If you ask any twenysomething guy today who their dream girl is, the answer would probably range somewhere from Jennifer Lawrence to Rihanna to Kate Upton. But 25 years ago, none of the stars mentioned above were even born yet! Yeah, the 1980s was a totally different time that had its own idea of "the dream girl," one that was usually marked by big hair, Spandex, and high-waisted bikini bottoms. But that's not those girls who fit the mold weren't attractive. They just owned a different brand of beauty. Here 25 girls you were crushing on in 1988 (that is, if you were old enough then to realize that girls don't actually have cooties).
If you ask any twenysomething guy today who their dream girl is, the answer would probably range somewhere from Jennifer Lawrence to Rihanna to Kate Upton. But 25 years ago, none of the stars mentioned above were even born yet! Yeah, the 1980s was a totally different time that had its own idea of "the dream girl," one that was usually marked by big hair, Spandex, and high-waisted bikini bottoms. But that's not those girls who fit the mold weren't attractive. They just owned a different brand of beauty. Here 25 girls you were crushing on in 1988 (that is, if you were old enough then to realize that girls don't actually have cooties).
Winona Ryder
Movie: Beetlejuice
Before she established herself as the grunge queen of the '90s, Ryder was the badass of the late '80s who embodied the definition of "cool," having starred in the black comedy Heathers and the twisted classic Beetlejuice.
Naomi Campbell
Publication: French Vogue, August
Naomi Campbell's sex appeal wasn't just off the charts, she made history, too. The gorgeous British model became the first black woman to appear on the cover of French Vogue in the August issue of 1988.
Linda Evangelista
Publication: Vogue Italia, September
Before Evangelista could utter the now-infamous quote, "We don't wake up for less than $10,000 a day," the muse was steadily working her way up to becoming up icon. Her power couldn't have been more evident than it was in 1988, when she chopped off her gorgeous looks, which had designers canceling her runway gigs but women across the world emulating her shorter hairstyle.
Cindy Crawford
Publication: Playboy, June
One of the biggest models of all time, Crawford rose to supermodel status when she graced the cover of Hugh Hefner's famed publication. The classy black and white photo shoot only added to Crawford's intriguing and untouchable appeal that defined her career.
Daisy Fuentes
TV Show: Host of MTV Internacional
Born in Havana Cuba to a Cuban father and a Spanish mother, the sultry model-turned-TV personality was first hired as the host of MTV Internacional, a one-hour Spanish-speaking music video show that aired in Latin America and the United States. She would later become a regular VJ on MTV throughout the early '90s, and, consequently, a pin-up on the locker doors of teen boys everywhere.
Jessica Hahn
Publication: Playboy, September
Jessica is best known for her sexy leading role in Sam Kinison's "Wild Thing" music video, but who could forget her Playboy photo spread in September of 1988? If you want to re-experience her glory days, you should google the pictorial yourself. You're welcome for the reminder, by the way.
Elizabeth Shue
Movie: Cocktail
One of the most memorable movie love scenes of the year, Shue caught everyone's eye when she appeared on screen skinny-dipping with Tom Cruise in the rom-com Cocktail.
Elle Macpherson
Publication: Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, February
Appearing on the cover of the Sports Illustrated's Swimsuit Edition a record five times (1986, 1987, 1988, 1994, 2006), Elle Macpherson was one of the greatest models in the 1980s. By 1988, she had appeared on the cover of tons of magazines, including Cosmopolitan, Elle, GQ, Harper's Bazaar, Vogue, and Playboy.
Susan Sarandon
Movie: Bull Durham
Ever since she starred in The Rocky Horror Picture Show, audiences couldn't take their eyes off Susan Sarandon, and Bill Durham was just another excuse to keep us fixated on her. But she wasn't just eye candy, her performance as baseball groupie Annie Savoy was raved by critics.
Olivia d'Abo
TV Show: The Wonder Years
As the older, hippie sister Karen Arnold in the television sitcom The Wonder Years, Olivia d'Abo was an integral part of the 1988 Emmy winner for Best Comedy Series. She was essentially the stunning old sibling you wish your best friends had.
Whitney Houston
Album: Whitney (1987)
With her second self-titled album, Whitney, Houston became the first female artist in music history to debut at number one on the Billboard 200 albums chart. She was also nominated for three Grammy awards, including Album of the Year, and won the Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for her single, "I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)".
Valeria Golino
Movie: Rain Man
In 1988, Golino turned heads as Tom Cruise's love interest in the now-classic drama, Rain Man. Her exotic appeal and thick Italian accent set her apart from the all-American girls in every other Hollywood flick.
Tiffany
Album: Hold an Old Friend's Hand
The idolized teen singer reached mainstream success with her first studio album, Tiffany, which she quickly followed up the following year with Hold an Old Friend's Hand. Her single, a cover of the Tommy James & the Shondells hit, "I Think We're Alone Now," became a number one hit on the Billboard Hot 100 List. She was soon on the covers of a myriad of glossy magazines, such as Tiger Beat and Teen Beat, as well as on the walls of teeny boppers everywhere.
Lena Olin
Movie: The Unbearable Lightness of Being
This Swedish actress came into international fame when she starred opposite of Daniel Day-Lewis in the internationally produced film, The Unbearable Lightness of Being. Olin was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Day-Lewis' character's love interest, Sabina.
Kara Young
Publication: Vogue, October
Kara Young appeared in advertising campaigns for Revlon, L'Oreal, Clairol, Maybelline, as well as Victoria's Secret in 1988. But her career hit a high note when she graced the cover of American Vogue, the Holy Grail of modeling gigs.
Sabrina Salerno
Album: Sabrina
This Italian singer started out as a model after winning a beauty contest in her native town, Liguria. In late 1987, she released her first album, Sabrina, which set her up for an incredible following year. She had a summer hit in the single "All of Me (Boy Oh Boy)," and released her second album, Super Sabrina, which established her as one of Europe's most popular sex symbols.
Geena Davis
Movie: Beetlejuice
Not only did Geena star in an incredibly successful film, Beetlejuice, she also showed off her acting chops in The Accidental Tourist, winning the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Muriel Pritchett, an eccentric dog trainer who brings him back to life after his son dies, and his wife leaves him.
Madonna
Album: Began working on Like a Prayer (1989)
Known for constantly creating innovative music that defined the decade, Madonna cemented her place in pop culture with her albums True Blue and Like a Prayer. By the end of the '80s, the uninhibited mega star spawned a million lookalikes, and even angered the Pope, who condemned her cross-burning in the music video for "Like a Prayer."
Jasmine Guy
TV Show: A Different World
The beautiful actress is best known for her starring role as the southern belle Whitley Gilbert in the Cosby show spin-off, A Different World. Not only did she appear in every episode that aired, she also wrote three of the episodes and directed one.
Kirstie Alley
TV Show: Cheers
Alley's acting career began to blossom in the early '80s, and by 1988, she was a full-fledged star. That year, she starred in Shoot to Kill, which earned positive reviews (and currently has a rare 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes), and was also a main character on one of the best TV comedies in history, Cheers.
Michelle Pfeiffer
Movie: Dangerous Liaisons
Michelle Pfeiffer's performance as the virtuous victim of seduction, Madame Marie de Tourvel, in Dangerous Liaisons won her widespread acclaim. She embodied the character and won the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role, on top of receiving a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
Lisa Bonet
TV Show: A Different World
Who could get enough of Lisa Bonet in the '80s? Our favorite Huxtable daughter starred in her own spin-off A Different World, and our eyes had never been more glued to the television. Although she left after the first season, 1988 was a huge year for her; she even earned her own cover of Rolling Stone.
Molly Ringwald
Movie: For Keeps
Molly Ringwald absolutely owned the '80s. Thanks to the hits Sixteen Candles and The Breakfast Club, the quirky girl-next-door became quite the young Hollywood icon. To add to her then-ever-growing list of teen rom-coms, Ringwald starred in For Keeps, opposite Randall Batinkoff and Fresh Hours, with Pretty in Pink co-star Andrew McCarthy.
Debbie Gibson
Single: "Foolish Beat"
Gibson's 1987 debut album Out of the Blue had four successful singles that reached the Top 5 of the Billboard Hot 100: "Only In My Dreams", "Shake Your Love", "Out of the Blue" and the number one hit "Foolish Beat." "Foolish Beat" also set a record, making her, at 17, the youngest artist ever to write, produce and perform a Billboard no. 1.
Alyssa Milano
TV Show: Who's the Boss?
Growing up, we couldn't decipher how we felt about Alyssa Milano in Who's the Boss. As Tony Danza's tomboy daughter Samantha, we'd switch between wanting to be her best guy friend and wanting to be her boyfriend every other episode.