In the early 70s, when I was a pre-teen boy, spankings were a part of life for myself and all my friends. The differences between us lay in the differing methods, which varied from household to household. One of my friends always got the belt on his bare bottom from his dad, another always via a ping-pong paddle from his mother over his underwear etc.
My mother had three very distinct types of spankings she utilised, depending on the situation and the infraction for which either my siblings and/or myself were being disciplined. However, one thing that all of the spankings had in common was that they were always on the bare bottom and that Mom always undid your pants and pulled them down with your underwear to your ankles.