ![Unintentionally\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unintentionally_blank/32/5418_2.png) [@Unintentionally\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unintentionally_Blank)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2009, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-we-be-embarrassed-about-in-20-years/500860/97 "2009-06-28T22:15:32Z")
> [@Knorf](#): > > A lot (most?) of the people who currently think that their cliche glob of vaguely non-western letters makes them **Teh Hip** (not to mention those you mention) are going to be very embarrassed about them in 20 years. > > Aged 20 years is the nadir for fashion coolness. > > Sure, tattoos will always be around, just like syphilis. > > The question isn’t whether they’ll be around, but whether people will be embarrassed about them. The answer is yes. > > Tattoo removal is already a growth industry. Do not confuse ‘growth industry’ with ‘universal belief’. Are there a bunch of questionable tats out there? Of course. What’s their percentage of the overall population? There are folks that regret having children too. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Epimetheus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c4cdca/32.png) [@Epimetheus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Epimetheus)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2009, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-we-be-embarrassed-about-in-20-years/500860/98 "2009-06-29T06:55:09Z")
My contribution (sorry if they have been “covered” already: Big sunglasses “Tit Curtains” Ugg boots ---
**Author:** ![ianjohnson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a3d4f5/32.png) [@ianjohnson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ianjohnson)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2009, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-we-be-embarrassed-about-in-20-years/500860/99 "2009-06-30T17:19:21Z")
I’m not sure if stainless appliances will get as dated. It’s a pretty basic, neutral color unlike say, avacado green. I think stainless might have something to do with the rise of Food Network and shows that make professional chefs and kitchens hip and cool. Stainless might go away if for some reason it loses the “Pro” cachet and goes back to “utilitarian”. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2009, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-we-be-embarrassed-about-in-20-years/500860/100 "2009-06-30T17:31:08Z")
> [@Epimetheus](#): > > “Tit Curtains” I think I speak for everyone for everyone when I say “WHAT?” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-we-be-embarrassed-about-in-20-years/500860.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-we-be-embarrassed-about-in-20-years/500860.md?page=6)