Rare Picture From 90s Pop Culture Star Sparks a Nostalgic Debate Between Oldies and GenZ

The American star, Gerry Lopez, AKA Mr. Pipeline, is a surfing sensation who rose to fame in the 90s. Hence, a large proportion of his fan base belongs to the pre-Gen Z era. With the internet just making its way into the world at that time, the new generation doesn’t seem to be able to wrap their heads around some elements of the 90s. 

A resurfaced image of the athlete on Reddit sparked wacky reactions from fans and followers surrounding a yellow device attached to Lopez’s belt. What seemed like a debate between the old and new generation ultimately ended with the 90s fans feeling old. What was the device? And why did it make people feel old? Let’s find out. 

Fans react to the weird-looking gadget of Gerry Lopez 

As per a Reddit post, pop icon Gerry Lopez was seen surfing with a yellow device attached to his belt. Apparently, the picture was a scene from his Patagonia documentary “The Yin and Yang of Gerry Lopez.” Furthermore, the caption of the post enquired netizens about the relevancy of the device, which amusingly divided the fans into their generational counterparts. Let’s find out what the debate was about:

The oldies, taking the upper hand in the situation, reacted with: 

“Lol young buck that’s a Walkman”

“This kid out here making us feel old”   

“Yep Walkman sport, billed as waterproof tape player. Used to ski with one.”

“I mean, you can’t be that young, right?”

“This is equal parts funny and sad. Kids can’t be that young now can they? Can they?!?!”

“So old these are the questions we’re answering now”

“Hey kid – you ever hear of MySpace?”

While the Generation Z chose to tackle the case with the following: 

“That looks like a Walkman from the 80s”

“It’s a 5g radiation blocker”

“A waterproof walkman, wow. Haha thanks for letting me know”

“Def an ankle monitor”

“How would you even connect AirPods to that?”

“Epirb mobile phone smokes and a lighter”

“That’s an iPod shuffle.”

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Fact is, it was a popular device. According to the Everything 80s Podcast, the Sony Walkman used in the 80s and 90s to listen to music. It was portable, hence Lopez utilized it while surfing. As hilarious as it gets, the Gen Zs probably disappointed their seniors in acknowledging the “cool” element of their times. However, was it really waterproof?

Why did the Walkman never get wet?

As per revelations made by the torchbearers of the 90s in the comments, it appears that the Walkman was waterproof. Thus, athletes used it while skiing or surfing. However, a waterproof device developed in the 90s seems dubious. Some fans revealed that it was a sports version of the device that allowed it to be water-repelling. However, per sources, it was deduced that it was actually waterproof but only to a certain limit. It would function until a water depth of 2 meters, including salt waters, owing to its sealed form.  

Quite a debate, wasn’t it? Since it adheres to both sides’ opinions, there’s no ultimate conclusion to the fact. Anyway, the 90s was an iconic time, the start of great things.

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