Almost every high school has that guy. Parents, teachers and coaches admire him. Many of the rest have a crush on him. Good looks, great body, perfect hair, and the captain of some or other sports team. He glides through the corridors like he owns them. Mr Effortlessly Cool. Mr Infinitely Popular. IYKYK…
We’re often so caught up in the moment during our carefree, teenage years that it doesn’t occur to us that we don’t stay young forever. Time waits for no one. And we all change. For better or worse. Even Mr. Popular.
Someone recently shared a story about how the handsome, rich, highly-favoured jock of his senior school had an unexpected fall from grace, and ended up in jail serving a 10-year sentence. He then asked other men, “What happened to the most popular guy in high school?“
Bored Panda has put together a list of the best answers. From the unexpected and surprising, to the disappointing and sad, they’re all a reminder that we never really know what hand we’ll be dealt in life, whether we’re too cool for school or not.
#1
Ours was a guy named B. He was the epitome of cool. He was so cool that if he knew you, you were cool because he knew you. If you didn’t know him, and he was 50 feet away, walking away from you, and you yelled, “Hey, B!,” he would stop, turn around, raise his hand and wave, and yell, “Hey, nice to see you! How ya doin’?” He knew that by pretending he knew you, he made you cool, and he wanted everyone to be cool. He would stand up for his friends when other people criticized them, even if the friend wasn’t there. He was the varsity quarterback, and made sure that other players got their share of glory, and he’d always talk about how great our offensive line was. If someone was just undeniably a dork, instead of making fun of the guy, B would say, “Yeah, but he tries real hard. Ya gotta give him that.” No one had anything bad to say about B.
He went into sales and did well. By our 10th reunion, he was balding and had a small gut. He passed suddenly and unexpectedly, of his first heart attack, in his mid-50s. That was almost 20 years ago, and people still talk about what a great guy he was, and how much they miss him.
EDIT: I used the term “first heart attack” as an oblique reference to the fact that a first heart attack is how a lot of people find out that they have cardiac issues. His widow said that he hadn’t had any known heart problems prior to that day.
Image source: AgainandBack, Anna Tolipova
We might not realize it when we’re teenagers but being popular isn’t always the girl she thinks she is. In other words, there’s a downside to being the cool kid and there’s research to back this up.
A group of 180 teens was observed over a 10-year period for a study that was later published in the journal Child Development. During that time, the researchers interviewed the teens, their parents and friends.
They found that by age 22, the “cool” group had a 45% higher rate of problems related to alcohol and substance use than their less-popular peers. They were also more likely to have engaged in criminal activity.
#2
One of my friends was a good guy. He started lifting when we were 13. Got big. Women loved him. Guys definitely looked up to him.
When he was 28, he intervened in a bar fight between his girlfriend and some other girl. Some guy said “let’s take it outside” and he went. The other guy pulled a weapon and ended his life.
RIP Miguel.
Image source: Typical-Car2782, wavebreakmedia_micro
#3
He joined the NFL and is currently in the texans.
Image source: Strykerli3, Daniel Álvasd
“It appears that while so-called ‘cool’ teens’ behavior might have been linked to early popularity, over time, these teens needed more and more extreme behaviors to try to appear cool, at least to a subgroup of other teens,” said Professor Joseph P. Allen, the lead author of the study. “These previously cool teens appeared less competent – socially and otherwise – than their less-cool peers by the time they reached young adulthood.”
Allen and his team coined the phrase “the high school reunion effect,” to describe how “The student who was popular and was running with the fast crowd isn’t doing as great later on.”
#4
You may have heard of him. Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson.
Image source: Macronaut, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
#5
I don’t really think we had popular people in my high school. I remember the rich kids kinda reflected that stereotype, but any “popularity” was really just exclusive to hierarchy within their own clique.
The rest of us didn’t give a darn about them.
Image source: eddyofyork, cottonbro studio
#6
I can’t say. But I can say what one of the losers ended up like. Poor boy, clothes too small and worn till they ripped with shoes that had toes sticking out. Very few friends. Found the best woman on the planet. Worked hard and honest and retired happy, healthy and well respected in his early fifties as a multimillionaire.
Image source: Natste1s4real, Mikhail Nilov
The researchers say that certain movies and other media are adding fuel to the fire by glamorizing “fast life” in high school, and making it seem appealing to teens. It sets up an expectation that teens should be acting older, they cautioned.
Allen says teens need to be made aware of the downside of chasing popularity and being part of the “cool” crowd. Focusing too heavily on appearance and social hierarchies can be unhealthy, he says. The expert advises parents to encourage their children to focus on long-term fulfillment over short-term popularity.
According to Allen, “The quiet, not-so-cool kids do well in the long term.”
#7
The student president, even managed to close the school for a month as protest. 10 years after that he was doing substances with some girl and had some psychotic episode and broke like 10 cars, police got involved. He even beat some cops. Then he got an expensive layer and didn’t even go to jail.
Has a psychiatrist and takes meds. It’s been a couple of years now, he is steadily decreasing them. I know because i used to hang out with him. He got a gf, lives with her and i haven’t seen him in more than a year. Pretty cool and kind dude actually.
Image source: dranaei, Kindel Media
#8
I was aquianted with him through my friend group, even after HS and beyond. He was very popular, charismatic, good looking, had wealthy parents, so all the popular boy traits, but was still generally down to earth. He liked to party a lot though.
He had his ups and downs after HS, originally sent to a prestigious university but didn’t keep his academics up and dropped out, but did go back to a state school to finish his degree. Got married, then divorced, no kids, and bounced around for a while. He passed away a few years back, his family wouldn’t say how, but the rumors are an OD. He was a good guy overall, just partied too hard for his own good.
Image source: Falloutvictim, Andrej Lišakov
#9
Graduated early, went into the air force. No idea what he does there but he takes a lot of vacations. Other than visiting family on holidays, he never bothers with the hometown much. He was one of those guys that was popular not just because of his family or his athletics but because he was so chill and charismatic with everyone. He taught me how to lift, tried to get me laid but I think my personality fell through a bit there. There was one time when he saw my mom and I looking at a house for sale nearby his and he was actually excited at the possibility of us being neighbors. He was a great guy that treated everybody with an equal amount of kindness. I hope he’s doing well.
Image source: DarkSociety1033, John Torcasio
That’s not to say that being popular is all bad, and here’s why…
Separate research has found that there are two different types of popularity: Perceived and sociometric.
Perceived popularity is the extent to which one’s peers view a child as having high social status. While sociometric popularity is based on the extent to which one is liked or disliked by one’s peers.
“In other words, one type of popularity is about having power and the other type is about being well-liked,” explains Waypoint Wellness Center’s website. “And it turns out that it’s very possible, even likely, for kids with high perceived popularity to be low in the other type.”
#10
We didn’t have the one person or couple you see on TV. But when I went to a reunion, the people that were in the “cooler” clique were still frozen in time in our small town. The rest of us moved out and on and, for the most part, up. It was sad and funny all at the same time.
Image source: RedditFauxGold
#11
He married his high school sweetheart who was a very down-to-earth person, popped out a litter of kids with her, cheated on her and got his side piece pregnant, now divorced and drinking himself blind at the country club every night while paying child support for 4 kids who hate him. He has (had) family wealth but they cut him off. Has no discernible skills, had a cushy job with daddy’s company where he occasionally showed up until he knocked up his side chick.
Makes every one of those insults, punches, mocking, ridicule and shame levied on me a little more sweet.
Image source: dcpanthersfan, DC Studio
#12
Define popular. I once accidentally farted in someone’s face during sit-ups at a gym class and most other classes heard about it.
Currently not in jail and still farting unapologetically.
Image source: SarcasticBench, freepik
#13
He used to bully anyone he deemed far enough below him. fullest of himself person i ever met. he had a clique of butt lickers and yes men. rich family owning many bars on the coast.
now he is a doctor, divorced twice in his early thirties. idk much about his life but he seems to have all the material needs satisfied, cosy job and is fulfilled professionally, but i cant imagine he has any loving relationships with anyone.
Image source: Jerko_23, zinkevych
#14
I’m not sure if he was the *most* popular, but he was very well liked. He made Forbes 30 under 30 a few years ago for his involvement with a very public medical issue at the time. Probably the most successful person, accomplishment wise, to come from my class.
Image source: KP_Wrath, David Suarez
#15
He passed in a car crash. He wasn’t a bad guy or a bully. Trully a great dude.
Image source: cheese2042, Josh Sonnenberg
#16
He’s a janitor at the same highschool, and is probably still the most popular guy there.
And say what you want but he likes his job, keeps it cleaner than it was when I went there, and loves joking with the students and talking with parents.
Image source: bassjam1, freepik
#17
His name was Andrew. Total ladies man and all the guys wanted to be his friend. He also had a reputation for being a fighter and a lot of people were a little scared of him. We became friends after I heard a rumor he wanted to beat me up and approached him about it. We ended up getting real close and he even lived with me for a little while when we were in our 20s. Now he’s got 4 kids with 3 women and works at Dollar general (not talking bad about him just reporting) we lost touch over 10 years ago but his sister will update me from time to time.
Image source: chefofcrayons
#18
Went to Russia after the fall of the Soviet Union and did quite well. Later worked with Daniel Snyder. Married his high-school sweetheart who went into the CIA and now runs a DC security consulting group.
And yes, I have to think his time in Russia while she was in the CIA had some relationship.
Image source: driftinj
#19
He was popular and was enrolled in advanced classes in middle school. He was charming, excelled at sports, band, and everyone liked him. In high-school, he’d switched to regular Ed classes by our sophomore year and pretended to seem less intelligent. He was still ridiculously popular, but he had gained an edge and stopped all extracurriculars. He opted out of college, and we found out that his father had received custody of him while we were in high-school and forced him to help him rob small businesses until they were both caught and sent to prison.
Image source: Puzzleheaded-Shine76
#20
Big football guy, neither a bully nor a great guy – he was alright. Think he works at CIA or state department. The nicest guy became a pediatrician, I run into him every few years – has a couple kids, teaches, seems happy. Good for him!
Image source: LawfulAwfulOffal
#21
Married a very good looking woman, 2 kids and is now the CEO of a large company. The kids are also well doing on their own.
To be fair, he was never obnoxious about it and was a good lad. Good for him. I am only a little jealous.
Image source: comicsnerd
#22
One died from alcohol poisoning at a frat party, another moved to the other side of the world to do community service.
Image source: Cosack
#23
He’s a famous pop singer. Great guy too I still hang out with him whenever he’s in my home town.
Image source: saiyamannnn
#24
Passed at 23 of leukemia unfortunately. He was a good kid though!
Image source: IAMN0TSTEVE
#25
I ended up meeting a few of the high school cool kids after college in various jobs. Became great friends with each of them. Still talk to a few today. We joke about how high school doesn’t matter at all five years out sometimes. Funny how things end up.
Image source: Candid_Koala_3602
#26
Hard to remember who was “most popular” but one of the most popular guys is doing all right. He was popular because people liked him and he was a fun and genuine guy. He married his HS girlfriend and they had a bunch of kids and are still happy and going strong. He’s still a good dude.
Image source: Funandgeeky
#27
As far as I know, he went on to play basketball in college and does stuff with the Special Olympics.
Nice guy. Never talked to him much but he was chill with everyone.
Image source: ExistentialBob
#28
Not sure.
He went into the Air Force and I’m not sure what he’s doing now.
He had some issues with his dad and being accepted.
Poor dude. I’m sure he’s doing fine.
Image source: pikkdogs
#29
Most popular guy during high school was a basketball player and he was a nice guy. He played basketball professionally back in my country and got pretty famous. Attended reunions and was still down to earth friendly to everybody.
Unfortunately he passed away 5 years ago due to an undiagnosed heart condition.
Image source: Ixz72
#30
Her transition went great and she’s happily married.
Image source: BananaNutJob
#31
Guy was a freak athlete. Football and basketball. Such a nice person. Could tell he didn’t care nor want to be popular. He apparently had some athletic scholarships after high school but had to stay home and work to help his grandma pay rent. Never went to college. Eventually became a police officer. Once again. Such a good guy. I hope he’s enjoying his life.
Image source: seekingthething
#32
From LinkedIn he works for one of the top tech companies – senior but not director level. We’re coming up on 15 year reunion so I guess thats pretty good. From what I can tell he got married and is doing well. He was one of those kids who never participated in social media. Was friendly with everyone but kept his circle super small so kind of hard to know exactly unless you’re a close friend.
Image source: bantersmyth
#33
Not sure. I left high school after freshman year to start college. I know we had one dude get a full ride football scholarship to a P5 school, but dropped out to go to the same school as his girl friend. I don’t think he ever graduated college.
This post made me realize I have almost no contact with anyone from my K-12 days. All my friends are from college.
Image source: -Economist-
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