Ah, to be a teenager again. We didn’t know what the fudge we were doing back then when it came to our clothes and our hairstyles. We were constantly moody, anxious, and looking for our ‘real selves’ (some of us never stopped searching). We were given a blank cheque to be as edgy and ‘unique’ as we liked… but our fashion sense really does come back to haunt us sometimes!
People are posting the funniest photos from people’s awkward childhoods on the aptly named ‘Blunder Years’ subreddit. The online group proves that we all go through some major ups and downs, twists, and loop-de-loops when it comes to our fashion identities. Sometimes, it really is just a phase, but the photos are here to stay. Remember to upvote your fave pictures as you’re scrolling down. Share these with your friends to get a giggle out of them. Oh, and you can find Bored Panda’s earlier posts about the hilariously brilliant r/blunderyears community right over here, as well as here.
We wanted to learn more about why teenagers want to be independent and stand out from the crowd, how not to be overwhelmed by peer pressure to follow trends, and how to stop being embarrassed by our old photos, so we reached out to the friendly and talented Lenore Skenazy. She is the president of Let Grow, the nonprofit promoting childhood independence, and the founder of the Free-Range Kids movement and she went in-depth with Bored Panda about all of our blunder years. Read on!
#1 Somehow Removed The Period Of Time That I Would Draw Glasses And A Smiley Face On My Face Every Day From My Memory
Image source: svolio
#2 Age 8 Or 9, Cosplaying As Marie Antoinette. I’m A Guy
Image source: young-and-doomed123
#3 My Mom Calls This Photo A Family Heirloom Lol. 16 Yrs Ago, Me (F 13) And My BF (M 13) At The Olive Garden
Image source: dumbbelle
#4 I Think I Was The Youngest Loan Shark In History
Image source: Angry__Jonny
#5 Here I Am At Six Years Old, Going On 40, Looking Like I’m Ready To Do Your Taxes
Image source: eveisdawning
#6 My Parents Kindly Supported My Peak Edgelord Phase
Image source: SpacePenguin69
#7 This Is How I Showed To To University. I Wanted To Make A Statement. Apparently That Statement Was Cross The Street With Your Kids When I Come Walking Down The Sidewalks Oh Muggles…
Image source: darkangel10848
#8 Anytime My Wife Sees This She Burst Out Laughing… I Thought I Looked Cool
Image source: Meowimpersian
#9 Me At 11-12 Trying To Look Too Cool For The Pirates Ride At Disneyland While Simultaneously Dressing Specifically For It
Image source: MimeTheGap
#10 I Call This Look “Christian Granny Goth” And It Was Pretty Bold For A 12 Year Old In 1995
Image source: BrashPop
#11 In 1987 I Permed My Mullet To Look More Like Patrick Swayze. I Ended Up Looking Like A Lesbian Biker
Image source: dukesinatra
#12 Me And Friends Before A Disturbed Concert In 2006. We’re So Cool Posing In Front Of Mom And The Van
Image source: Shewolfkitty
#13 On The Left Is My Son Callum At 8 Years Old On Halloween. He Is Dressing As Eminem. On The Right Is Me At 8 Years Old. I Dressed As Steve Urkel. I Stand By My Choice
Image source: akhardy12
#14 Whilst Taking A Passport Photo I Was Told To ‘Open My Eyes And Smile More’…
Image source: reddit.com
#15 Those Who Cannot Remember The Past Are Condemned To Repeat It
Image source: borrow_a_feeling
#16 Prom 2009, I Was A Sophmore In High School And I Took School Dances A Litte Too Seriously. Also I Didn’t Have A Date
Image source: mackzegreat
#17 Me, Circa 1991. My Mom Let Me Get The Laser Background. I Am So Proud Of This Pic!
Image source: CallThatGoing
#18 I Was Like 9 And I Got A Little Obsessed With The Hippie Aesthetic
Image source: sadpasta2
#19 When You Go For The Kurt Cobain But End Up Getting Called “Mmm Bop”
Image source: taste-bud
#20 I Don’t Even Know What Happened In 6th Grade
Image source: FlatInfo
#21 My Dad Found My 2011 High School Id Card In His Closet Today
Image source: alypooo
#22 Good Ol’ Facebook Reminding Me Of How Cringey I Was In Highschool. Hot Pink Fishnets Stuffed With Grass
Image source: kazziy
#23 Playing In An Irish Folk Band 2002, At 15 Or 16 For The Queen’s Golden Jubilee Celebrations In The Local Rec Of My Hometown. I Went On To Say “God Save The Queen And Her Fascist Regime” Down The Mic. The Violinists Parents Went Mental At Me
Image source: ftbbbbbb
#24 Tbh, I Am Not Even Ashamed Of 2001 Me. I Miss Her
Image source: raspberryswirl531
#25 I Wasn’t Very Popular At Catholic Youth Group
Image source: Clypsedra
#26 I Liked Turtles Before It Was Cool
Image source: reddit.com
#27 At 16 I Was A Seasonal Employee At Hot Topic. I Got 3 Hours A Week And Spent More With My 20% Discount Than I Made
Image source: buzzz25
#28 Halloween 1998 When I Thought Dressing As A Giant Milkbone Would Make Dogs Like Me
Image source: fantasticmrfox323
#29 98 vs. 2020 I’m Still 100% Skateboarder
Image source: I_play_high420
#30 I Lived Nowhere Near Cows Or A Farm
Image source: paintballpmd
#31 My Best Friend Wanted Me To Show Off This Beaut To This Subreddit, Dated 15 Years Back. Our College Dayz.. To Answer Your Question, Yes She Had An Assortment Of Bob Marley Posters In Her Dorm Room And Yes Her Parents Gave Her A Full Ride To Pursue An Art Degree
Image source: reddit.com
#32 13-14 Year Old Me During My “Eminem Phase”. That’s A Hairbrush Hanging From My Lamp And All Of My Pictures From That Time Are Made Black And Grey With Gimp. Good Times
Image source: Anewhopeless
#33 My Friends Daughter Found Me In Our Junior High Year Book. And They Laughed, And Laughed…
Image source: dumbbelle
#34 1972 Calm Down Ladies, A Fine Woman Married This 20 Years Later
Image source: reddit.com
#35 My Mom And I On Christmas… Around 2010
Image source: bitchfaceluv
#36 My Kindergardern School Pic. My Mom Asked Why I Didn’t Smile I Said ” I Was Embarrassed To.” 5 Y/O Logic
Image source: jaylk5150
#37 My Sister And I Had These Shirts Custom Made In Middle School. Yes We Also Used To Cut Our Own Hair
Image source: Tomoe-Gozen
#38 This Was Me At 16… I’m A Dude
Image source: ttaylor0murphyy
#39 Blund, James Blund
Image source: reddit.com
#40 In Case You Couldn’t Tell, I Was Really Cool In High School
Image source: reddit.com
#41 Had A Blonde Mohawk, Cut The Rest Of My Hair, But Still Wanted Bangs. Behold
Image source: barista91
#42 First Day Of 5th Grade, Looking Like I Walked Out Of A Limited Too Catalog
Image source: probablydeadly
#43 15 Years Ago We Called Our Senior Photos, “Senior Sweeties”. I Only Had 75 Of These Bad Boys Printed And I Thought They Were Lost Forever After I Handed Them Out Like Trading Cards. But One Of My Friends Sent Me This Picture The Other Day. This May Be The Last Smgulz Senior Sweeite In The Wild…
Image source: smgulz
#44 My Boyfriend Rawring Hard In The 8th Grade
Image source: MrsFlyslamz
#45 I Know A Lot Of Us Went Through A Goth Phase. Here’s A Few Of My Goth/Jrock Phase In Highschool, Was 1 Of 3 Goth Kids At My School, Circa 2005-2007
Image source: Akuzetsunaomi
#46 My Actual Senior Photo, Yes That Is A Real Sword I Worked For A Year To Buy
Image source: Ludwig_Witty-G
#47 Me (On The Left) With A Friend And My Manager From Hot Topic At The Mall In 2009 Lmao
Image source: mommy-im-scared
#48 Highschool, 2011. Why Yes, I Did Own A $15 Butterfly Knife. How Did You Guess?
Image source: stabbymcshanks
#49 The Year Is 2006, My Dad Found This Fly Ass Shirt At Walmart And I’m Ready To Get Down At The Middle School Dance
Image source: notachance13
#50 This Picture Haunts Me Every Year On This Date. Got My Drivers License Though (2009 vs. 2019)
Image source: Randall_Butternubs_
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