Ditch the AI ’80s trend: Here are the Filipino heartthrobs who defined the aesthetic

Discover the real 1980s aesthetic through the legendary Filipino actors who actually defined the decade.

The ’80s are having another moment online, thanks to the viral AI trend turning ordinary selfies into retro portraits.

It may be fun to see ourselves with big hair, vintage clothes, and that unmistakable ’80s film look. But uploading your face to an AI tool also comes with privacy questions, especially when users may not know how their photos are processed, stored, or reused. The Philippine National Privacy Commission has also reminded the public that a person’s face and likeness are personal information under the Data Privacy Act.

So instead of letting AI decide what the ’80s looked like, why not look back at the people who actually lived and defined the era?

Here are five Filipino heartthrobs who could give any AI-generated ’80s photo a run for its money.

1. Kuya Kim Atienza

Before he became the beloved weather and trivia guy we know today, Kuya Kim was already trying to break into showbiz in the ’80s.

He studied Film and Audiovisual Communication at UP Diliman in 1984 and dreamed of becoming a TV star. He later found work as a voice talent during the decade, even as he joked that he wasn’t exactly the matinee-idol type at the time.

In his own words, the ’80s had a pretty specific standard: “Dapat noon kailangan Aga Muhlach ka or Richard Gomez.”

Well, we’re putting Kuya Kim on the list anyway.

2. Joel Torre

Long before his internationally recognized acting career, Joel Torre was already making his mark in Philippine cinema during the ’80s.

From “Karnal” to “Init sa Magdamag,” Torre became part of the decade’s growing roster of young Filipino actors taking on dramatic and romantic roles.

He may not have fit the traditional matinee-idol mold in quite the same way as some of his contemporaries, but there’s something undeniably ’80s about seeing Torre in the era’s films.

3. Gabby Concepcion

If we’re talking about ’80s heartthrobs, Gabby Concepcion is practically mandatory.

His early-’80s rise began after appearing in a Close Up commercial before he was launched as one of Regal Films’ young stars. He eventually became part of what was dubbed the “Big Three” of his generation alongside Richard Gomez and Aga Muhlach.

From “Katorse” to “Dear Heart,” Gabby became one of the defining leading men of the decade.

4. Richard Gomez

Then there’s Richard Gomez, another name practically synonymous with the ’80s matinee-idol era.

Gomez entered showbiz in the early ’80s and was quickly built into a leading man and sex symbol, eventually becoming one of the industry’s biggest male stars.

The tall frame, the hair, the leading-man stare, if an AI generator needed a reference for the Filipino ’80s heartthrob aesthetic, Richard Gomez would probably be somewhere in the prompt.

5. Aga Muhlach

And, of course, Aga Muhlach.

Muhlach became a popular matinee idol after starring in “Bagets” in 1984, playing one of the film’s teenage leads. His popularity continued through the decade, establishing him as one of the era’s most recognizable young stars.

In fact, when Kuya Kim talked about how difficult it was to fit the ’80s standard of handsomeness, he specifically joked that you had to be “Aga Muhlach ka or Richard Gomez.”

And honestly, that pretty much says it all.

The AI trend might give us a convincing ’80s makeover, but these stars don’t need a filter to remind us what the decade looked like.

Before AI recreated the aesthetic, Filipino cinema already had its own original heartthrobs.

READ: