24 Vintage Snaps That Prove Your Parents' Generation Were Cooler Than You

Carly Tennes Published 05/21/2024 in wow

No matter how much we may dunk on boomers, Gen X-ers and our elders in general, those who came before us are pretty darn cool — but you didn't have to be alive in the '60s, '70s, '80s, and '90s to know that. Just ask the photographers who were there, camera in hand, to caption the action.

From a behind-the-scenes look at Pretty Woman to Johnny Cash and Elton John trading places on an episode of Saturday Night Live, here are 25 photos that prove our parents' generation is way cooler than we'll ever be.

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1. “My now 80 year-old neighbor with Little Richard.”
2. “High School Auto Shop Class in the 1950s.”
3. “Behind the Scenes photos from the making of ‘STAR WARS Episode I: The Phantom Menace’ (released 25 years ago today in 1999).”
4. “Roseanne Barr, Bruce Willis and Anna Nicole Smith at Planet Hollywood 1995.”
5. “Two blues legends, Albert King and Jim Morrison - in 1970.”
6. “Leonardo DiCaprio & Charlize Theron at her 22nd Birthday Party, 1997.”
7. “Johnny Cash and Elton John dressed up as each other on ‘SNL’ 1982 (Elton as musician, Johnny as host).”
8. “Monica Bellucci, 1991.”
9. “Milla Jovovich - 1993 in ‘Dazed and Confused.’”
10. “Lynda Carter leaves the pool after her swimming competition in ‘The Battle of the Network Stars’, 1976.”
11. “Betty Brosmer 1950s.”
12. “Julia Roberts and Gary Marshall on the set of ‘Pretty Woman’ (1990).”
13. “The original cast of ‘Mighty Morphin Power Rangers’ (1993).”
14. “Elvis fans in 1956. Who would win between them or the Swifties?”
15. “My grandfather in 1948 when he was 23, with my mom and aunt.”
16. “Melissa Joan Hart takes Britney Spears to the nightclub in the '90s.”
17. “Timothy Treadwell ‘The Grizzly Man’ who thought he could live with bears. Known for his crazy antics. Timothy spent 13 summers camping in Alaska until his eventual demise. Photo taken in the late 90s.”
18. “My punk/grunge mom in the early 90’s (and yes, she saw Nirvana before they were cool).”
19. “James Gandolfini dressed as a pirate (1990s).”
20. “Shakira Caine aka Mrs Michael Caine in swinging London (1971).”
21. “A behind the scenes photo of ‘Xena: Warrior Princess’. (1990’s).”
22. “Sharon Tate photographed by Jack Garofalo in Cannes, 1968.”
23. “Jessica Lange at 19, in photo taken by her first husband Paco Grande (1968).”
24. "Carmen Electra (1996)."
25. "Linda Kozlowski in 'Crocodile Dundee' (1986)."

1. “My now 80 year-old neighbor with Little Richard.”
2. “High School Auto Shop Class in the 1950s.”
3. “Behind the Scenes photos from the making of ‘STAR WARS Episode I: The Phantom Menace’ (released 25 years ago today in 1999).”
4. “Roseanne Barr, Bruce Willis and Anna Nicole Smith at Planet Hollywood 1995.”
5. “Two blues legends, Albert King and Jim Morrison - in 1970.”
6. “Leonardo DiCaprio & Charlize Theron at her 22nd Birthday Party, 1997.”
7. “Johnny Cash and Elton John dressed up as each other on ‘SNL’ 1982 (Elton as musician, Johnny as host).”
8. “Monica Bellucci, 1991.”
9. “Milla Jovovich - 1993 in ‘Dazed and Confused.’”
10. “Lynda Carter leaves the pool after her swimming competition in ‘The Battle of the Network Stars’, 1976.”
11. “Betty Brosmer 1950s.”
12. “Julia Roberts and Gary Marshall on the set of ‘Pretty Woman’ (1990).”
13. “The original cast of ‘Mighty Morphin Power Rangers’ (1993).”
14. “Elvis fans in 1956. Who would win between them or the Swifties?”
15. “My grandfather in 1948 when he was 23, with my mom and aunt.”
16. “Melissa Joan Hart takes Britney Spears to the nightclub in the '90s.”
17. “Timothy Treadwell ‘The Grizzly Man’ who thought he could live with bears. Known for his crazy antics. Timothy spent 13 summers camping in Alaska until his eventual demise. Photo taken in the late 90s.”
18. “My punk/grunge mom in the early 90’s (and yes, she saw Nirvana before they were cool).”
19. “James Gandolfini dressed as a pirate (1990s).”
20. “Shakira Caine aka Mrs Michael Caine in swinging London (1971).”
21. “A behind the scenes photo of ‘Xena: Warrior Princess’. (1990’s).”
22. “Sharon Tate photographed by Jack Garofalo in Cannes, 1968.”
23. “Jessica Lange at 19, in photo taken by her first husband Paco Grande (1968).”
24. "Carmen Electra (1996)."
25. "Linda Kozlowski in 'Crocodile Dundee' (1986)."