We all have THAT embarrassing photo from the past that we kept in a locked drawer or a hidden computer folder. As much as our former selves would hate to admit, our moms were right when they said it was just a phase.
Bored Panda has recently asked its users to post their most regretful childhood pictures. Now, we’ve picked out the funniest ones and combined them with other embarrassing throwback photographs for the ultimate effect. The list features shots of angsty Marilyn Manson fans, color-matching divas, and other hilarious photos. Even if some of these ‘phases’ might seem distant to you, they’re all part of the period we all go through – the search for identity. Scroll down to enjoy the photos, and don’t hesitate to submit your own!
#1 Ahh, 1988. The Year My Family Had The Same Haircut
Image source: Accusatory_Giblet
#2 I Count 6 Bangs
Image source: jadejong
#3 I Thought I Was The Baddest Sh*t
Image source: paneradfisk
#4 I Begged My Parents For This Picture
Image source: Bisoux
#5 I Shaved The Middle Of My Head And Dressed Up Like An Old Man In High School
Image source: DesmondDHume
#6 I Show My Boyfriend One Picture From My Childhood And Suddenly Reproducing With Me Is Off The Table
Image source: sillysally1986
#7 I Took The Ginger To The Next Level
Image source: reddit.com
#8 Blundering Through 2nd Grade
Image source: astronomydomone
#9 I Was A Vampire. No, It Wasn’t Halloween
Image source: HipsterChips
#10 Business On The Top, Party On The Sides
Image source: grahvity
#11 Found This Picture Of Me 15 Years Ago Hanging Up At My Grandmothers Today At Thanksgiving
Image source: Atyrius
#12 When I Was 8 And In A Dance Club
Image source: Desterado
#13 Facebook Friend Posted Her Childhood Glamour Shots
Image source: Spycegurl
#14 When My Daughter Asks Why She Can’t Wear Things She Thinks Are “Cool”, I Show Her This Photo From My Freshmen Year In Highschool
Image source: ketchuppacket
#15 My Husband’s 2003 Homecoming Photo
Image source: hoursaid
#16 Get Off Of Me Dad I’m Trying To Be Miserable
Image source: CaptainMuffinMan
#17 Gr.12, 2003. Yep
#18 Don’t Worry, I Wore The Cat Ears Every Day Of 8th Grade, Not Just On Picture Day
Image source: bellmarie
#19 I Thought The Hair Made Me Look Cool. I Sometimes Wore It In A Pony Tail. I’m A Guy
Image source: not-a-walker
#20 I Can’t Believe I Used To Rock This Look The Majority Of The Time
Image source: caffeineandhatred
#21 I Beaded This “Head Dress” Myself Specifically For This Picture
Image source: gnomeologist
#22 I Thought I Could Be The Next Shuffling Sensation
Image source: downfall104
#23 When I Was 13 I Went To A Party Where Males Had To Dress As Females And Vice Versa. I’m Embarrassed To Say I May Have Gone Too Far
Image source: One-one-eight
#24 The Greatest Bowl Cut Of All Time
Image source: SalvadorTheDog
#25 Matrix Inspired Outfit I Wore To School In 2008
Image source: denob
#26 My Megamind Phase
Image source: Kkmkay
#27 I Should Have Listened To My Shirt
Image source: b-ogburn
#28 I Used To Wear An Umbrella Hat To School Every Rainy Day In 4th Grade
Image source: Abacazam
#29 My Friend Has The Best Awkward Childhood Photo Ever
Image source: sarahkelleher
#30 Too Cool To Smile. 8th Grade
Image source: zeldaisthegirl1
#31 I Looked Like An Old Jewish Man In 9th Grade
Image source: Mymajesticmoose
#32 Apparently My Blades Made Me Feel Fabulous
Image source: trevordunt39
#33 I Recently Visited My Sister Who Shared Her Favorite Childhood Photo Of Me – The Time I Married My Giant Stuffed Pikachu, Ricky
Image source: DisgruntledPlebian
#34 So Dark. So Tortured. This Was Taken At A Mall’s Bathroom
Image source: ItsOkImNotALady
#35 I’m The Unfortunate Soul On The Right
Image source: sabertoothedliger
#36 I Thought I’d Get All The Ladies
Image source: Aumgn
#37 I Made A Lot Of Friends On My First Day Of Highschool
Image source: Bloodsail_Admiral
#38 Everything Had To Be Red And Black, My Lunchbox Was Red And Black, My Bike Was Red And Black, My Stashbox Was Red And Black, My Wallet Was Red And Black
Image source: dogshitihsgod
#39 My Mom’s Boyfriend In Eighth Grade, Sporting A Mullet/Bowl Cut
Image source: Dranetheblod
#40 First Day Of School Junior Year. And Yes, My Boxers Were Also Tie Dye
Image source: PRAISEninJAH
#41 High School, I Don’t Know How To Explain
Image source: alexlopesz
#42 I Was An 11 Year Old Lesbian Aunt
Image source: TheCriddler
#43 I Present To You All: My 2009 Hairstyle
Image source: puffworm
#44 This Is Why I Never Had A Girlfriend In High School. I Looked 35 When I Was 14
Image source: pachewychomp
#45 My Grandma Sewed Me Some Sequined Socks And A Glove For My 10th Birthday Because I Was A Big Michael Jackson Fan
Image source: reddit.com
#46 My Dad Still Has These Photos Of Me Up In His Walls
Image source: Tuuku
#47 My Sister And I Looking Hot In The 70’s. I’m Headed To Woodstock… She’s Off To Oktobetfest!
#48 I Actually Went To College Like This
Image source: schrodingers_cumbox
#49 My Mom Made Matching Outfits For Me, My Fourth Grade Teacher, And Her Daughter
Image source: Lady_Dash
#50 This Wasn’t For Halloween… I Dressed Up Like This Every Day After I Came Home From School And Danced To The Musical ‘Cats’ For About A Year
Image source: jjswaffles
#51 I Thought I Was Super Hot In This
Image source: Bitchy_mitchy
#52 Do I Win?
Image source: LazySumo
#53 Why Didn’t My Parents Sit Me Down And Have A Word?
Image source: ibejamesc
#54 I Used To Walk The Streets Talking About Anarchy… This Is Roughly 2003… I Walked Around Like That
Image source: timboXslice
#55 A Decade Later, My Mom Still Tells Me This Is Her Favorite Senior Photo Of Me
Image source: zombiebrains88
#56 I Was Dwight Schrute When I Was 15
Image source: statix138
#57 In Response To The Friend With The Embarrassing Childhood Photo I Submit My Husband’s
Image source: lacqueredup
#58 Multi Colored Hair, Way Too Tight Girl-Hoody, Gym Pants Under Sagging Baggy Jeans, Necklace Made Of Monster Caps And Bandanas, And That Damn Zune
Image source: Salsalover90
#59 Mom Jeans And A Tamagotchi Keychain
Image source: ImHereToBlowSunshine
#60 It Was The 80’s! All 8 Year Olds Dressed Like Librarians
#61 I Insisted That My Furby Be In My Sixth Grade School Picture With Me
Image source: thebloodofthematador
#62 Just One Of My Yearbook Photos
Image source: 5in1K
#63 I Still Don’t Understand Why Girls Just Wanted To Be Friends In High School (2002)
Image source: PatrickKelly2012
#64 I’m Reaaaaly Glad My Parents Still Have This On Their Fridge. 1998
Image source: flyin_lynx
#65 My Karate Days. And Yes, I Picked Out The Background Myself
Image source: casswie
#66 I Was 4 Going On 60
Image source: Velma_Helma
#67 I Have Nothing To Say
#68 My Boy Greg’s 1992 Year Book Photo
Image source: MaxwellSinclair
#69 Despite My Hair Stylist’s Advice Against It I Always Requested This Ziggurat Cut
Image source: Sarcastic-Prick
#70 Wore This Hand Knitted Jumper With Matching Beanie A Lot In High School
Image source: explodedcar
#71 15-Year-Old Me… Emo With Propeller Hat On Mackinac Island, MI
Image source: JaimeeLou32
#72 Playing Starcraft On 56k, Strategizing With My Buddy Pre-Bluetooth/Skype
Image source: RedBombX
#73 The 90’s Were Not Kind To Me
Image source: yurtle33
#74 Everyone Knew Me
Image source: Treklow
#75 Grew Up In A Predominately Black Neighborhood, Wanted To Fit In More
Image source: Breimann
#76 I Was So Proud Of My Hair That Day. Scene Boy From First Period, I’m Coming For You
Image source: aufwachen
#77 My Hair Was An Actual Triangle In 1987
Image source: buffywho
#78 Behold My Senior Photo
Image source: trippingchilly
#79 8th Grade Winter Formal With My 7th Grade Boyfriend (1998)
Image source: reddit.com
#80 My Bangs Look Like A Comb
Image source: moswsa
#81 Worst Picture Of My Siblings And Me, Overall
Image source: SavannaBanana
#82 My Sister Has Been Doing Her Best To Embarrass Me With Photos Of My Teenage Goth Years. I Regret Nothing. I Was So Cool
Image source: Corpse_Pilot
#83 A Little Known Fact That Prior To Keaton, I Was The Batman
Image source: gingerbenji
#84 Just Gonna Leave This Here
Image source: toetag313
#85 I Woke Up And Decided My Hair Was Gonna Be Yuuuuuuge
Image source: Anne_R_Key
#86 It Took 9 Years, But I Finally Finished That Moustache
Image source: nickanichols
#87 “Exploring My Options” My Senior Picture In Class Of 2000
Image source: jiffypopper44
#88 At Age 15 I Thought I Was The Only True Goth In Middle School, And That Everyone Else Were Posers Or Copycats
Image source: the_fake_banksy
#89 When I Was Fourteen I Was A Diva Who Had To Harmonise All The Colors
Image source: Rimante Butenaite
#90 Mom Let Me Do My Own Hair In 4th Grade. September 1994
#91 I Went To School Like This More Than Once
Image source: Redragon143
#92 High School Was A Strange Time
Image source: CommunistDancefloor
#93 My Husband’s 1999 Senior Photos
Image source: WeddingPicture
#94 2007. It Makes My Face Itchy Just Looking At It
Image source: zxxzx
#95 My Husband, On The Left, And His Best Friend, 1999. Aren’t They Precious?
Image source: chillaxxin
#96 Me At 13 With My Jew Fro And Discovering Rocky Horror Picture Show (And Yes, My Mom Took The Picture)
Image source: chameleonhalo
#97 I’ll Never Forget How Much Work Went Into This Myspace Pic
Image source: boijorge
#98 8th Grade Band Photo Gold
Image source: imgur.com
#99 Styled Like A Soccer Mom At 13
Image source: DinosaurWithNoEyes
#100 I Couldn’t Go To The Beach Without Bringing Along Jeans And A Bad Attitude
Image source: enaranjaj
#101 The Most Embarrassing Photo
Image source: captnwednesday
#102 Why Yes, That Is A Paper Steering Wheel I’ve Fashioned
Image source: scoob666
#103 I Took This Picture At A Lady Gaga Concert 6 Years Ago To Check If My Makeup Still Looked Good. The Answer Is Obviously Yes
Image source: reddit.com
#104 I Am Not Proud Of My Middle School Attempts At Being Random
Image source: Chocolate_Charizard
#105 Guys This Was Me When I Was 15
Image source: NyrkkiErkki
#106 (2010) Apparently 12-Year-Old Me Thought Tying A Shoelace To A Cassette Tape And Wearing It Around My Neck Was Fashionable
Image source: LerkeTurkey
#107 In Middle School I Decided To Do Theater So I Could Meet Girls. I Recently Found Picture Of Me At The Height Of My Acting Career
Image source: FleetFoley
#108 Found My Senior Pictures And Came Across This Gem
Image source: emilyrebekah
#109 My Friend When He Was Younger. Unfortunately He’s Lost His Sense Of Style Since Then
Image source: Twoshae
#110 Parents Told Me Playing Volleyball Would Get Me All The Ladies
Image source: grandbiscuits
#111 I Ain’t Even A Woman
Image source: ThomasAndZelda
#112 Me Going To School After Seeing High School Musical For The First Time (2007 Ish)
Image source: sarcasticbiznish
#113 8th Grade Year. I Facepalm Everytime
Image source: audiopolitik
#114 My Brother’s Sophomore Portrait Circa 2001. He’s Somehow A Navy Officer Now
Image source: ItWasAlchemy
#115 I Assumed The Male Costume For Mary Poppins Would Be The Chimney Sweep. I Was Wrong
Image source: meetwod
#116 I Call This One “angry Nerd”
#117 Husband’s Senior Picture Via 2002
Image source: ShelbyHer
#118 6th Grade Definition Of Sex Appeal
Image source: McKimboSlice
#119 How Was I Ever Single?
Image source: Theseuseus
#120 Not Really Sure What My Thought Process Behind This Was
Image source: TheTypicalGinger
#121 I Was A Fan Of Britney Spears Back Then
#122 I Wanted To Rock’n Roll
Image source: roddyblackwell
#123 When I Was 12 Or 13, I Borrowed My Grandma’s Fur Coat And Made My Mom Be My Photographer. I Was Obsessed With America’s Next Top Model (And Hot Topic)
Image source: emilydickinsonsdress
#124 1977, I Really Wanted A Shirt “Like Those Guys On Soul Train” So I Had My Mom Make Me One. Also Stitches In Upper Lip, And Some Bit Of Food On My Front Tooth. Not My Best Year For School Photos
Image source: biffnix
#125 I Had Many Phases Growing Up, But The Cowboy Phase Was By Far The Worst
Image source: dB33zy
#126 Me And My Sister Looking Fab… #80ies
#127 1988, No Front Teeth, Mom As A Stylist.
#128 Me, 15, In 1987. This Was A Full Page In My 87-88 High School Yearbook. What? I Was A Metalhead!
#129 2003 Was A Rough Year
Image source: Brando_Fett
#130 On My Way To My First Middle School Birthday Party Where Girls Were Also Invited. I Was Really Into Limp Bizkit At The Time. I Never Dressed Like This At School, I Don’t Know What I Was Thinking
Image source: FreeThinkk
#131 Admittedly, As An Artist My Style Hasn’t Changed All That Much, Maybe Just Tad More Refined
#132 The Hover Hand. I Can’t Look At This Photo Without Cringing
Image source: TurtleMcCunt
#133 I Still Don’t Know What Made 19-Year-Old Me Think The Mustache Was A Good Idea
Image source: RichardOfPeace
#134 In ’99, Band Mates Didn’t Smile For Album Covers… Or Look In The Same Direction. I’m The Cool Guy In Red
Image source: lurkerbot
#135 Captioned On Facebook As “With My Boyfriend <3”. Actually Thought This Was Cool. 7th Grade
Image source: blickerbloo
#136 Our Mom Worked For Hours To Achieve These Bangs
#137 I Thought I Looked So Cool With My Taz Shirt And Braids (1994ish)
#138 Cira 1994 Or So
#139 My Facebook Profile Picture When I Was 17. Caption: You Wanna Date My Sister? How Cute
Image source: kiaha
#140 My 6th Grade Gangster Phase
Image source: Ben-Dover_Hear
#141 My Tear Drop Glasses And Curly Mullet. The Life Of A Young Montanan
Image source: jakery642
#142 I Thought I Looked So Badass For My Senior Prom
Image source: PhoenoFox
#143 Prom 2001 – I Took The Blue Pill
Image source: Blugold
#144 Middle School Was Complicated, But A G Never Quits
Image source: papasumner
#145 I Really Liked SKA
Image source: StillRude
#146 The 90’s Were A Strange Time
Image source: JustFergie
#147 That Was Too Cute, I Didn’t Even Like Horses :)
#148 90’s Style At His Best
#149 That Time In Grade School I Dressed Up As Boy George For “hero Day”.
#150 Taken In 1980. I’m The One In The Peach Terrycloth Short Set Complete With A Bad Perm And A Plastic Baseball Cap
#151 My Uncle As A Soviet Teen In The 80’s. My Grandmother Sewed Those Shorts For Him At His Request.
#152 I Bleached My Hair And Wore A Trench Coat Out In Public For About Two Years. Here’s Me At A Family Gathering Looking Like A Terrible Steampunk Cosplayer
Image source: Merak34
#153 I Was Such A Happy Little Princess Back Then
#154 My Nephew And Me In The Same Lederhosen Before Going To School. In The United States.
#155 I Went Through A Very “Teal” Phase When I Was 12…
#156 …yes I Was A Difficult Child.
#157 The First Day Having My Period. Poised On Womanhood~
#158 Outfits Our Stepmother Gave Us!!
#159 I Seriously Thought I Looked Like A Movie Star In This Outfit
#160 8th Grade. Captioned As “This Is The Path I Chose”. My Mom Took This Picture
Image source: LeVampirate
#161 Me In Japan – 2007
Image source: becauseBatman
#162 Hidden For 37 Years, This Is Painful, Slightly…
#163 I Was The Cool Kid In School Xd
#164 I Wore This Hat To Bed A Lot….
#165 14 Year Old Me (2007). Thought I Was The Coolest, Most Misunderstood Goth Girl In Town.. I Cringe When I Look At Those Old Photos
#166 Not Exactly Sure As To Why I Wanted To Ruin My Birthday Photo..
#167 If You Put Some Spaghetti Over Your Head, It Would Look Like This! (I Don’t Regret It… For Some Reason)
#168 94′ As You Can See, I Was Very Cool.
#169 2 Years Of Being A Little Boy
#170 My Mom Helped Me Take This For My 7th Grade Profile Picture
Image source: Comedyfreak
#171 Ah, The 80s. Powder Blue Nylon Suit With Disco Collar – Complete With The Gold Razor Necklace.
#172 Me (left, 13) And My Sister (right, 10). It Was My Grandmas Idea…
#173 Rocking Many Many 80’s Trends..
#174 Pastel Was In… Along With Giant Framed Glasses. Circa 1986.
#175 My Fiance…..he Was So Cool. Look At That Fur Collar. So Fancy.
#176 My Sister Was Clearly Offended By My Nudity…
#177 The Time I Went To Egypt With A Cleopatra Style Haircut
Image source: hkfortyrevan
#178 Obnoxious Sized Hair Scrunchy, Printed Legging Pants And A Doll From Lunette And Molly.
#179 Circa 1983. I Must Have Had To Fight The Boys Off!
#180 This Was Circa 1993-1994, I Believe. I Look Like Some Weird Go-go Dancer.
#181 Fml
#182 Yaaaaa… I Was That Creepy Child
#183 I Survived Catholic School In The 80s.
#184 2009 10th Grade, Lets Just Say I Tried To Keep It Long, My Hair Is Thick And Dense Enough To Deflect An Entire Bucket Water. This Is The “better” Picture, Other Times Aptly Look Like A Missing Link. Be Another 3 Years Til I Finally Kept It Shorter
#185 The Yellow Thing Is Duct Tape, For Some Reason. And Im Wearing My Pjs, Probably Sick So Friends Came Over After School
#186 Post- Birthday Party…
#187 1984… Why Wearing Underpants On My Head?! No Idea…maybe Chocolatmilk Was’nt Good Anymore
#188 This Is Me In 4th Grade. I’m A Girl.
#189 When I Was Younger I Thought I Was Orochimaru From Naruto… I Even Did My Makeup.
#190 Grade 9 School Photo.. Circa 2004 When I Wore That Puka Shell Necklace Every. Day.
#191 Must Have Been In Late 80s…. School Trip… And Yeah I Know I Have Great Legs :d
#192 My Cousins And I….
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