"Dated"

I have spent more time than I should have over the past several years watching decorating shows on TV. Lately I've been enjoying the ones about trying to figure out why a particular house hasn’t sold after being on the market for a period of time. Invariably some expert comes in and pronounces the décor to be 'dated' and in need of upgrading. Mystery solved – redo it all.

So my question is this: How would someone my age, who has been decorating (if I may use the term in its most casual sense) through the 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s and whatever-we-are-calling-these-years… how would I actually recognize 'dated' in décor? (Goodness knows it is enough of a challenge, at my age, to recognize it in clothes, hairstyle and make-up. I can’t really call that a success either!)

Yes, I do remember those Harvest Gold and Avocado color choices for appliances - was that the 60's? They might seem 'dated' to me if I saw them again. (Although maybe not – I just remembered that my crock pot and one of my cake pans are both avocado in color. Wow. How long have I had that crock pot?)

And how am I supposed to tell the difference between what is stylishly “retro” and what is simply 'dated?'

The truth is, I can’t hope to keep up. And can't understand why I would care.

I have spent entirely too much time watching HGTV.