Ever wondered what girls your age were like 40, 50, 60 years ago? We thought it would be pretty cool to do a little time traveling and find out what teens were into back in the day (decades, to be exact), so we put together a little history lesson for you. Don’t worry, there’s no quiz at the end! This list is just pure fun: everything that teenage girls liked, starting from 1950 all the way to present day; what they wore, the kind of slang they used, what music they listened to and books they were into. It’s neat to go back in time and see how pop culture’s developed and we had a lot of fun putting the list together! Or, as they’d say in the 60′s, it was a total gas!

1950′s

What They Wore:
Poodle skirts, bobby socks, Ray-Ban Wayfarers, pedal pushers (capri pants), Mary Jane shoes, polo shirts, cardigans, tight sweaters, high ponytails.

What They Said:
Are you writing a book? – You’re asking too many questions
Ain’t that a bite – That’s too bad
That’s a big tickle! – That’s really funny!
Cruisin’ for a bruisin’ – looking for trouble
Cool cat – a hip person
Let’s make the scene – Let’s attend that event
The most – high praise, awesome, as in, “She’s the most!”
On the hook – to be in love
A wet rag – someone who’s no fun, as in, “Don’t be a wet rag!”

Skinny – broke, without money, as in, “I’m totally skinny until payday.”

What They Read:
The Catcher In The Rye by J.D. Salinger
On The Road by Jack Kerouac
The Lord of the Rings Trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Narnia Chronicles by C.S. Lewis
Farenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

What They Listened To:
Rock n’ Roll: Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry
Doo-wop: The Chordettes, The Drifters, The Coasters
Jazz: Ella Fitzgerald, Miles Davis, Nina Simone, Oscar Peterson
Pop/Country: Frank Sinatra, Patsy Cline, Bing Crosby, Rosemary Clooney

1960′s

What They Wore:
Miniskirts, shifts, go-go boots, bell-bottom jeans, flared trousers, tie-dye, paisley, work shirts, headbands, hair down and parted in the middle.

What They Said:
That’s a gas! – that’s a lot of fun
Went ape – got mad, as in, “If I don’t make my curfew, my parents will go ape.”
Boss – cool, awesome, as in, “My new sneakers are boss!”
Groovy – cool
That’s heavy – that’s deep, that’s sad, that’s powerful
Rags, threads – clothes
What’s your bag, man? – What’s your problem?
Off the wall – strange
Mickey Mouse – out of touch with the latest trends/styles, as in, ” He’s a total Mickey Mouse.”
Peace – a form of goodbye

What They Read:
Valley of the Dolls by Jacqueline Susann
The Phantom Tollbooth by Norman Juster
To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
The Outsiders by Susan E. Hinton

What They Listened To:
The British Invasion: The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Kinks, Pink Floyd
Folk: Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan, Joan Baez
Rock: Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, The Doors
Pop/R&B/Soul: The Shirelles, The Supremes, The Temptations, Otis Redding, Aretha Franklin, Chubby Checker

1970′s

What They Wore:
Platform shoes, hot pants (short shorts), high-waisted flared trousers/jeans, peasant blouses, halter tops, metallic colours, glittery, sequined things, crop tops, feathered hair like Farah Fawcett.

What They Said:
Far out! – carried into the 70′s from the 60′s
Dig? – do you get it?
Keep on truckin’ – go with the flow
Catch you on the flip side! – see you later
May the force be with you – from Star Wars, adapted to pop culture
In your face! – so there!
Lookin’ good! – you look good
Alriiiight! – that’s cool
Outta sight! – awesome
Right on – I agree

What They Read:
Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume
Love Story by Erich Segal
The Princess Bride by William Goldman
Watership Down by Richard Addams
Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut

What They Listened To:
Disco: Donna Summer, The Bee Gees, Van McCoy
Rock: Deep Purple, Alice Cooper, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Styx, Kiss
Punk Rock: The Ramones, Blondie
Soft Rock: Fleetwood Mac, The Guess Who, Carly Simon, James Taylor
R&B: The Jackson 5, Stevie Wonder
Pop: Elton John, ABBA

1980′s

What They Wore:
Short skirts worn over leggings, fishnet gloves, ripped off-the-shoulder sweatshirts, spandex miniskirts, neon colours, spiked hair, denim vests, headbands, legwarmers, leotards.

What They Said:
Bogus – crazy
Get bent – get lost, leave me alone
Grindage – food, as in, “I’m hungry, let’s get some grindage.”
Tubular – awesome, as in, “This band is totally tubular!”
Bodacious – cute, hot, as in, “She’s totally bodacious.”
Amped – really excited about something, as in, “I’m totally amped about these hot pink lycra leggings I just bought.”
Barf me out! – said when you don’t like something, as in, “Ew, onions?! Barf me out!”
Cowabunga! – an exclamation, as in, “Yo, I got tickets to Aerosmith’s concert on Saturday night!” “Cowabunga!”
Eat my shorts! – a comeback to an insult, as in, “Oh yeah? Eat my shorts!”
Very – a short form for that’s very cool, as in, “I love your outfit, it’s so very.”

What They Read:
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood 
The Sweet Valley High series by Francine Pascal
The Baby-Sitters Club series by Ann M. Martin
Don’t Care High by Gordon Korman
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy series by Douglas Adams

What They Listened To: 
Pop: Michael Jackson, Prince, Madonna, Cyndi Lauper, David Bowie
Rock: Guns n’ Roses, Def Leppard, Bon Jovi, U2, Bryan Adams
RnB/Hip Hop: Salt n’ Pepa, Bobby Brown, DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince 

1990′s

What They Wore:
Doc Martens, body piercings, babydoll dresses, oversize sweaters, maxi skirts, fluorescent clothing, goth looks, Mickey Mouse sweatshirts with leggings and running shoes, crop tops, “The Rachel” haircut.

What They Said:
As if! – yeah right, best said in a Valley Girl voice, à la Cher from Clueless
Buggin’ – freaking out, as in, “I was totally buggin’.”
Phat! – cool
My bad! – my mistake
I’m Audi – I’m leaving
Psych! – joking, as in, “Yes, I did all my homework. Psyche!”
A scrub – a loser guy
Talk to the hand! – I don’t want to hear it
You go, girl! – good for you
All that and a bag of chips – awesome and then some, as in, “She’s all that and a bag of chips!”

What They Read:
Bridget Jones’s Diary by Helen Fielding
The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides
Early Harry Potter novels by J.K Rowling
The Robber Bride by Margaret Atwood
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

What They Listened To:
Alternative Rock: Nirvana, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Green Day, Pearl Jam, Smashing Pumpkins
Rap Metal: Limp Bizkit, Linkin Park, Rage Against the Machine, Cypress Hill
Ska: No Doubt, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones
Singer-Songwriter: Alanis Morrissette, Sheryl Crow, Sarah McLachlan, Tori Amos, Natalie Merchant
Pop: Spice Girls, Backstreet Boys, N’Sync, Mariah Carey, 
RnB: Lauryn Hill, The Fugees, Boyz II Men, TLC
Country: Shania Twain, Dixie Chicks, LeAnn Rimes, Garth Brooks

2000′s

What They/’re Wore/Wearing:
Uggs, skinny jeans, hoodies, flannel shirts, ballet flats, leggings, vintage clothing, a blend of styles from previous decades. 

What They/’re Said/Saying:
LOL, OMG, BRB – laugh out loud, oh my god, be right back; internet speak
Bromance – a friendship between guys
Peeps – people
That’s bomb – that’s awesome
I know, right? – agreeing with something
Totes, ridic, supes – Totally, ridiculous, super; abbreviating words is supes in right now
Sick – amazing
Jokes! – joking, or that’s funny, as in, “That’s jokes.”
Hot mess – disaster, as in, “That party last night was a hot mess.”
That’s cray – æThat’s crazy”, made popular by Jay-Z and Kanye West

What They/’re Read/Reading:
Late Harry Potter books by J.K. Rowling
The Twilight Series by Stephanie Meyer
The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins
Special Topics in Calamity Physics by Marisha Pessl
Gossip Girl series by Cecily von Zeigesar

What They/’re Listened/Listening To:
Pop: Britney Spears, N’Sync, Christina Aguilera, Kelly Clarkson, JLo, The Black Eyed Peas, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Beyonce, Rihanna, Nicki Minaj, Taylor Swift, Justin Timberlake
Hip Hop: Eminem, Dr. Dre, The Roots, Kanye West, Drake, Lil’ Wayne, Missy Elliott
Indie Rock/Post-Punk: The Yeah Yeah Yeah’s, Franz Ferdinand, Arcade Fire, Black Keys, Vampire Weekend, The Strokes, The White Stripes
RnB: Alicia Keys, Usher
Singer-Songwriters: Amy Winehouse, Lily Allen, Florence + The Machine, Feist, Adele