About once every 3 to 5 years I like to grab a couple bombers of my favorite IPA, knock the dust off the old family album, and settle in for a nice long stroll down memory lane.
While the general outline of the journey always remains the same ("yep, I sure did think Ricky Martin turtlenecks were the pinnacle of high fashion" or "hmm, bleach blonde frosted hair tips haven't made it back around? That's shocking"), there's no telling what features of my family's photo chronicled past I'll appreciate the most.
This time through I found myself reveling with the most awe at pictures of my dad who, apparently, was a one-man '80s monument constructed to honor the perm, short shorts, and some odd form of iconic dad-coolness that I'm 100% certain I'll never achieve.
I was so moved by his photos, in fact, and by the certainty that there is a whole generation of dad photos of equal quality sitting unappreciated in family albums across the world, that I created the @oldschooldads Instagram account as a place where the most classic of these photos could be readily and permanently appreciated, as they (and the world) deserve.
So far the reception has been warm (10.7k followers in approximately 3 months), and there has been no shortage of amazing dad submissions, with each new dad seemingly raising the bar to insurmountable heights.
The series that follows presents some of the great old school dad submissions so far.
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Just for the record, this is the dad photo (my dad) that gave me the idea!
The photos of my dad were taken in 1988, when he was 27 years old. Unfortunately, he died in a plane crash in April of 2020, just shy of his 59th birthday. He was just as happy, healthy, handsome, and vigorous at 59 as he was at 27. We miss him, but we remember him happily.
My dad was a hell of a man. He loved well, he listened intently, and he gave generously. He did it freely, without expectation of anything in return. He was loved, admired, and respected by men, women, and children alike.
There are too many great memories from my childhood with my dad to pick just one: rides through the countryside on the back of his Harley; rides through hillsides on the back of his horse; his voice as he sang me Stewball by Mason Profit; the list goes on forever. Now that he is gone, though, my favorite memory is of him telling me often that he loved me, I hear those words whenever I need them now, and I can't thank him enough for it.
I myself have a son too. He's named Lou, and he'll be 3 years old on Sunday. He is incredible.
Dads: giving mom's mini-heart attacks doing child acrobatics since the dawn of time
I think we may be losing something sacred because we don't print the physical pictures anymore. The reason I started this project was because I physically dusted off our old pile of photos and found the masterpieces. In a world where we take thousands of pictures a year but print only a few of them, I worry the future may lose these modern dad gems. That being said, I have every reason to believe modern dads are as rad as dads from the '80s and '90s, so their memories will age well.
Bedroom eyes and a sweet pornstache! I bet he was a real lady charmer-seriously.
70's dad: smoke: check drink: check polyester pants: check belt askew: check zipper not entirely zipped: check ignoring child desperately in need of affection: check
I am not sure if I should be more concerned about the snake or the outfit.
Yeah what's up with the no pants thing? You'd think you'd want SOMETHING between you and that snake, even if it was just a thin bit of fabric
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I was a teen in the '70s. I don't remember dads wearing all these micro-shorts. Must have blocked it to protect my psyche!
The outfit is totally 70's/80's but dad is a bad ass! I'm impressed!
I’m obsessed with how short all the shorty shorts are in these photos!
Before everyone freaked out about a little dirt- here son chew on this stick with me.
OH DAD!!! get your hand off Jessica's boob, she's a married woman after all!!
Note: this post originally had 100 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.
Yes! It's right around the corner! If you have a good dad picture, feel free to submit it to @olschooldads on instagram!
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Thanks! The dads are doing all the heavy lifting here!
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Maybe people complained too much about BP posting things from Reddit, instagram and tick tock that they ran out of things to post and are now recycling their old articles LOL.
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To conclude,the 70,s or so was basically about the blow dried hair, the mexican mo',the bushier the better beard and last but not least the fabulous high waisted cut- off denim shorts!Yeaahh!
I really enjoyed looking at these and really nice to celebrate dads!
Yeah...interesting...some funny...and apparently the 70's only had one type of dad
I knew some of those dads, I'm sure. Was definitely married to one. Happy Father's Day.
The Australian tv show 'Spicks and Specs' used to regularly have a round called Musician or Serial Killer and sometimes it was so hard to decide which they were!
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Jim Beaver (who played Bobby in Supernatural) recently posted a picture of him when he was younger. He looked scarily so much like my dad when he was younger
Yes! It's right around the corner! If you have a good dad picture, feel free to submit it to @olschooldads on instagram!
Load More Replies... Thanks! The dads are doing all the heavy lifting here!
Load More Replies... Maybe people complained too much about BP posting things from Reddit, instagram and tick tock that they ran out of things to post and are now recycling their old articles LOL.
Load More Replies... To conclude,the 70,s or so was basically about the blow dried hair, the mexican mo',the bushier the better beard and last but not least the fabulous high waisted cut- off denim shorts!Yeaahh!
I really enjoyed looking at these and really nice to celebrate dads!
Yeah...interesting...some funny...and apparently the 70's only had one type of dad
I knew some of those dads, I'm sure. Was definitely married to one. Happy Father's Day.
The Australian tv show 'Spicks and Specs' used to regularly have a round called Musician or Serial Killer and sometimes it was so hard to decide which they were!
Load More Replies... Jim Beaver (who played Bobby in Supernatural) recently posted a picture of him when he was younger. He looked scarily so much like my dad when he was younger
