15 perfectly normal things that were scandalous 100 years ago

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Daily washing©Shutterstock

Water was often scarce, and it wasn’t until indoor plumbing was introduced that people began to scrub themselves on the daily.

 

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Women on bicycles©Shutterstock

At the turn of last century, it was widely considered improper for a woman to ride a bicycle.

 

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Women on bicycles©Shutterstock

In 1895, the New York World published an article detailing all the things a woman should not do when riding a bike. It included "Don’t refuse assistance up a hill."

 

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Living to 100©Shutterstock

In 1900, the average life expectancy for an American man was 48.3 years. Today it is 76.3 years.

 

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Living to 100©Shutterstock

With people living longer and longer, it is now not unheard of for someone to live well into their hundreds.

 

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Whistling at sluts!

 

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Smoking bans©Shutterstock

Until the middle of the 20th century, it was possible to smoke pretty well anywhere. Restaurants, bars, airplanes - you name the location, smokers were welcome.

 

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Smoking bans©Shutterstock

Nowadays indoor smoking is almost universally prohibited, something that would have astounded the average person just 100 years ago.

 

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Public transport©Shutterstock

These days almost everyone uses some form of public transport, especially with the global effort to move towards environmentally friendly ways to go from A to B.

 

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Public transport©Shutterstock

But trains and buses weren’t always so popular. According to a 1912 editorial in the Chicago Sunday Tribune, the stability handles in subway carriages could cause "a frightful strain upon internal organs."

 

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Women with tattoos©Shutterstock

Just a century ago, tattoos were a thing of criminality and underground culture. A woman with a tattoo was either a prostitute or a member of the circus.

 

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Women with tattoos©Shutterstock

Nowadays tattoos are wholly socially acceptable, and studies have actually shown that more women are getting inked than men.