15 things that have changed since I was 15

Do you ever sit back and wonder how so much has changed in your lifetime? I do regularly, usually because Ben constantly reminds me of how old I am! I will be 39 this year, I turned 15 in 1995 so thought it would be a fun post to share 15 things which have changed!

15 changes in life since I was 15

Mobile Phones

Back in 1995, not many people had a mobile phone and now not many people haven’t! I even shared a post the other day about children having them and bullying through phones!

Braces

Back in 1995, I had braces, the old train track type ones. I hated them and had them on until I was 21. Going to get them tightened was such a chore and I hated the way they looked. To the point, I hardly ever smiled so they couldn’t be seen! Now a trip to the orthodontic clinic is much less noticeable. There are braces you can have which are pretty much invisible!

Computers

How slow were computers back in the day? Not only were they slow but they were massive. Now in the palm of your hand on your mobile you can do more than you could on a massive computer back in 1995!

Music

Music has changed so much, not just the type of music but how people listen to it. In 1995 I only had a cassette player and so did my friends if I remember rightly. Now a click of a button and you can download music!

Computer games

Back in the day, computer games were very different to what they are now, weren’t they? What games did you used to play? I was never one for computer games, but the graphics were terrible in comparison!

Schools

In 1995, I am pretty sure all schools were either state schools or private schools with fees. There were no academies like there are now, and all schools were much more equal, I think. Blackboards and writing in homework books, no computers and taking work on a memory stick!

Advertising

Can you remember when cigarettes could be advertised anywhere, and so could alcohol? So much has changed now, I am not sure of the exact years, but it has been a big change in my opinion!

Night’s out

A night out in 1995 was all smoky, and you always came home smelling of someone else’s cigarette smoke. Not that I went out at 15, but from what I have been told, of course!

Clothes shopping

Back in 1995, there was no ordering of clothes online to try at home and see if they fit. I lived in a relatively small town, so if the few shops there didn’t have anything, we had to go to Meadowhall or a bigger city!

Homework

In 1995, researching something for homework involved trips to the library, not just looking on Wikipedia! Do you remember having to look through index cards to find the number of a book at the library?

Dating

How many people nowadays meet a partner online? The first contact would be a message, not a glance across a room.

Newspapers

So few people buy them nowadays because everything is out of date by the time it is in the paper. News is so instant now with the internet.

Taking photos

Do you remember when you had to take photos in a shop to be developed? Hardly anyone does that anymore, do they? You used to have to wait a week to find that you took a rubbish photo and end up with one of those stickers on it! With digital photography, you can keep taking photos until you like the one you take.

Kitchen Gadgets

In 1995, microwaves were still relatively new, and not everyone had one. Now, look at all the gadgets we have, like air fryers, making cooking so much healthier.

TV and home cinema

How much bigger are TVs than they were in 1995 now? We now have curved screens, 3d technology, and so many different surround sound options, all accessible and inexpensive. What happened to videos and having to rewind them before you returned a rented one to Blockbusters?

Other changes

There are so many other changes I have witnessed since 1995. Attitudes to disability have changed a lot, as well as attitudes to sexuality and how the media approaches such subjects. In 1995, the world, in my opinion, was a much more judgmental place. Would you agree?

What changes have you noticed since you were a child? Do comment below, I love hearing about things like that and reminiscing.