No Selfies, No Smartphones, Just Pure ’90s: These Red Carpet Photos Are a Total Time Capsule

Before smartphones and the often-problematic push for viral moments, there was the refreshingly simple world of the 1990s celebrity red carpet.

A little grittier, more analog, sometimes blurrier, and often completely unfiltered. Less like a polished PR moment and more like snapshots from your cousin's wedding where they served pizza (unironically).

The '90s Red Carpet Was More Grit Than Glitz

Edward Furlong, Natasha Lyonne, Demi Moore, and Bruce Willis on the red carpet.

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The fashion? Grunge with a hint of free-spirited glam. Sometimes sexy and a little slinky, and often confusing to us now. And yet, nobody was angling for that perfect selfie with a fan, because selfies weren't a thing yet. No ring lights, no Instagram Reels, and zero influencers. Just real flashbulbs and plenty of cigarettes.

The '90s Red Carpet Was Full of Familiar Faces, Some Now Gone

Getty Images

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Of course, this look back is filled with familiar faces, many of them stirring a sense of bittersweet nostalgia. One especially moving moment shows Robin Williams proudly standing with wife Marsha and son Zach at the premiere of Father’s Day. Other glimpses of Aaron Carter, Chris Farley, Gene Hackman with his wife Betsy, Val Kilmer, and Anne Heche, Matthew Perry and others serve as subtle reminders of how much has changed since then.