Between the incense and the bell-bottom pants, the drugs and the flowers in their hair, the youth of the 1960s had a vision for the world — and you'll be surprised to see just how little has changed.
Two happy golden girls by a motorcycle, late 1960s.vintag.es
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Women getting big hair styles in vintage salon.flashback.com
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Sicily region, Italy, in the town of Palermo in 1963.vintag.es.com
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Kids enjoy Halloween in costume on a living room couch.vintag.es.com
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The Abilene, Texas track club, 1967.reddit
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At the Venice Beach, California Rock Festival, 1968.reddit
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A spooky Halloween candid, 1960s California.flashback.com
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Couple on a date, 1960.reddit
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Colorful outfits on flight attendants, 1965. sixtiescraze/tumblr
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At the Altamont Speedway Free Festival in Livermore, California, 1969. Robert Altman/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
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The Apple store of its time: an eye-catching display at a fancy New York typewriter shop. reddit
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Goofing off with grandpa looked a little different circa 1967, maybe.flashback.com
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A couple gets cozy at a 60s "make out party".flashback.com
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Before child car seats — or seat belts — were the law.
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Lovers visit the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, 1960.
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A milk vending machine in Britain, 1960.reddit
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A couple holds their newborn babies up for their grandparents to see from the other side of the Berlin Wall, 1961.reddit
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Civil Rights demonstrators during the March on Washington, 1963. Paul Schutzer/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
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A boy entertains himself in his room, 1964.reddit
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A painted model at the International opening of the Paradise Hotel and Casino, in the Bahamas, 1968. Bill Eppridge/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
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Corona del Mar High School students in extremely colorful Pucci tights, California, 1969. Arthur Schatz/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
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A meter maid in Chicago, 1966.reddit
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A gathering of largely-coiffed women in the 1960s.reddit
Drinking Japanese Coca-Cola in strange glasses, 1966. s-h-o-w-a/tumblr
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Halloween in the 1960s.tumblr
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A woman enjoys a cigarette at her kitchen table.vintag.es.com
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A high school teacher in Denver, Colorado, 1969. Arthur Schatz/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
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Quality control at EMI Records, 1965.reddit
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Seattle, 1967.reddit
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Cars lining Malibu Beach in the 1960s.reddit
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A family visits a fallout shelter, 1961.reddit
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A street vendor in Haight Ashbury, San Francisco, California in 1967.reddit
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A Beatles fan in 1968. Kent Kanouse/Flickr
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A street view of NYC in 1960.reddit
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Fans take a lod off near the 'Free Stage' at Woodstock, 1969. Ralph Ackerman/Getty Images
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A girl jumping rope in the street, 1961.reddit
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Dorm life in 1967.reddit
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A Beverly Hills, California high school student in October 1969. Arthur Schatz/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
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Captured in Harlem, New York, 1963.reddit
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Ice cream in London, 1967.reddit
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Kids at an Illinois drive-in, 1960.reddit
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Fun with a fire hydrant in Harlem, 1963.
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Students dressed in colorful clothes (except for one in all white) in Beverly Hills, California, 1969. Arthur Schatz/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
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Barefoot biking in the late 60s.reddit
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At a London pub, 1967.
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What a pre-PowerPoint presentation looked like at NASA in 1961.reddit
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A 1960s bathroom selfie. tumblr
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Southern California high school students, 1969. Arthur Schatz/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
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A soldier in Vietnam reads Playboy, 1967.reddit
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The Sea Breeze Sandwich bar in 1964. reddit
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Austin Texas, 1963.reddit
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Street fashions turned heads. 1960sgirl/tumblr
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An obligatory pre-prom photo ... from 1961. reddit
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Russian 1960s power plant control room.reddit
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Student in Newport Beach, California, 1969. Arthur Schatz/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
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Tomorrowland at Disney, 1966.reddit
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Route 66 along Albuquerque, 1969.reddit
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Any suburb in the USA during 1964.reddit
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Small business owners protest the building of the World Trade Center, July 13, 1962.reddit
66 Candid Images That Capture What Life Was Like In The ’60s
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Freedom, peace, and love were the keywords of the 1960s. Whether they pertained to the shackles of war, human rights, or simply to individuality, we may consider now the styles in these vintage 60s photos to be outdated, but the ideals are still as strong as ever.
We seem to equate the fierce idealism of the decade to the young counterculture of students and hippies. However, it also seemed like everyone was striving to make America better — they just couldn't agree on what "better" meant. Sound familiar?
The Style
From Jacqueline Kennedy's elegant refinement to the anti-fashion of the hippie set, the decade encapsulated it all. Middle-aged women donned pencil skirts and low heels, the young women wore miniskirts and colorful tights. There were flower children with their sheer bohemian dresses and fringe. The men ranged from a dapper Don Draper-type to Jimi Hendrix. Anything went, as long as your individuality was front and center.
Everything was more pronounced in the mainstream fashion world in the mid to late 60s than they seemed to be before. Hair and collars got bigger and the fabrics became bolder. Garrish pop art was all the rage and cheap costume jewelry came in every color of the rainbow. Shoes ranged from vinyl knee-high heeled boots to ratty Birkenstocks.
Lifestyles saw drastic changes, too. The strict gender roles of the 50s were out as was monogamy. Women's rights got a huge boost, and with it, the sexual revolution was underway. Free love was the new rule and your passions were not something to repress but to embrace.
The Politics
While many of the progressives' initiatives on equality worked themselves into the mainstream, some people still defended older, regressive ideas. Though peace and harmony dominated the airwaves and appeared on protest signs, this decade also bred the leftist terrorism of the Weathermen.
President Kennedy called on Americans to explore this new frontier of freedom and change. Together, he said, we would fight "tyranny, poverty, disease, and war itself."
Kennedy's assassination didn't dull the fires of change. Lyndon Johnson carried on the torch Kennedy lit. He helped lift people out of poverty and gave them health care. Getting a college education was not out of reach. It was easy for the revolutionaries to stay motivated with so many successes.
The counterculture of the 1960s became the stereotype of an entire generation — and its style is still replicated. The music is timeless; the slogans still evoke a sense of truth and freedom. Woodstock will forever be the highlight that comes to mind for many.
"Do you want me to tell you something really subversive? Love is everything it's cracked up to be. That's why people are so cynical about it. It really is worth fighting for, being brave for, risking everything for. And the trouble is, if you don't risk anything, you risk even more." – Erica Jong
Next, check out these cool vintage photos of your parents being cooler than you. Then read about the tragic ends of members of the 27 Club.
An All That's Interesting writer since 2013, Erin Kelly focuses on historic places, natural wonders, environmental issues, and the world of science. Her work has also been featured in Smithsonian and she's designed several book covers as a graphic artist.
John Kuroski is the editorial director of All That's Interesting. He graduated from New York University with a degree in history, earning a place in the Phi Alpha Theta honor society for history students. An editor at All That's Interesting since 2015, his areas of interest include modern history and true crime.
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Kelly, Erin. "66 Candid Images That Capture What Life Was Like In The ’60s." AllThatsInteresting.com, November 3, 2018, https://allthatsinteresting.com/vintage-60s-photos. Accessed February 22, 2025.
