In 2016, BuzzFeed asked members of their Community to share with them “the most badass picture they had of their grandparents,” and surely they delivered. Don't be surprised when you suddenly burst into tears. Enjoy!
1. "This is my great grandpa dressed in drag in 1926. The reverse reads, 'Paul L (dressed as a girl) on the way to the University of Wisconsin prom. He weighed 200 and his escort weighed 110 and was 5 ft. tall. They won first prize.'” —otterpops
2. "My grandpa showing his “flexibility.” He actually had a prosthetic leg. It never stopped him from doing anything he wanted, though! We used to sit on his lap and knock on his leg until he’d make a Donald Duck noise to startle us! We loved it." —breeebabe
3. "This is my grandpa from the early 1950s. He drove all across Canada with his small motorcycle gang, the Sunset Riders. They even had matching leather jackets." —kellekr
4. "My Grandpa Bob and Grandma Ike looking like movie stars in the late ’40s or early ’50s. My grandma hated dresses but loved lipstick." —kieshak
5. "This is my Papa Jim. This picture was taken around the mid-1930s or early 1940s. Always the cat lover. It’s one of the best traits I inherited from him. He recently passed in August at the age of 94." —rachele18
6. "Here are my grandparents getting crazy at Lake Erie before they were married. We still go to this same spot every summer!" —suchanancy
7. "My Opa (left) boxing on the beach. He grew up in Oklahoma during the Great Depression and Dust Bowl and ended up living a magnificent life raising his nine children and telling all the best stories!" —pjmcwitt
8. "My grandpa, I could sing his praises all day. One of the best men in my life. My favorite. Classic cars and a dang good James Dean, if I do say so myself." —janellejoannes
9. "Safe to say my grandpa was a hunk!" —adrianadunk
10. "My great grandpa (grampy) in the middle. Not sure what the knives were for." —steffybear13
11. "This is a picture of my grandparents at the county fair the summer before they got married. This year they will be married for 63 years! Grandpa still calls my grandma “sexy” every time I see them together. They are the perfect example of true love!" —kellys49eac69d4
12. "My papaw Charley, who served in Vietnam from 1968–1971. He served as a door gunner during his time there and is the best, most badass guy that will ever walk the earth. We’re best friends and I love him to pieces!" —christianympho
13. "I’m cheating a little in that this is my mom, not my grandma. But I’m 42 and she’s 72, so she could be a grandma if my sister or I would have kids like she’s asked. She’s in her late 20s in this photo." —hudsondoodle
14. "No clue who the lady was but this is my pop-pop when he was an airman stationed in Cuba. I think it was in 1952 or so but the date was smudged on the back." —alencias
15. "This is my Oma and Uroma hiking in the Alps. My Oma was born in Bavaria during the Depression and WWII. She never failed to find the adventure in life through everything, no matter how dangerous it was to go on that adventure!" —pjmcwitt
16. "My pop-pop & grandma in 1951 on New Year’s Eve in NYC. They are the couple on the left side. My grandma always swore that she never went out to clubs or drank but this is proof that she did. She got rid of a lot of older photos after my grandpa passed in 2003 but I rescued this one along with a few more cool shots of them when they were younger." —alencias
17. "My grandpa with his first wife drinking with friends in the side of the road. He’s the one with the glasses. When we moved at one point we found a bunch of really crazy pictures of him from before he married my grandma. Some of these include pictures of his unit with the Seabees in WWII playing with Japanese swords." —steinbeck32
18. "This handsome man is my grandfather, John Madden. He was part of the Air Force in WWII and was a Flying Tiger. That’s pretty badass if you ask me." —katherinem4bd12e646
19. "This is my maternal great grandpa, Pete, in the late 1920s or early 1930s. Look at that monokini!" —whiskeyandjade
20. "This is my grandmother, my grandfather, and the butt of grandma's dog.
My grandpa was born into a rich family in Finland but came to Sweden one summer because he felt no one should be the boss when you’ve never been working “on the floors.”
Sweden and Finland weren’t on the friendliest terms during this time ('50s) but they met at a local dancing place and the rest is history.
This photo, to me, is pure love." —juliaabeille
21. "My grandma was a beauty queen in the Philippines. She entered pageants in the '60s. I’m proud of her. Look at that beehive!" —kitkatet18
22. "This is my grandma and step grandpa. They had a very unique relationship. They are 16 years apart in age. She married him when he was 18 and she was in her thirties with three children. She passed away two years ago and he told me, 'When I met her I knew, I would never date any other women.' They were married for 39 years and they were completely in love. It was beautiful." —justineh48a1fbe67
23. "Here is my grandpa, Bob Shockley. He owned a car dealership & moonlighted as James Dean." —aubreyf41af4b221
24. "My grandmother is Jamaican and my grandfather is Indian and Irish. They had all the swag. My mom prayed that I wouldn’t have the Carey nose, so I got his eyes instead." —imfame88
25. "The man in the center is my grandfather just doing some avalanche control with ski patrol in the Sierra Nevada." —l4f861d9c3
26. "This is my favorite picture of my grandma, she was gorgeous. She was considered 'exotic' in the '50s because she was from the Netherlands and had pierced ears." —byndilaupsteen
27. "1940, Bogota, Colombia. Grandma was a widower at a very young age, she raised five guys all by herself. She is almost 100 years old now and she is still a very strong woman." —memme
28. "My grandma was one of the first female mail carriers in Colorado." —abbymannder
29. "This isn’t actually a grandparent, it’s my great-aunt riding her dad’s motorcycle. It’s too badass not to share." —byndilaupsteen
1. "This is my great grandpa dressed in drag in 1926. The reverse reads, 'Paul L (dressed as a girl) on the way to the University of Wisconsin prom. He weighed 200 and his escort weighed 110 and was 5 ft. tall. They won first prize.'” —otterpops
2. "My grandpa showing his “flexibility.” He actually had a prosthetic leg. It never stopped him from doing anything he wanted, though! We used to sit on his lap and knock on his leg until he’d make a Donald Duck noise to startle us! We loved it." —breeebabe
3. "This is my grandpa from the early 1950s. He drove all across Canada with his small motorcycle gang, the Sunset Riders. They even had matching leather jackets." —kellekr
4. "My Grandpa Bob and Grandma Ike looking like movie stars in the late ’40s or early ’50s. My grandma hated dresses but loved lipstick." —kieshak
5. "This is my Papa Jim. This picture was taken around the mid-1930s or early 1940s. Always the cat lover. It’s one of the best traits I inherited from him. He recently passed in August at the age of 94." —rachele18
6. "Here are my grandparents getting crazy at Lake Erie before they were married. We still go to this same spot every summer!" —suchanancy
7. "My Opa (left) boxing on the beach. He grew up in Oklahoma during the Great Depression and Dust Bowl and ended up living a magnificent life raising his nine children and telling all the best stories!" —pjmcwitt
8. "My grandpa, I could sing his praises all day. One of the best men in my life. My favorite. Classic cars and a dang good James Dean, if I do say so myself." —janellejoannes
9. "Safe to say my grandpa was a hunk!" —adrianadunk
10. "My great grandpa (grampy) in the middle. Not sure what the knives were for." —steffybear13
11. "This is a picture of my grandparents at the county fair the summer before they got married. This year they will be married for 63 years! Grandpa still calls my grandma “sexy” every time I see them together. They are the perfect example of true love!" —kellys49eac69d4
12. "My papaw Charley, who served in Vietnam from 1968–1971. He served as a door gunner during his time there and is the best, most badass guy that will ever walk the earth. We’re best friends and I love him to pieces!" —christianympho
13. "I’m cheating a little in that this is my mom, not my grandma. But I’m 42 and she’s 72, so she could be a grandma if my sister or I would have kids like she’s asked. She’s in her late 20s in this photo." —hudsondoodle
14. "No clue who the lady was but this is my pop-pop when he was an airman stationed in Cuba. I think it was in 1952 or so but the date was smudged on the back." —alencias
15. "This is my Oma and Uroma hiking in the Alps. My Oma was born in Bavaria during the Depression and WWII. She never failed to find the adventure in life through everything, no matter how dangerous it was to go on that adventure!" —pjmcwitt
16. "My pop-pop & grandma in 1951 on New Year’s Eve in NYC. They are the couple on the left side. My grandma always swore that she never went out to clubs or drank but this is proof that she did. She got rid of a lot of older photos after my grandpa passed in 2003 but I rescued this one along with a few more cool shots of them when they were younger." —alencias
17. "My grandpa with his first wife drinking with friends in the side of the road. He’s the one with the glasses. When we moved at one point we found a bunch of really crazy pictures of him from before he married my grandma. Some of these include pictures of his unit with the Seabees in WWII playing with Japanese swords." —steinbeck32
18. "This handsome man is my grandfather, John Madden. He was part of the Air Force in WWII and was a Flying Tiger. That’s pretty badass if you ask me." —katherinem4bd12e646
19. "This is my maternal great grandpa, Pete, in the late 1920s or early 1930s. Look at that monokini!" —whiskeyandjade
20. "This is my grandmother, my grandfather, and the butt of grandma's dog.
My grandpa was born into a rich family in Finland but came to Sweden one summer because he felt no one should be the boss when you’ve never been working “on the floors.”
Sweden and Finland weren’t on the friendliest terms during this time ('50s) but they met at a local dancing place and the rest is history.
This photo, to me, is pure love." —juliaabeille
21. "My grandma was a beauty queen in the Philippines. She entered pageants in the '60s. I’m proud of her. Look at that beehive!" —kitkatet18
22. "This is my grandma and step grandpa. They had a very unique relationship. They are 16 years apart in age. She married him when he was 18 and she was in her thirties with three children. She passed away two years ago and he told me, 'When I met her I knew, I would never date any other women.' They were married for 39 years and they were completely in love. It was beautiful." —justineh48a1fbe67
23. "Here is my grandpa, Bob Shockley. He owned a car dealership & moonlighted as James Dean." —aubreyf41af4b221
24. "My grandmother is Jamaican and my grandfather is Indian and Irish. They had all the swag. My mom prayed that I wouldn’t have the Carey nose, so I got his eyes instead." —imfame88
25. "The man in the center is my grandfather just doing some avalanche control with ski patrol in the Sierra Nevada." —l4f861d9c3
26. "This is my favorite picture of my grandma, she was gorgeous. She was considered 'exotic' in the '50s because she was from the Netherlands and had pierced ears." —byndilaupsteen
27. "1940, Bogota, Colombia. Grandma was a widower at a very young age, she raised five guys all by herself. She is almost 100 years old now and she is still a very strong woman." —memme
28. "My grandma was one of the first female mail carriers in Colorado." —abbymannder
29. "This isn’t actually a grandparent, it’s my great-aunt riding her dad’s motorcycle. It’s too badass not to share." —byndilaupsteen
