keepers of the flame: the hottest babes of the 80s
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Welcome back to the crazy 80s! Below are images of several babes who, for me, defined the decade - or at least made it unforgettable. Babes who kept the flames burning, in more ways than one, in music, TV and film. If you are wondering why I kept on using "babe" and not "women," well you have to check them out to understand why.
Also, unlike with the other "picture hubs" I have posted before, I did not edit the pictures to make them monochromatic or black-and-white as I believe that the 80s was more about color - both literally and figuratively. And if you're old enough to have truly "lived" the decade you probably know what I mean.
Lastly, I would like to dedicate this to tony0724 and Tracker Frost for planting the seed for this hub. My friends, thank you. And oh, you won't be needing your Wayfarers for this one!
phoebe cates
The difference between the X and Y chromosomes had never been more pronounced until Phoebe Cates emerged from the pool in the now cult classic Fast Times at Ridgemond High (1982). And to seal the deal, she followed it up with Private School (1983). Teenage sensuality was born and the renaissance of the pinup/poster as source of warmth during cold, lonely (preferably well-lit) nights ensued.
"Kids today are much more independent than their parents were. We`re really into getting jobs and we mature sexually much earlier than a generation ago. Or, at least, we are involved in sex earlier."
brooke shields
At the dawn of the 1980s, came Brooke Shields. Although she had already made movies during the previous decade, it was in 1980, through The Blue Lagoon, that she made being marooned in an island not such a bad proposition afterall. In fact, it became a fantasy getaway for most men, young and old alike. And to further fan the flames and the raging hormones, she said that nothing came between her and her Calvin's.
"What does good in bed mean to me? When I'm sick and I stay home from school propped up with lots of pillows watching TV and my mom brings me soup -- that's good in bed."
madonna
I first saw Madonna, pre-Pop Queen title, on a local music video program (MTV had not crossed over the Pacific) . She was manacled (for chrissake!) and writhing and crawling (for crying out loud!) on the street. And she was saying she's Burning Up! (1983). What's a boy to, do?! Apparently, things had just started getting better for the male of the species and "wannabee" was coined for the other (and they can wear innerwear as outerwear, too!).
"Poor is the man whose pleasures depend on the permission of another."
molly ringwald
At one time, Molly Ringwald was ranked the greatest teen star ever by VH1 due to her extreme popularity in the 1980s. With starring roles in the John Hughes films Sixteen Candles (1984), The Breakfast Club (1985) and Pretty in Pink (1986) she solidified her stature as America's sweetheart and the decade's ultimate good girl. And she rather looked pretty hot in pink!
"I've been called the Women's Auxiliary of the Brat Pack."
punky brewster
Alright, alright Punky Brewster (1984) was my first TV crush that's why she's hot. Or was it Melissa Gilbert? Hmmm.... Penelope "Punky" Brewster was played by Soleil Moon Frye.
"Punky power!"
"Yippie!"
"Grossaroo!"
"Holy Macanoli!"
jennifer beals
Rivaling that of Phoebe Cates' pool scene as the most iconic cinematic moment of the 1980s was Jennifer Beals' final watery splash in Flashdance (1983). She's so hot, she made steel welding and leg warmers sexy. And many believe that this movie was the precursor to extreme physical workout routines and programs for women - not Jane Fonda.
"You can make yourself feel better about yourself if you project your shadow side, if you project your own potential for evil onto someone else. By annihilating them and, therefore, your shadow, you bring yourself into some state of purity or reformation."
debbie gibson
Debbie Gibson shot to teenage stardom via the album Out of the Blue (1987). She was the poster girl of squeaky clean fun (and voice) and therefore the kind of girl many boys would want to take home to momma -- after a night with Samantha Foxx, of course.
"What I love about how my career has gone up to this point is that I've always, always put my head down on my pillow at night, and I've been able to say that I've done, honestly, what I've felt like I wanted to do. And that's really all you can hope for in everything you do."
the supermodels
Although the term supermodel was first heard in the 1940s, it gained prominence when it was used to describe the elite group of models headed by (fr top left) Cindy Crawford, Linda Evangelista, Naomi Campbell and Christy Turlington who were the first to sign up exclusive deals with brands and fashion labels at staggering amounts.
"We don't wake up for less than $10,000 a day."
Linda Evangelista
the girls on MTV
Surely, the long-haired rock gods of yore needed muses, too. (fr top left)
Paulina Porizkova in The Cars' Drive (1984)
Christie Brinkley in Billy Joel's Uptown Girl (1983), A Matter of Trust (1986)
Tawny Kitaen in Whitesnake's Here I Go Again (1987)
Tatjana Patitz in Duran Duran's Skin Trade (1987)
tv's blondest moments
Thanks to Aaron Spelling, vixens, sexpots and good girls ruled TV and warmed many a boy's night! Reruns! Reruns! Reruns! (fr top left)
Morgan Fairchild Flamingo Road (1981), Falcon Crest (1985)
Heather Locklear Eight is Enough (1981), Dynasty (1981) TJ Hooker (1982)
Cheryl Ladd Charlie's Angels (1981), Crossings (1986)
Suzanne Sommers Three's Company (1981), She's the Sheriff (1987)
the brat pack
Yes, Virginia, there were female brat pack-ers, too! (fr top left)
Jennifer Grey Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986), Dirty Dancing (1987)
Jami Gertz Sixteen Candles (1984), Less than Zero (1987), The Lost Boys (1987)
Demi Moore St. Elmo's Fire (1985), About Last Night (1985) The Seventh Sign (1988)
Mary Stuart Masterson At Close Range (1986), Some Kind of Wonderful (1987)
the golden girls
Long before the cougars roamed the earth, there were The Golden Girls (1985) -- Bea Arthur, Betty White, Rue McClanahan and Estelle Getty. Okay, so maybe I'm tweaking "hot" a little bit from "hot" "hot" to "hot" "fun". But nevertheless, the ladies' individual charm and gift for eliciting laughter were surely never cold.
"If love means never having to say you're sorry, then marriage means always having to say everything twice."
Estelle Getty
meryl streep
The French Lieutenant's Woman (1981), Sophie's Choice (1982), Silkwood (1983)
Falling in Love; Plenty (1984), Out of Africa (1985). Heartburn (1986), Ironweed (1987), A Cry in the Dark (1988), She-Devil (1988)
Need I say more?
"Acting is not about being someone different. It's finding the similarity in what is apparently different, then finding myself in there."
lisa simpson
Although she's not the funniest in The Simpsons, Lisa is certainly the smartest one. And not only that, she's so smart for an eight-year old she's the hottest cool girl ever! Artsy, angstsy and plays the saxophone - now how hot is that coolness? If only she'd grow up...Lisa is voiced by actress Yeardley Smith and was created by Matt Groening.
"Solitude never hurt anyone. Emily Dickinson lived alone, and she wrote some of the most beautiful poetry the world has ever known... then went crazy as a loon."
DVDs
Oh Cris that was totally awesome, I mean totally! That was a fun trip down memory lane for me. I ripped my sweatshirts off my shoulders like Jennifer Beals, tried to get my hair to look like Morgan Fairchild and wore a lace bustier like Madonna. Thanks for the smiles.
Cris, This is great! brought back many memories. I forgot all about Punky, but I used to watch that show all the time. What ever happened to Jamie Gertz? The other 3 or the brat pack are still around but have not heard anything on Jamie? Thanks for the memories.
You got 'em all Chris!! That video, I had every hair cut in there at one time or another.. the only other MTV video you could have added was the one where the girls were "aerobisizing" Huh, huh, huh, whew, huh huh huh.. Crazy stuff..wonder where my Belinda C's sweatshirt is? today would be a good day for it *bouncing out to find it****
Cris - Great job bringing the 80s back for me. I think it would be cool to look at them now, most of them (I have not seen them all) still look hot. The 80s was a great time looking back.
Thanks Cris, That really is a good thought and one I think would be right up my alley. I enjoy doing hubs like that. What would I ever do without you? :-)
That first pic really did it for me. I can hear the music (by the cars) that went along with it now....... ;)
Great layout!
Nah! don't fancy any of them .... my babe of the 80's was born on August 18th 1984 at 16.20 in Birmingham, UK - and although she's a lot bigger than me now (we were the same size in shoes, clothes and height when she was 11) she's still my baby - you know who I'm talking about, that beautiful tennis fan and hubber 'Sorrel' - she's more beautiful than any of the above - but then I'm biaised.
Good idea for a hub though ....... :)
OK ? :-)
Meryl Sreep is my babe for all seasons and she actually has the talent to go with it.
Hey Cris, I started my research for the sister site to this, where are they now? Give me a week to compile all the information and make it worthy enough to link it to this site. From what I have researched already there is going to be a lot of surprises. :-) P.S I am having fun doing the research. Lurve Ya!
DAAAMMMNNN !!!! Great job on this one Cris ! Who was,nt In love with Pheobe Cates ?! And Molly Ringwald Is In what I still consider to be the best teen comedy of all time In " Sixteen Candles " Long Duck Dong helped out too though
And If I may Interject one more Item ,Is Meryl Streep not the best actress of all time ?
Great hub - thanks for highlighting the babes of the 80s. They seem to have so much more natural beauty looking back than the so called babes of the present era
A pleasurable trip down memory lane. Thanks
I love it, love it, love it! Jennifer Beals, Meryl Streep, the Go-Go's and all of them! I did more club dancing to the Go-Go's than I care to talk about, and those flash dance sweat shirts, leg warmers, and big hair were so tubular. lol! (I think tubular was an 80's word!)
Wonderful job Cris! You covered it all. Oh oh...and the Golden Girls! The reruns are still hysterical! LOVE IT! :D
Nice hub
This hub could have been about 15 hubs, one on each babe.
Sometimes I wish I could have been Sean Penn in Fast Times At Ridgemount High. Phoebe!
Keep on Hubbing!
Yup I pretty much have seen all those bratpack movies . And thank you for the shoutout Brother !
Awesome! I was a kid during the 80's so I only tried desperately to be like my friends' older sisters, teasing our hair with Aqua Net trying to look older. Those were the days. I love that a lot of the 80's styles are back (tho I know for some, they never left).
Great list of phenomenal 80's babes! Most are still just as beautiful, some even more so... will be excited to read Whikat's 'where are they now?" as well.
Thanks for this.
What about Manilyn Reynes? :P
Hey, I heard that! It's O.K I tend to do my best work under pressure. I am going to take my time on this one, I found some great stuff and of course Cris has given me many babes to work with. :-)
I have very little memory of that decade. I was on the road too much all over America. I recall some of these things and hated MTV at the start. I love your hub and the great wuotes you put with the pictures. You missed Cyndi Lauper, I talked to her on my CB one time in NY as her bus passed me ont the way to Chicago. I won't say what we discussed, but it was cool. Girls Just Wanna Have Fun. big hit. defined a lot of the 80's
I just may do that, both. see ya later now, I need rest
Oh you never fail to amaze me and the Hubs...you know your stuff and i lovEd it all sugars..G-ma :O) hugs (am a bit worn out tonight)
Nostalgia...sheer nostalgia. I did so love the Golden Girls...wish they would have a rerun of that particular one in India. Beautifully put together hub.
Those are WOW pcitures Cris... Lisa rocks... :)
Really fun, thanks for the great hub. It filled me with hope.
P.S. I am Shamel... :)
Although I was born in the 80's (not sure why i hate admitting that?) what a trip down memory lane! Though I'm not so young that I never wore my hair in a pony tail on the side of my head, "scrunched socks" or "shirt clips" (oh, and I sometimes have to stop myself from adding "not!" to the ends of my sentences). This is an understatement, but great hub! :)
Boy do I NOT miss the eighties -- I mean: look at all that competition. ..
very nice collection of data
I am so glad that you chose Molly Ringwald as one of your favorite 80's ladies. She was like my hero in 5th grade. Especially in the movie 'Pretty in Pink'. They just don't make good clean movies like this anymore. Times have indeed changed. Wonderful Hub as always.
OK, decent list.
The 80's were my school years, so I remember all of these girls well.
I was in absolute love with Pheobe Cates in those days, so kudos on listing her 1st. I thought Jennifer Beals was a hottie in Flashdance, too.
One thing, though; you could've included some women of color on this list - where's Janet Jackson? And everyone loved Whitney Houston in those days, too.
Other than that, this was a good hub.
Fun to look back at all these babes. Madonna and Lisa Simpson are the only ones still going strong ... I think. But, Betty White killed on Password when Regis Philbin hosted it.
yep they are all just gorgeous
men are sad....
Yeah, look at Pebbles Flintstone. It's amazing, she doesn't look a day over 16!
PS: The graphics are pretty cool, too! Looks like you had fun putting this one together.
Phoebe Cates is the best! I liked every movie she was in pretty much. However, I think us ladies probably like her for different reasons than you guys. Fast Times at Ridgemont High is such a dated movie as the ladies are always taking off their clothes, but the men never show anything. Thank goodness with movies such as Forgetting Sarah Marshall we finally having guys equalizing the score on the nudity front. Fast Times at Ridgemont High is a good movie, but it really reflects the double standards prevalent at that time in some ways.
Hey CrisA boy this is a superlist. That Brooke Shield(we used to call her the eyebrow) as she had really thick eyebrows. She is hottttttt, she makes me want to become a brunette.....
Meryl Streep,has to be the best actress on this page, boy that movie Mamma Mia had me twirling all around the loungeroom singing and dancing to all that divine Abba music.
Jennifer Beals in Flashdance was indeed hot,what about that scene when she was stripping and poured water all over herself. Her dancing made me want to take ballet lessons..oh my.
Madonna what a body she has at 50 something.
Phoebe Cates grrrr jealousy and hate LMAO
The MTV logo brought back memories ... back when MTV played music (and music news) 24/7. It was awesome!
What a fun trip down memory lane! Ok, we have to part company on a few of your choices (Punky who?) but still loads of fun! Thanks!
Funny how you considered the Golden Girls hot. I guess anybody can be hot at any age!? Yeah, I envy them, especially Madonna too!
Did you know...Paulina Porizkova married Rick Ocasek from The Cars. Great layout and coverage, Cris. Ah, the good ol' days.The golden girls were my favorite. Still are. So sad Bea died the other day. :(
thanks for information, really beautiful women in 80's era. I like it.
Hey Cris, you know how much I love going down memory lane and you really had the HOT 80s perfect but I'm an old 60s hippy with a few HOT flashes now and then does that count?
This is a very good hub, nice job Cris, even Punky Brewster is included hehe. Whatever happened to her, I wonder?
WHOA, that Phoebe was HOT, especially in that movie!! Are you doing a hub just on her?
Good stuff!
Cris A - You Rock! I still have visions of Phoebe in my head. I love Fast Times at Ridgemont High. I actually considered buying the DVD at the grocery store the other day. I love the 80s. Good times. The 90s were all depressing music and movies...the 80s were good times! BTW, Molly rocked my world in Breakfast Club. Simple Minds rocked too! What happend to cool music and movies?
Hi Cris,
Wow! But among equals, Meryl Streep still stands out! That's just my opinion, of course. As always, a great hub!
Hey Cris,
Please can you tell me where you got the photo's from because i am doing a project on the 80's.
Something might be wrong with you if you consider Lisa Simpson and Punky Brewster hot babes.
i love this post haha nice way to spend a couple minutes... hot babes :]
This was a fun nostalgia trip. That Phoebe Cates scene is an iconic image of hawtness from the 80s to be sure. I was suprised you didn't have the picture of Brooke Shield from Blue Lagoon with her hair so obviously taped to her boobs... also iconic (at least in my memory lol). And hey, where's Heather Thomas from The Fall Guy? Everyone had that pin up poster of her in that Pink Bikini. Her, Christie Brinkley, Linda Carter and Farrah Fawcet were heavy drool factors for me back in the day. They must have sold gajillions of posters between them.
Fun hub, thanks for taking the time to put it together. I even learned something. Didn't ever realize that was Demi Moore in St. Elmo's Fire.
Pheobe Cates is my choice. Thanks for the photos.
Very well written. You have some great information contained in this hub. Thanks for writing it.
magnificent gold girls
Cris
I liked Ms. Shields the most (and yes I am most straight, thankyou!). Which one's your eye candy?
I think there is a lot more to be told about the 80's hot babes. Some do remember what was going on back then and it does not feel like it was long time ago.
Must say, it was a period of evolution for all of us and also a lot of freedom rising.
Nice roundup... especially with lisa simpson. I just loved it.
Nice Chris, definately helps! :D lol
nice chris good collection. How are you long time you did not visit my hub
Good list and nice to see Phoebe Cates at the top of it. I published a hub two days ago detailing the 10 sexiest bikini scenes in movies and Phoebe was the number one spot for her role in Fast Times...
What did happen to debbie gibson she was amazing, she had great talent and then she just vanished
Excellent hub for anyone intersted in the 80s...especially those of us who grew up in the '80s! Great job!
Talk about bringing back the memories. Punky Brewster! Excellent hub. Made my day.
I loved Molly!
n_n
-h
Pretty good job Cris . Keep up the good effort .thanks you
I had a crush on Punky Brewster too!!! I actually saw her in person. I was in the audience of a taping of one of the shows.
First and only time. I was 13 years old at the time.
That's my "Blue Steele".
Lisa Simpson is so hot... I cant wait until she grows up... lol... great hub... brings back so many memories
You must be really, really, really old to know everyone of them. LOL. But i love the 80's, too and the fact that you know them. You rock, Cris!
re releasing Cris' hubs what a good idea, you have a look of cris shernarobins
h...h... hot... hot!
quite thorough!
Phoebe Cates, grrrrr.....
i am very great fan of Brooke shield. I have seen her "blue lagoon, endless love and sahara. in my school days she was my favourite. i remember once she said in jeans ad. "nothing between me and Levis jeans".
enjoyable reading - nice hub
post a pic of phoebe cates when top is all the way off!
I have to say I am a little dissapointed that Mia Sara isnt on your list, Ferris Buellers Day off and LEGEND (with tom cruise) , she was gorgeous and rocked it in the 80's!!
you certainly have the touch. what an absolutely, fabulous look at the 80's! jennifer beals just can't be touched. who can forget the glam scams with the super models?? meryl streep keeps getting better as she matures. love your presentations, beautiful.
Phoebe Cates is so sexy! She was my boyhood crush for years!
Interesting selection of ladies here, with nice descriptions. But what about Tawny Kitaen?
Always Phoebe Cates!
Where's Tiffany, man??? She was my first crush... How is it possible that the Golden Girls made the list and that gorgeous redhead didn't??? Bad form...










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Laila Rajaratnam 3 years ago
WOW..Cris..great!Yes,Brooke Shields was sooo awesome in Blue Lagoon and I do admire Demi Moore and her beauty.Ofcourse the supermodels are just out of this world!Wonderful and beautiful hub..Thanks!:)