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.
As we reflect on the past through cherished photographs, we are reminded of the timeless humor and joy found in everyday moments.
Take, for example, the witty playfulness woven into stories and jokes, much like an exploration into entertaining puns about hair. Such humor brings laughter and a fresh perspective, just as old-school dad photos retrieve forgotten memories.
