Do you ever look at a celebrity or a child of a celebrity, and all of a sudden see that they’ve grown up? Where does the time go? It’s especially strange when the child in question is the daughter of a legend. Grandfather of grunge, Kurt Cobain created some of the most well-known music from the 90s. Even though it’s been more than 20 years since his passing, his music has withstood the test of time. We still listen to his songs today, and "Smells Like Teen Spirit" plays almost hourly on every “tough”, alternative radio station there is. His daughter has grown up in the light of his memory and boy, can we ever tell. From photo shoots that produce eerie similarities between Frances Bean and Kurt to edgy pictures featuring cigarettes and tattoos. Frances Bean is keeping grunge alive, and we love her for it. These are fifteen of the best pictures that highlight her grit, and give us a shocking reminder that everyone eventually grows up.

15 All Tatted Up 

Let’s talk about the most grown-up of grown-up shots. This photo is a black and white grayscale rendition of teen angst, held over into adulthood. Frances Bean Cobain is seriously channeling the low grunge and the high class here, with a cigarette hanging out of her mouth and a solid display of her multiple tattoos. There’s nothing that signifies grown-up more, unless she was maybe sitting on a car or filing her income tax. We’d also like to point out her shirt, which is a sarcastic comment on society at large. It’s also a clever reference, from a show that’s often quoted (but some younger folks might not know). Star Trek shows brilliance and clever humor, which it’s no surprise the very adult Frances Bean Cobain likes. This photo is the perfect one to start us off because it has all the qualities of a very adult model shoot… Including an all grown up Frances!

14 Beam ME Up

Riffing on the phrase of her last shirt, we would like to point out the unlikeliness of her even wearing a shirt in this. While we can’t quite see whether it is a negligee, dress, and tights, or an artfully draped sheet, it is pretty clear that this shot is meant to evoke thoughts of Frances rolling around in bed. Desirable, provocative, and just a little bit impish, here we see the REALLY adult Frances. Her hair is messy; while that’s a common theme in both her red carpet appearances and other photo shoots when it’s paired with the bed and sheets all we can see is you know what. This triple X shot would make any parents proud… And maybe a little blushy. We think they should be awfully proud of their daughter; no doubt Kurt is smiling down at her, proud of his kid for growing up to be so perfect.

13 Zombie-chic

This shot is a little spooky. Another black and white photo, we think that this is just the perfect encapsulation of grown up intent. She has the “Don’t push me down anymore, world” look, which is one that only comes from years of following your own passion. It is not like she has had several decades to learn this, but she comes across as an old soul here. Without the tattoo, this could easily be taken from a 1950s alternative modeling shoot. The black lace lingerie and the strong eyebrows give us the image of pin-up girls and alt models. By adding in the tattoo and contemporary composition, we like the shot even more as a present-day all grown up artistic film take. The photo is one of her best, and she has that old school cool we all know and love. She is so striking in this photo it is like she is staring deep into our souls.

12 Sisters or Mother and Daughter

It is hard to tell here, in this red carpet shot that almost looks like it could be any famous female duo. Courtney Love looks young enough to be Frances’s sister (or at least slightly older cousin), and Frances Bean has never been more grown up. The purple suit is a startling color on her, as normally we see her in more typically grunge attire; ripped t-shirts, jeans, black dresses, lace, etc. The very adult lavender shade is outlined by a bright yellow branded band on all the edges of the clothes. They compliment each other well too, with Love in a grey overcoat/sweater. They really look happy here, and the only clue we have of Frances being quite young still is her moderately embarrassed “Mom, don’t” look. It is adorable and is a nice contrast to the grown-up position the photographer caught them in. We love everything about this picture.

11 Spooky, Spooky Art

Frances Bean has found a niche with her art. It is a little gritty, a little grungy, and gives us just a hint of edge. Whether that edge is provocative, like in other photo shoots we have seen, or controversial, like photographs that are later on this list, it is clear that the artist she is developing into is one deep, dark cookie. And she does it well. This shot, for example, has a lovely contrast of light colors and fantastical greenery, balanced by her strappy dress and pale body. The look is somewhat of a fairytale esque sequence, as the mist in the background hints at otherworldly charm. The photographer has posed her as looking up, elongating her already lithe limbs to an almost spooky degree. Whatever her inner monologue is, it is a good one. This spooky shot has us shivering and wanting more! We can't help our obsession.

10 Frances and Isaiah

While the most recent news has them split and dealing with messy affairs, at one point they were very much in love. So much so that they decided to get married, seemingly without anyone else’s permission. They executed their own agency and the results were… Well, not great. But we’re glad Frances and Isaiah have some happy memories to look back on. This photo, for example. This is the two of them holding hands as they wandered around a music festival. Not only is the boyfriend-turned-husband a very adult situation in Frances’s life, but he also is very adult. The frontman of a band, it’s eerie how similar this shot looks to some of Kurt and Courtney. The idea of the love overcoming almost anything else is a running theme, and one that can end in some very difficult situations… Like divorce, as is the case with Frances and Isaiah.

9 Double Birds

These birdies are flying free, and we’ve heard that there might have been some alcohol involved. Frances is showing off her delightfully long fingers and her attitude in this shot, which is rumored to have happened during a close friend’s birthday. While most young folks have had a photo like this floating around the internet at one point or another, it’s a little shocking when we see one of someone we’ve always thought of as a baby or child. That includes celebrities too, such as our beautiful, artistic, always herself, Frances Bean Cobain. Her rough and tumble attitude comes through in this gritty picture, that looks like it was taken with a polaroid picture. Talk about a classic, and proof that the old soul is coming out again. We’re glad that Frances hasn’t lost her spark even if she is growing up; we hope she keeps it alive, and we keep seeing flipped out photos like this.

8 Schon Magazine

Okay, tattoos, cigarettes, boyfriends, and swearing. We know that these are the hallmarks of “adult” in any young person’s head, but what’s the true measure of grown-up-ness? Is it the way she walks around? The insightful comments made in interviews? The public tragedies she experiences and copes with? There’s no real answer, surprisingly enough. What makes someone adult is just a feeling; a way they carry themselves. However, it’s pretty clear that there’s a level of professionalism that’s involved. We see her here as a working model, booking magazine profiles with fairly big name, professional spreads. This shot is an example of how she’s grown up through gaining work and status in the modeling world. While we know (and love) that her focus in life is her own art, it’s nice to see that she’s also developing a persona outside of that as well. Exploring her own art’s edges is very adult.

7 Don’t Mess With Me

Is what this photo says. Her hands on the table this means business gesture is all it takes for us to know that she’s serious. She knows what she’s talking about, and we know that she knows. Not to mention that it’s another black and white, edgy photograph. She seems to be fond of these sorts of shots, with no one able to mess with her or make her seem like anything she’s not. There’s honesty in black and white, as it strips people down to their inner colors. Frances shines through loud and clear. If her emotion was a color, we would see red, yellow, and maybe a bit of orange. All the colors of a true fire. She’s sparky, and you don’t want to mess with her! Not to mention that perfect pout. It almost looks like a hint of a smile, which keeps us intrigued. She’s working with subtlety, which proves that she’s growing her modeling career and image as well as her art.

6 Blue Velvet

So we don’t know if it’s really blue or not. However, we like to imagine this queen draped in a royal blue shroud, directing and ruling from her soft, feather bed. Maybe that’s just a fantasy, but we know that she’s hot stuff… And that we’d let her command us any time! Especially in a photo like this. Her bone structure is exquisite, and we’re captivated by the energy her eyes are putting out. She’s got some of the same messy bed head we saw in the first sexy photo on this list, but now we’re sure that that’s the only thing she’s got on. That is definitely an artfully draped sheet, and we’re waiting for the day it slips off. While this one doesn’t have the same “come jump into bed with me look”, it does have the “I just woke up” idea. There’s something very mature about the way she’s staring, holding her own power without pushing any one quality. Looking good, Frances.

5 God Bless… Seamstresses?

This photo is edgy and controversial, and we’re pleased that she’s the one in front of the flag. Some people take great offense to the destruction of an American flag. It’s a symbol of a country, and when you destroy the symbol you’re by extension destroying the thing. Whether or not you believe it’s a harmful photo is neither here nor there. The point is the point she’s trying to make. While we can’t say with confidence what exactly she’s trying to communicate, we wonder if it’s something about how “America is slowly destroying itself”. It’s a bold idea, and this is a bold photo. You’d have to ask Frances to know what she’s trying to say, but we respect someone for standing up for their art. The more statements that can be made, and the stronger those statements are made, the more an artist will be seen. Frances knows this, and she’s certainly trying to commit.

4 Classic

Remember when we talked about her being an old soul? This is the photo that really cinches it for us. It reminds us a little of Audrey from Twin Peaks. The soft focus gaze and arched eyebrows make us think that she’s got more going on than she ever admits. It’s a whole universe packed into one person, and the white lace is a surprising contrast from how she’s normally dressed. The blonde is a nice touch too, as this image wouldn’t have the same effect with her dark hair. The light catches a mystery that we’re not sure could ever be solved, and overall it’s just a lot of magic for one person to have. She’s all grown up while still retaining her young beauty… We wish we could figure out how she does it. Maybe that’s part of the mystery though. We won’t ask, and instead we'll just enjoy her quirky, magic stare.

3 Animal Lover

Look! She has such a small kitten! This photo reminds us of the passage of time because this tiny kitten reminds us of how small Frances was at one point. In the past she was that young too, and probably held in someone’s arms in a similar way. While Instagram wasn’t around when Frances was a baby, we’re sure that Courtney Love would no doubt have had a similar photo up after Frances was born… But with Frances instead of that cat. It’s also got her signature pout and down-cast stare, making us wonder what could be going through her head. It’s a great shot, and is definitely a mindbender when we think about how small she was at one point. However, she’s all grown up, and that kitten looks tiny by comparison. We also had to include this shot because of the animal lover aspect. She’s got everything going for her, including animal compassion!

2 Bada$$ Babe

Yes, this photo is simply a great, candid shot of her. While the modeling shots are all well and good, it’s wild how much is revealed when we don’t plan on having our picture taken. Candid shots are usually the ones that receive the cry of “Oh no, don’t post that! I look so old/fat/ugly/weird” However, sometimes the candid shots are the best ones. Like this one, for example. She’s got her strappy black dress on, her boss lipstick, and her sort of spiky necklace. She looks tough and trendy, and totally on top in this photo. While we don’t know the context outside of a public event (and maybe even a red carpet), we do know that this is the real Frances Bean. She’s hot stuff, full of fire and opinions and passion for the art that she does. There’s nothing more mature than someone who knows what they want, and isn’t afraid to work for it. We see that here. And without any black and white, preplanned business, or mysterious light.

1 Comparison

While we have several shots of Courtney and Frances side by side, we’ll never have any of Kurt and Frances. While this is sad for many reasons, one of the biggest reasons is because it’s rough growing up after losing a parent. While Kurt died before she was old enough to remember much of him, she sees his image and hears his music everywhere no doubt. He’s an essential, missing part of her life, including in her looks. We see it when we put photos of them side by side. Frances looks so incredibly much like her dad, it’s almost a little spooky. This photo has their faces in profile, with similar hair and hand positions. You can see just how much the noses, chins, and thoughtful brows are similar to each other. This is the true proof; Frances is all grown up. And while Kurt will never get to see, we like to think that he’s awfully proud.

10 Outfits For Staycation
Next 10 Outfits For Staycation