I can't tell you how much I love this post, @erh.germany. It just made me smile non-stop. Though we grew up on different continents, it was the same era, and I can relate to so many of your stories.
We were children of the 70s and there was no trace of modesty to be spotted. I mean, it had just started with the private television channels and consumerism was experiencing its heyday. We wanted to buy everything and have everything we saw on TV. The perfumes, the holiday trips, the VCRs, fake jewelry, wrist watches, cool clothes.
Oh my gosh, it's so true. I also grew up in a modest household with modest parents who would not entertain any of that commercial stuff, so we just dreamed!