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Old-School Photos Of Cool Parents

When you think about your parents, “cool”, “attractive”, or “badass” are words that definitely don’t come to mind. But as hard to believe as it is, our parents weren’t always parents and actually had a life before us.

They weren’t always uncool or embarrassing, and we don’t give them enough credit for who they were and what they did back in the day.

There is a trend where people are uncovering old photographs of their parents and posting them on the internet to brag about just how awesome they were at a young age, and they are 100 times cooler than we’ll ever be.

 

We may make fun of their fashion or hairstyles, but just about every trend that we love nowadays were created and worn by our parents generation.

Here’s a look at some of the raddest parents ever, B.C.E- before child era.

 

Man in Black

“My dad, the FBI Agent, at a Bahamas Airport, Late 1960s.” This picture is too perfect, dressed in a black suit with shades, Impala in the back, and the looks of some shack in the middle of nowhere.

It looks like the beginning of a Western shoot-out film from the 70’s.

 

imgur by by xoferPAX

 

His son definitely blew his cover though, I’m guessing he’s probably since retired from the FBI.

 

I’m With the Band

While looking at this picture I can almost hear; “I don’t give a damn ‘bout my reputation”

What song do you think she’s playing?

 

reddit by u/Captain_Chewbacca

This photo was taken in 1986, and is obvious by the all brown aesthetic, the wooden walls, leather upholstery, and carpeting.

This cool mom used to get down in her parent’s basement, probably not making them too happy with all the noise but worth it in my opinion.

 

Kiss From a Rose

“My friend’s dad trained seals in The Navy. This is was what his everyday job looked like.”

That is both the cutest and coolest job ever, and it looks like he’s enjoying himself just as much as his subject.

 

Reddit.com

Also, I’ve never heard a better job description; “working for the Navy Seals training real seals”.

This water dog is a very important part of the task force and takes his job very seriously.

 

An Accidental Win

This photo is equally great as the story that comes with it. “When my dad was 16, he entered his name in a drawing, for what he thought was a sports jacket, at a local shoe store.

The drawing was actually for a 1967 Shelby GT500.

 

Reddit.com

This is one lucky turn of events, and that kid is definitely the coolest dude in the schoolyard.

 

Easy Rider

This dad looks like he was taken out of a classic biker movie in the 60’s or 70’s or one of ‘The Allman Brothers Band’

 

reddit by u/lionhearted828

It is a sure thing to say that is children will probably never be as cool as their dad was and maybe still is, but we can hope that the cool genes remain within this family.

 

My Father The Rockstar

“My father in 1982. When I asked him what he was doing in this photo, he said, “shooting an album cover.

Duh” He’s looking to the future and thinking “someday, my kids are going to see this and be very confused”.

 

reddit by u/PatternedCollar

This is an album I would listen to though, seems like a wild ride. His father was a rockstar in the day, and that’s definitely something to brag about.

 

Ryan Gosling’s Long-Lost Father

“My dad in France in the ‘70’s”, this daughter writes along with this photo.

I don’t know who this man is, but Ryan Gosling definitely needs to take a paternity test because this guy seriously looks like his father, and that is a huge compliment.

 

reddit by u/eluviane

He looks like a natural model, with his sultry eyes and bellbottoms. Time to get this man a career in modeling, I don’t doubt that he’s still ridiculously good looking.

 

Smash The Patriarchy With Pie

“My mom winning the pie eating contest by beating all the boys, 1950.” It’s great to see a female winning in a hobby that is stereotypically for boys, eating.

 

reddit by u/Talking_Head

This girl didn’t want to order a salad, instead, she shoved her face with desert and smashed the patriarchy all at the same time. I wonder what the winning prize was, and I hope it wasn’t more pie.

 

Rock It Girl!

This photo of a Reddit user mom’s all-girl rock band is the definition of being a cool female back in the 1960s.

From the design of there, oh so 60’s, hairstyle, and the way they stand in the photo kind of imitating all major rock bands at the time such as: “The Beatles”, “The Kinks” and “The Rolling Stones”.

 

reddit by u/real_meme_machine

You just can’t miss all the amounts of coolness from this photo.

 

Female Phantom Fighter

“Mom wasn’t the pilot, but she was a tech on the F-4 phantom back in the 80’s.” I don’t know this woman personally, but she seriously looks like she’s related to Princess Diana.

 

Thechive.com

This mom looks like a tough lady and is probably not someone you want to disobey, but equally awesome at the same time. This son/daughter should be very proud.

 

She Was a Skater Girl

“My mom skating with a broken wrist in the late 70’s.” Everything about this picture is amazing I’d even hang it on my wall even though I don’t personally know this girl.

 

Reddit.com

I love how she doesn’t care about her injury and just wants to skate and is even doing so on a not-so-stable homemade skate ramp. I hope that her mother doesn’t find out and that she doesn’t get in trouble for being this awesome.

 

Photographic Magic

“So I was going through some old photos and I found this. My dad holding Magic Johnson and looking incredibly bad-ass while doing it.”

Not only can you brag that your dad met Magic Johnson, you can also say that he actually held him in his arms.

 

Reddit.com

I’m very curious as to how this photo came to be but I can only assume that the conversation went like this; “pardon me, 8 foot tall famous man, can I hold you?” “well certainly, smoking naked man, it would bring me great joy.”

 

Dad on a Unicycle

“48 beers and a unicycle. My dad in the early 80s.” This guy looks like a total legend and I for sure wish that I was around during that time to be friends with him.

He probably throws the raddest house parties and is a professional on a keg stand.

 

reddit by u/skeleton-spotted

Thank god for these tricks on the unicycle didn’t prevent him from having kids, or he wouldn’t have been able to pass on his top-tier genes.

 

Riders of the Storm

“My mom and dad on their wedding day-1980.” No need for fancy cars or horse and carriage to take you from your wedding to your honeymoon, this couple hopped onto a motorcycle and rode off into the sunset.

 

reddit by u/ohfuckdood

I honestly love this renegade couple and think more people should take a more laid-back approach to their wedding too. They even have the cans tied onto the back, ready to go as they ride away.

 

I’m Lovin’ It

This couple probably chose the coolest place to celebrate their love for each other.  Hopefully, they did not get cheap and added an extra dollar to make their day a super sized day.

 

Pinterest by Jamie Cline

There is a rumor that their firstborn was named ‘Big Mac’.

 

Barefoot Biology Teacher

“My dad skateboarding at Hyde School in 1982. I think he was cooler than me.”

This photo looks straight out of a movie about some wayward school teacher on his way to work that all the kids love but all the rest of the administration hates.

 

Doyouremember.com

Apparently not wearing shoes was a way to show you were cool by being confident enough to not wear them because if you come off you would destroy your feet. And by the way, your dad was definitely cooler than you.

 

A Busty Babe

“My dad sculpting a bust of my mom’s 1980s.” This is such a beautiful image and a wonderful testimony to their love back in the day until now. The photo looks like it’s a scene from a Scorsese film.

 

reddit by u/JankyTango

He’s actually very good at what he’s doing because the resemblance is uncanny.

 

These Guys on Fire

“Here is a badass picture of my dad from the 80’s. Gatorade in the can, doing a control burn. He’s the shit and my hero. My grandfather was a firefighter too. RIP.”

 

imgur by YouSuckBigTime

This photo looks like a Gatorade commercial, and I hope they are at least sending this guy at least a few dollars for the wonderful modeling. This future father pulls off the mustache and I wonder if he’s still rocking one to this day.

 

Undercover Landscape Painter

“My dad the undercover cop in the 1970s.” This guy looks scarily similar to Bob Ross, so either Bob Ross is an undercover cop or this guy is an undercover landscape painter.

 

Pinterest.com

His offspring just blew his cover, but he’s probably retired at this point and the criminals are dead or really old.

Either way, if this is your dad you should be proud. And hope he still has that Harley Davidson in the garage.

 

That’s Some Strong…Oregano

Some kid uncovered this photo of his mom, sitting under what his father told him is “Oregano”.

I wonder what she does with all that oregano…maybe she uses it to make pasta along with the bottles of hand-made tomato sauce in the back left.

 

reddit by u/emilyMartian

The black plastic tarp in the background is probably for the neighbors not to see all of that beautiful… oregano.

All I know is, that’s some crazy pasta and his dad is lucky that is mom is such a talented chef.

 

Stacy’s Mom

Another badass blonde-haired lady on a skateboard.

“My mother skateboarding barefoot in California in 1974”, her daughter explains.

 

imgur by Grizzlyowns

This girl has the Farrah Fawcett fly-away bangs, looking totally effortless as she lands a move that looks like it requires a lot of strength and expertise.

I hope she teaches her daughter how to skate as well to carry on her legacy.

 

Handstand On Two Skateboards

“Somewhere in the 1980’s, my mom seems to be doing a handstand on two skateboards, which is pretty impressive, to say the least!

 

reddit by by Nirokie

All I can add is that this stunt is super difficult to master, as it took me just a few falls to admit my mom is amazing if she can pull this off. well done mom!”

 

Diving off the starboard fin of a submarine

This picture was taken in the summer of 1983 somewhere in the Pacific Ocean by my dad’s friend who served with him in the army.

 

reddit by MightyCornDog

“I’ve got to admit this pic was taken at a perfect moment capturing my dad’s dive here.”

 

Vietnam War

“My dad (front) in Vietnam in 1971. He didn’t know this photo existed until I came across it randomly on the internet. He cried when he saw it.”

 

Reddit.com

 

Chuck Norris K.O.

This photo shows Reddit user LanaDelRayQuaza’s dad pinning the veritable meme factory and martial artist Chuck Norris…

reddit by u/LanaDelRayquaza

If that were me, I’d be leaving copies of that photo literally everywhere I went.

 

Barefoot In My Mustang

For some reason in our day and age, crop-tops and Daisy Dukes are for females only and men tend to stick to t-shirts that don’t show their midriff and shorts that are knee-length.

But back in the day, men also sported this fashion with confidence.

 

Tumblr.com

Complete with an afro and red mustang, this dad encapsulates the 70’s, and apparently shoes weren’t a thing then.

 

Professional Bowler

This photo of someone’s dad being very 70’s with his hairstyle and clothes is simply amazing.

reddit by u/osumike07

Everything about this photo screams coolness out loud, even playing bowling professionally which was more cool and popular back then from what it is now.

I hope his kids dominate the alley and move like their dad once did.

 

BoomBoxing Champion

This picture is all about old school cool. From the Big boombox in the front to the payphone in the back, this is one parent no kid can top.

 

reddit by u/peter_nincompoop33

He is definitely holding that 80’s street looks the best way possible.

 

A Joint Wedding

“My dad and uncle at their joint wedding, 1970’s”. This is a joint wedding for two obvious reasons, and it’s honestly a great concept.

Some weddings are quite serious affairs, but these couples look like they were a lot of fun on their special day.

 

imgur by AsianSensationGaming

Many brides save their corsage from their wedding as a memory, I wonder if these two saved the butt of those joints instead.

 

The Secret Garden

This is somebody’s mom’s garden in the 1980s. If I were her, I would have hidden this photo far away from my kid’s reach so they couldn’t get any ideas, but she looks proud.

 

reddit by u/Whisky_taco

I bet the son/daughter that posted this has lots of friends that always want to hang out at this house. Even the dog looks like he’s totally chill.

 

Summer Romance

This dad’s got game, and this couple is fiery hot on the beaches of Greece. “My mother and father being young and awesome on Santorini Island, Greece, 1985. I was conceived there.”

 

reddit by u/GallowBoob

I don’t know how or why this son/daughter knows about the location of their own conception, but I definitely think we are witnessing about the exact hour right here.

I hope they are still together because I just want to believe that love like this can’t ever be broken.

 

Hanging 10 While Being a Total 10

“My dad when he was a surfer dude sleeping on the beach for 3 weeks with only a sleeping bag, somewhere in the South of Europe.”

 

imgur by by Elisabot

This father looks straight out of a surf magazine, and I hope he’s seeing at least a couple dollars from this shoot because this is some serious modeling.

Speedos require lots of confidence, and this guy seems to be dripping in it.

 

Summer of 69’

“Dad in 1969. I’d love to know how this happened.” Yeah you say that, but I’m not sure you’d actually want to know what your dad was up to before or after this picture.

Perhaps some things are better left as a mystery. A commenter writes; “that’s probably a fraternity picture of the fellow being accepted into the group.

 

reddit by u/tashimcgee

Some of the member’s lady friends pose with the new member in order to let him know that he is now part of a special group.” Special thats for sure…

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