A woman who decided to take a closer look at her 91-year-old grandma’s medicine cabinet has shared the results online.
Ashley Kouns took to TikTok, posting under the handle redhaired.native, to share footage of her deep dive into grandmother Marilyn Bannock’s medicine supplies. The video has blown up, amassing over 1.5 million views, and everyone is asking the same thing.
Maintaining strong family ties can play an important part in enjoying a long and happy life. In 2023, a study published in the Journals of Gerontology found that adults who maintained strong family connections whether it be through regular visits or routine communications, enjoyed better mental health and were more likely to engage in social activities than those without.
The study dismissed the idea that distance played a part. What was key was the quality of the familial relationship. Kouns was recently reminded of the importance of her relationship with her grandmother, Marilyn Bannock, who is 91.
“She lives over 4,000 miles away in a small Alaskan town. I went to spend a few weeks with her, as her time is very precious,” Kouns told Newsweek. “I quickly realized her mind is remarkably sharp, as she was able to share a lifetime of memories with me.”
Sitting in her favorite chair, gazing out across the picturesque Alaskan scenery just outside her window, Bannock regaled her now-adult granddaughter with the accumulated stories of her life.
“Growing up in Anaheim, California, she recounts men and women in her family leaving for World War II. She spoke of having experienced rationing, and that oftentimes there was not always enough for everyone,” Kouns said.
“She detailed moving to Alaska in her early twenties, where again items were not always easily accessible. Life would take its toll one more time, in the form of a house fire, where she recalls losing almost everything.”
Spending time in her house and hearing her experiences, Kouns gained an understanding of how Bannock and the people of her generation “held onto things so vehemently.”
Her grandmother’s home was filled with examples of this, not least when it came to her medicine cabinet. Every item had a story and, in time, it was one Kouns felt compelled to share on social media.
“She has many unique, vintage items in her home. I was having the time of my life, bringing interesting items to her one by one, in order to learn their origins,” Kouns said.
TikTok/redhaired.native
There was a bottle of prescription medicine from 1962, Milk of Magnesia from 1995, deodorant body powder from 1990, and a tin of Cashmere Bouquet Talcum Powder dating back to 1948 that boasted “the fragrance that men love.”
There were out-of-date chocolate laxatives, Advil from 1984 and medicine to treat almost any ailment. It makes for strangely fascinating viewing, something Kouns puts down to a “sense of familiarity” in what she is looking through.
“Her home is reminiscent of a time capsule,” Kouns said. “Gen X’ers and Millennials could walk into her bathroom and feel as though they have stepped back in time, into their own parent’s or grandparent’s bathroom.”
She also felt it probably stood in stark contrast to the medicine cabinets of today. “I felt amazed looking through her medicine cabinet, in awe really. She seemingly has a remedy for every ailment imaginable, many of which, I wasn’t even familiar with,” Kouns said.
While Kouns does cite “innate curiosity” as a key driver behind the video’s success, the majority seemed focused on one very specific question: Did she have quaaludes? A sedative that induced hypnotic activity, Quaaludes were discontinued in the 1980s due to concerns over abuse and addiction, yet rumors persist that some small number still remain forgotten and gathering dust somewhere.
Not this house though. The most controversial item viewers claimed to spot was a bottle of Tylenol 3 which contains codeine. Kouns isn’t entirely surprised to see this to be a source of some focus among viewers.
“I don’t think it’s uncommon for people to look back and laugh at the silly choices older generations may have made,” she said. “Perhaps spotting the codeine-laced Tylenol is just another segue into that nostalgic feeling of being a teenager, when you’re carefree and still learning about the world.”
Ultimately, the video isn’t about that for Kouns. It’s a celebration of her grandmother and a special life that continues to be lived. “For those who care to look deeper, there is a meaningful takeaway that can be found; an appreciation for the wisdom of generations before us and perhaps a greater understanding of people’s quirky habits,” she said.