How The Real Housewives Looked In The '80s & '90s

Part of the reason I watch the Real Housewives franchise is to get a glimpse into a lifestyle that I can only ever dream of having. A big part of that actually has a lot to do with the way that they look. A lot of the ladies have impeccable style when it comes to their hair, makeup, and wardrobe selections, but I can't help wondering if this was always the case. That's why I dug through the archives to find photos of the Real Housewives from the '80s and '90s.

Sure, these women have always looked great, but it's still hilarious to see who fell victim to the trends of the times. Spoiler alert: Pretty much everyone was sporting some hair that is way different than their current day looks. Nevertheless, the Housewives have always slayed, no matter how questionable their apparel choices might seem today. It's so interesting to see the ladies from the show be a little out of their element and less made up than we are used to.

Check out these throwback photos of the Real Housewives stars killing it back in the day with their big hair, bold lip liner, and pretty much every accessory that resurfaced as popular in 2016.

1. Lisa Vanderpump

Is it possible that LVP looks even younger now than she did in this photo when her son Max was just a little baby? Don't get me wrong, Lisa always looks good, but I feel like she's pulling a Benjamin Button and aging in reverse. Plus, I am so thrown off by her not wearing pink.

2. Bethenny Frankel

Even if Bethenny didn't post this throwback herself, I would still know that it's her in the pic. My mental image of the Real Housewives of New York star includes some straight sleek hair and a bodycon dress, so this is a far cry from that.

3. Tamra Judge

Holy big hair! Tamra was really rocking a totally different style back in the day. I'm sure everyone thought she was fabulous at the time, but she definitely surrendered to the old trends, that's for sure.

4. Kandi Burruss

Where do I begin in this photo? Sure, Kandi is cheesing super hard and rocking a very '90s hat, but she's also in the studio working with *NSYNC, which is just about the coolest thing ever. For this one I would love some behind-the-scenes backstory.

5. Teresa Giudice

Teresa and Joe Giudice look so young here! That's a lot of lip liner here, but then again that's very much back in style, so this photo might not seem as retro as it is. And considering Teresa proudly rocks the big(ger) hair in 2017, it's really not shocking to see her natural curls in their full glory back in the day.

6 & 7. Kyle & Kim Richards

I cannot stop trying to figure out the hair situation here. Are those extensions? A weave? Could it be natural hair with a lot of highlights? I really need to know, but just like Kyle's tweet says, the Richards sisters are just "ahead of the times" with an "ombre" look.

8. Sonja Morgan

My girl Sonja looks so refined in this photo, especially rocking that pearl necklace. I just picture throwback Sonja photos to be full of partying and random celebrities, so I am just a little thrown by how tame this one actually is.

9. Kenya Moore

I have to keep it real: I was scrolling through Kenya's Instagram for a long time before I found a throwback photo that I wanted to use. Sheactually does post a lot of them, but she really looks exactly the same in most of them. This woman does not age. Not only that, but it doesn't seem like she really fell prey to trendy beauty styles of the past, so it was tough trying to figure out which pics were throwbacks and which ones were more recent. Slay on, Kenya.

10. Heather Dubrow

Now this is what I call a throwback photo. It really has everything that I want. I am absolutely in shock to see "Fancy Pants" Heather dressing so casually, let alone fratting it up. I absolutely live for this one.

11. Jacqueline Laurita

Jacqueline is a Jersey girl with Las Vegas roots, so I would be pretty shocked if her old photos did not have some huge hair going on. As a Jersey native myself, this was pretty much a given and exactly what I pictured for a throwback pic of Jac.

12. Porsha Williams

These days, Porsha is always smiling and dressed to the nines while she throws shade, so it was a little tough to recognize her with this smile-less photo and super casual outfit.

13. Ramona Singer

YES. If this isn't the epitome of a #tbt photo, then I don't know what is. From the outrageously huge hair and the tight leather pants, to the see through top and gold chain, she is really giving it to me with the throwback realness.

14. Kelly Dodd

Back in the 1990s, Kelly Dodd was still a high school cheerleader. I'm not used to seeing her with the longer hair, but I'm feeling it. I am kind of confused by the gloves she's wearing, but I was never an athlete so I really know nothing about cheer accessories.

15. Shereé Whitfield

This throwback pic is from the golden days of Shereé's tenure as an NFL wife. Of course, her face really does look the same, but this is definitely the most casual I've ever seen her dress.

16. Luann de Lesseps

Countess, is that you? Luann did her best impression of Sharon Stone from Basic Instinct when she was on an Italian TV show back in the '80s. Truthfully, I'm kind of confused about how a woman from Connecticut ended up in that position, but I am most definitely intrigued.

17. Meghan Edmonds

Sometimes I forget that Meghan is a lot younger than most of the Housewives, but the fact that she was so young (and super adorable) back in this photo from 1988 reminded me of that. She was such a little cutie!

18. Cynthia Bailey

Obviously, there were no embarrassing old photos in Cynthia's past since she has been a professional model for such a long time.

19. Dorinda Medley

Dorinda is really giving me some Princess Diana vibes in this photo. I love how she still rocks that same short hair. It's definitely a timeless look for her.

Wow. It's so crazy to see how these Real Housewives stars looked back in the 80's and 90's. It makes me wonder what we are going to think in 20 years when the Instagram posts of today become the way old throwback pics.