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People Remain Convinced That We ‘Aged’ Faster In The Past, Post 28 Pics To Prove This Theory (New Pics)
Old photos are a real pleasure to look at: it’s awesome to see how fashion and style trends changed. But one thing that caught our eye is that a lot of young people in old-timey photos seem to look far older than people of the same age nowadays. Did people use to age faster in the past? It’s worth considering.
Scroll down to check out the photos we’ve collected showing how humans from the past looked way older than they ‘should.’ One of the places we drew inspiration from is the Old School Cool subreddit that’s dedicated to photos of “history’s coolest kids,” so give them a visit and have a peek at the awesome pics they post.
When you’re done enjoying this list, check our other posts about people sharing old photos that ‘prove’ humans aged faster in the past here and here.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
My Grandmother On Her Confirmation Day In 1941. She Is 14 Years Old In This Picture And She Made Her Own Dress.
RELATED:
#2
1940 My Grandad (17 Years Old In Photo) At The Dublin Races With His Mother, My Great Grandmother. Apologies About The Image Defect, It's The Best Photograph We Have Of Him.
K. aka letmeplaywithkittens 5 years ago
In restoring the image, you also restored faith in the kindness of humanity.
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Mireia Dos 5 years ago
I'm pretty sure this photo has been misdated. At what age did the mother have him, at 50??
Ciaran Reilly 5 years ago
Wow, thank you Justine for the retouch! This is my grandad and my great grandmother in the photo. This was before he moved to England. My grandmother(his wife) is convinced he was 17/18 in this photo but we aren't sure but he couldn't be much older than 25/26 as he moved to England at around that age. My grandad always had a big chest, my mum used to say he was a gorilla because he would walk around on his knuckles on the floor when playing with the kids. I think that plus the bulky clothing make him a lot more broad than he might of been.
Evgeny Kolev 5 years ago
And what age is she!? If they had ~30 years difference, she should be less than 50, but definitely looks like 60+
#3
My Grandfather’s Ww2 Photograph, He Was 18 Years Old. Still Alive And Sharp As A Tack At 96.
Ronin Dave 5 years ago
an 18 year old today would look like a 12 year old next to this guy which is why so many WWII films have guys in their mid-20s to mid-30s playing WWII soldiers
Татьяна Кайгородова 4 years ago
Интересная статья. Фасон одежды, прическа и макияж имеют огромное значение. Молодым часто хочется выглядеть старше своего возраста. Не умом,дак внешностью взять. Девочкам хочется быть кому-то нужной, если обделена любовью, вниманием. Даже сейчас можете найти девочек,которые хотят выглядеть старше и им это, благодаря косметике и одежде неплохо удается. Наберите: "ошибки в макияже" и поймете, что так и есть. Бордовая помада всегда делает возраст старше, а блеск для губ моложе. Тоже относится и к кудрявым волосам, химия, которую было модно делать в 20-м веке старит(мелкий бараш). Длинное платье и всякие аксессуары, типа галстука так же. Мою дочку одели на фотосъемках в черное платье в горошек, надели шляпку с вуалью и в руках зонтик, подкрутили волосы, челку и она в три годика стала выглядеть на все 18 или 20. Смотрю на нее в разном возрасте и где-то выглядит старше. От позы тоже зависит восприятие, в плане омоложения и старения . Мимические морщинки, носогубные складки могут быть и
The Old School Cool Reddit community says that it celebrates everyone from the past who’s looking hip: “Everything from beatniks to bikers, mods to rude boys, hippies to ravers. And everything in between.”
The subreddit has a whopping 14.5 million members and it asks its members that they don’t post any pictures of people from 1995 onward. Does that mean that every photo older than 25 is considered ‘old school’ now? We sure hope that this term doesn’t apply to people born before 1995, too!
#4
My Grandma At 16. She Is Turning 80 This Year. She Makes Me Laugh Every Day. I Love This Woman!
logical fallacy 5 years ago
They looks very much like a reproduction of late Roman/early Byzantine earrings; my mum has a very similar pair.
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Sue Clifford 5 years ago
Your grandmother is a beautiful specimen of a women, absolutely stunning.
#5
My Grandmother, Age 16 (Mexico)
Mónica Elisabeth Sacco 5 years ago
Hairstyles usually make people look older when you look the photos of past times.
#6
The Rock At 16 Years Old. (1987)
John Spitz 5 years ago
On the day that Dwane Johnson turned 13 years of age, he became 45. At 16, he was an undercover cop. Here we are, in 2020, 33 years later and the only thing that changed is that he shaved his mustache. The day that he turns 90 is the day he will finally start looking old.
Татьяна Кайгородова 4 years ago
Интересная статья. Фасон одежды, прическа и макияж имеют огромное значение. Молодым часто хочется выглядеть старше своего возраста. Не умом,дак внешностью взять. Девочкам хочется быть кому-то нужной, если обделена любовью, вниманием. Даже сейчас можете найти девочек,которые хотят выглядеть старше и им это, благодаря косметике и одежде неплохо удается. Наберите: "ошибки в макияже" и поймете, что так и есть. Бордовая помада всегда делает возраст старше, а блеск для губ моложе. Тоже относится и к кудрявым волосам, химия, которую было модно делать в 20-м веке старит(мелкий бараш). Длинное платье и всякие аксессуары, типа галстука так же. Мою дочку одели на фотосъемках в черное платье в горошек, надели шляпку с вуалью и в руках зонтик, подкрутили волосы, челку и она в три годика стала выглядеть на все 18 или 20. Смотрю на нее в разном возрасте и где-то выглядит старше. От позы тоже зависит восприятие, в плане омоложения и старения . Мимические морщинки, носогубные складки могут быть и
It’s not too much of a stretch to say that people in the past aged faster than we do now. Why? One of the biggest factors related to visible aging is sun exposure: the more time you spend in the sun, the more it damages your skin, the older you’ll look.
Since more people used to work and spend time outdoors in the past (and sunscreen wasn’t as big of a thing as it is now), they visibly aged faster. Compare that to how more and more people in 2020 are spending way more time indoors and will apply sunscreen when they go outside and there you have it—mystery solved! Of course, this doesn’t apply to everyone in the 21st century, but there’s a definite trend.
#7
My Ukranian Grandmother In 1927 At 16 Years Old. Her Brother My Uncle Nick Opened The First Photography Studio In Drumheller,alberta. She Was His One Of His Best Friends And She Used To Hand Tint The Photographs For Him. I Miss Her Dearly.
Ivana Junas 5 years ago
She looks her age. The style of hair and clothing is currently perceived as "old fashioned" ad might be what makes her seem to be older. She looks 16.
sophia lazzaro 5 years ago (edited)
She is beautiful. She looks a bit older, but not in a bad way. Just slightly matured
Татьяна Кайгородова 4 years ago
Интересная статья. Фасон одежды, прическа и макияж имеют огромное значение. Молодым часто хочется выглядеть старше своего возраста. Не умом,дак внешностью взять. Девочкам хочется быть кому-то нужной, если обделена любовью, вниманием. Даже сейчас можете найти девочек,которые хотят выглядеть старше и им это, благодаря косметике и одежде неплохо удается. Наберите: "ошибки в макияже" и поймете, что так и есть. Бордовая помада всегда делает возраст старше, а блеск для губ моложе. Тоже относится и к кудрявым волосам, химия, которую было модно делать в 20-м веке старит(мелкий бараш). Длинное платье и всякие аксессуары, типа галстука так же. Мою дочку одели на фотосъемках в черное платье в горошек, надели шляпку с вуалью и в руках зонтик, подкрутили волосы, челку и она в три годика стала выглядеть на все 18 или 20. Смотрю на нее в разном возрасте и где-то выглядит старше. От позы тоже зависит восприятие, в плане омоложения и старения . Мимические морщинки, носогубные складки могут быть и
#8
This Was My Grandad. He Was Australia’s Youngest Radio Announcer At 16 Back In 1934
Rabbit Carrot 5 years ago
He does look a little older than his years but again the clothes aren’t helping.
Andrew Vince 5 years ago
4BH..still playing the same disks as your Grandad did...LOL (From Brisbane)
#9
My Grandparents Getting Married In Iceland In 1976 At 19
Chuck 5 years ago
How old the person who made this post? I don't exactly consider myself old but my grandparents got married in 1944.
Aragorn II Elessar 5 years ago
Lmao my grandparents were born in the early 1940s
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Rabbit Carrot 5 years ago (edited)
They look cool and she looks a little like Scarlett Johansson.
Noel Bovae 5 years ago
Grandparents that were 19 in 1976?! Ok you guys are seriously making me feel old now. ...Stop that.
Mairead Heffernan 5 years ago
Good Grief, I feel ancient, my grandparents on my father's side got married in 1921 and 1923 on my mother's side. I am 44 btw
Some other things that make you age faster are stress, constantly changing your diet, not drinking enough water, overindulging in soda, and neglecting your friendships. Keep that in mind if you want to keep looking and feeling young, dear Pandas!
#10
My Grandma. You May Not Believe But She Was 13 In This Photo.
Kristina Thomas 5 years ago
Photos like this are why dads don't want their 13 yr old daughters to dress up. It's scary how grown up they suddenly look.
#11
My 14 Year Old Grandfather Riding His New Bike In 1949 Dayton, Ohio
Anne 5 years ago
OId face, but from the muscle structure you can see he is not out of his teens yet
Jim Ellington 5 years ago
Do you often find yourself perusing shirtless teen muscle structure?
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Tina B 5 years ago
Good looking kid. Just like most of these, I'd love to know the rest of his story.
#12
She Was About 17 When This Photo Was Taken. She Was Born In May Of 1918. On The Right Is Her Daughter, My Mother, Mary. She Was 19 And It Was The Day She Married My Dad
DC 4 years ago
The pic on the left looks more than just 2 years or so younger than the one on the right ... can't help it, but the 13 yo a few posts up looks years older than she does here - which ... isn't meant to judge, just my observation. I cannot even point to anything and say "that, to me, implies her young age!" ... subconscious I guess.
#13
My Grandma (Mimi) Was An Airline Stewardess When She Was In Her Early 20’s (So, Early To Mid 1960’s), This Is A Newspaper Article From A Flight She Was On Where A Bag Full Of Frogs Escaped That She Had To Catch On The Plane
Kathy Baylis 5 years ago
The expression on her face is priceless! She must have a great sense of humor.
#14
My Grandma Around 20 Years Old
Kristina Thomas 5 years ago
We are so used to seeing girls with styled hair. My guess is she had curly hair, and brushed it instead of using curlers. Today a major no-no, but even in my mom's youth in the 60s it didn't matter if your hair was frizzy you always brush or comb it. At least that's how she was raised.
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#15
My Paternal Grandfather Aged 16 Colourised
Terje Nygård 5 years ago
Ruff his hair up, put on a hoodie and drop the glasses and it might surprise you how much clothes impacts "visual" age :)
*sigh*, The Yellow Teletubby 5 years ago
will someone please photoshop this because I can't see it lmao
Load More Replies... Ivana Junas 5 years ago
He looks 16 too, ignoring the suit. The clothes really do a lot for perceived age.
Terje Nygård 5 years ago
Ok.. challenge accepted. I'm no photoshop expert but had to follow up on The Yellow Teletubby's wish :) oldie_new-...81b189.jpg 
Kristina Thomas 5 years ago
Kids rarely look this serious and dignified nowadays. That's why he looks older.
#16
My Grandmother At 16 Years Old In 1917
Mildred Thompson 5 years ago
Same year my parents were born - they lived into their late nineties!
Marlene Ricker 5 years ago
If her hair wasn't in such a severe style, she would look more her age I think.
#17
My Mother At 16 In 1949
Final score:
90points
cathy crompton (Submission author) 5 years ago (edited)
Thank you. She was, I was in love with her. My earliest memory was watching her tamp her lips on tp in the mirror. She would have been 21 at the time
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#18
My Grandmother In 1955 (She Was Around 13 Or 14) And Her The Week My Grandfather “Found” Her!
Donald Holder 5 years ago
Beautiful legs. Can tell she probably ice skated all the time from that muscle tone.
2WheelTravlr 5 years ago
The outfit looks more like the 1960s than the 50s. The skating styles in the 1950s really resembled street clothing with plenty of lightweight rayon or cotton versions of street clothes like watch plaids and fur trim. This appears to be a polyester material with a very modern 1960s design.
#19
1945, My 18 Year Old Grandmother Concetta. She Was The Woman Who Taught Me How To Be A Sassy, Classy And Bad-Assy Woman.
LittleMissPanda 5 years ago
Wow, if you told me she's 40 with 3 kids, I wouldn't think twice about it
#20
My Mum And Dads Wedding Here In The UK . Mum Was 20 Dad 21
Becca Gizmo the Squirrel 5 years ago
Is that the 38 looks 60 year old mom of the bride to the right.
#21
My 16 Year Old Grandmother, 1922
logical fallacy 5 years ago (edited)
Probably a photography studio with the background painted on a curtain or sheet.
Load More Replies... Leesa DeAndrea 5 years ago
There once was a girl -- Who had a little curl -- Right in the middle of her forehead ...
2WheelTravlr 5 years ago
Beautiful Roman influence from her head to her toes! Those drop-waist dresses did more for the figure when the wearer was standing though, sitting they look a bit like a bathrobe ;)
Michael Dworkin-Robertson 5 years ago
this is NOT a flapper...Flappers wore shorter shift dresses, nylons, long ropes of pearls and cloche hats or bandeau's or circlets with feathers or other accessories...this style came out more in the mid 20's...
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My Mama, Rose In High School
Tomasz Jackowski 5 years ago
Did she allow you to drive the Mystery Machine? Don't you go tell me your mom's name is anything other than Velma :D Also, I love that style of glasses.
Teresa Horton 5 years ago
"Jinkies! My Glasses! I can't see without my glasses!!"
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Aragorn II Elessar 5 years ago
“Call me when you get back, darling. I enjoy our visits”
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Cindy N 5 years ago
Your mom was stylin' Love the glasses, love the big hair, love the white fur, love, love this pic.
Pamela Blue 4 years ago
She must be my age. I remember my high school picture, black cat's eye glasses and teased hair! LOL!
Load More Replies... #23
My Grandmother At 24 In 1934, Dancing With My Grandfather.
Kathy Baylis 5 years ago
What’s that Ginger Rogers quote? She did everything he did, only backwards and in heels.
ZooMom 5 years ago
Although often attributed to Ginger herself, and yet just as powerful, the original source: Bob Thaves, in his 'Frank and Ernest’ series, from a Los Angeles newspaper. In the cartoon (which certainly popularized if it did not originate the saying), Frank and Ernest are shown gazing at a billboard announcing a Fred Astaire film festival. The caption reads: 'Sure he was great, but dont forget that Ginger Rogers did everything he did…backwards and in high heels.’
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TrashPandaru 5 years ago
Look at their feet (his left, her right) - is she standing on his toes?? 😂
#24
My Grandfather When He Joined The Navy In 1942. He Was Only 16 Years Old At The Time Of This Picture
Aragorn II Elessar 5 years ago
Perfect for the Navy then. (I’m kidding, just have Air Force aspirations)
Load More Replies... Jimifan 5 years ago
This is a great photo, but it should be restored. I can repair it in Photoshop if you like. No charge. I just enjoy fixing old photos.
Randy Klefbeck 5 years ago
I don't know about just joining as far as this pic goes. He is wearing the rank of E-4 which takes quite a few years to earn. Unless I am missing something.
john dannar 5 years ago
So many young men lied about their age in order to serve their country, Audie Murphy being one of them.
Lynda Momalo 5 years ago
Crazy they let kids so young enlist! Since he's your grandfather, I assume he lived at least to adulthood but, man, WWII didn't generally make for a long life.
#25
A Photo Of My Great Grandmother, Lottie, With Her Hunting Buddies. She Had To Have Been In Her 20’s
#26
My Handsome Grandfather When He Was My Age (32).
Anne 5 years ago
I think most people did, or in dusty factories, which both are quite aging factors to the skin
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BiEL Sampaio 5 years ago
Well i have some school friends that look 10 years older than me now that we are 30, my fiance always says i look way older than them. More fit and with more hair , some of them are a bit fat and balding quickly.
Kristina Thomas 5 years ago
My brother is that age and looks that old. He didn't always look old compared to other people. He's had a very tough life.
#27
This Is My Grandmother In 1954 With Her Then Beau. Her First Love. She Was 17 Years Old
Julie Patton 5 years ago
Her granddaughter tracked him down and they are now together!
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Donald Holder 5 years ago
She kept a photo of her and her ex boyfriend even after getting married? Strange.
#28
Jamie Foxx, 18 Years Old
Jennifer Heitman Duska 5 years ago
My grandmother's Senior portrait. She was a looker! gram-HS-5e...39bce2.jpg 
Add New Image
What do you think ?
Bonifasiana Kosong 5 years ago
I think the proper word is 'mature' than 'older'. Just my opinion but some of the picture is from war time so kids just have to grow up faster because of circumstance.
Hans 5 years ago
Good point. Add the stricter minims, formal clothes, and worse nutrition and you quickly get "results".
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Ivana Junas 5 years ago
Most of the people in these images absolutely look their age. A lot of the being older look is coming from the hair, clothing, ad makeup. Tat a lot of it is "old fashioned" to us is probably skewing the perceived age too.
Gilda 5 years ago
The word teenagers is actually newer than you would think and that includes teenage dress during most of these time periods you went from child to adult in a swift motion
Rachael K 5 years ago
yeah well considering that many 15-16 yr olds even got married then and wasnt frowned on as long as they didnt have pre marital "couplings" (sex) many ppl by 19 were already married with at least 1-2 kids
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Joakim Utterhall 5 years ago
I promise you that if you dress up like most of these and take a picture with the same equipment you will look similar.
Jakub Rystwej 5 years ago
Don't you think that it's because we're sub-consciously associating black-white pictures, vintage looks & seriousness (on their faces) with some old ppl? It's only our general feeling that they got older faster,
Peter Korpershoek 5 years ago
I think we can find proof that people used to age slower if we ask the community for pictures of their younger looking grandparents :)
Lynda Momalo 5 years ago
I don't know -- I think ubiquitous smoking and drinking aged a lot of people young. Hard physical labor tended to help (hurt) too.
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TA B 5 years ago
I don't know why this is surprising. Things were a lot more unhealthy back then than they are now and unhealthy things can age you. For example: smoking was common, everyone did it or knew someone who did and some doctors even recommended it. Obviously this isn't the case any more.
Bonifasiana Kosong 5 years ago
I think the proper word is 'mature' than 'older'. Just my opinion but some of the picture is from war time so kids just have to grow up faster because of circumstance.
Hans 5 years ago
Good point. Add the stricter minims, formal clothes, and worse nutrition and you quickly get "results".
Load More Replies... Ivana Junas 5 years ago
Most of the people in these images absolutely look their age. A lot of the being older look is coming from the hair, clothing, ad makeup. Tat a lot of it is "old fashioned" to us is probably skewing the perceived age too.
Gilda 5 years ago
The word teenagers is actually newer than you would think and that includes teenage dress during most of these time periods you went from child to adult in a swift motion
Rachael K 5 years ago
yeah well considering that many 15-16 yr olds even got married then and wasnt frowned on as long as they didnt have pre marital "couplings" (sex) many ppl by 19 were already married with at least 1-2 kids
Load More Replies... Joakim Utterhall 5 years ago
I promise you that if you dress up like most of these and take a picture with the same equipment you will look similar.
Jakub Rystwej 5 years ago
Don't you think that it's because we're sub-consciously associating black-white pictures, vintage looks & seriousness (on their faces) with some old ppl? It's only our general feeling that they got older faster,
Peter Korpershoek 5 years ago
I think we can find proof that people used to age slower if we ask the community for pictures of their younger looking grandparents :)
Lynda Momalo 5 years ago
I don't know -- I think ubiquitous smoking and drinking aged a lot of people young. Hard physical labor tended to help (hurt) too.
Load More Replies... TA B 5 years ago
I don't know why this is surprising. Things were a lot more unhealthy back then than they are now and unhealthy things can age you. For example: smoking was common, everyone did it or knew someone who did and some doctors even recommended it. Obviously this isn't the case any more.
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