In middle school, we all had bad hair, braces, and awkward personalities. Now, kids who are 12 look like they are 17, and they skip that entire stage. Seriously? Let’s bring it back to the early 2000s and look at what we wore. I know since we obsessed over Disney Channel stars, it was partly their fault (sorry, Hillary Duff!), but what were we thinking when we got dressed in the morning?! Cringe-worthy? Yes. Hilarious? Yes! Grab your chocolate vanilla crème pop tart, set your AIM status to “brb rawr xx,” and be prepared to remember a time you thought you buried away in the back of your mind.
1. Scene hair
What. Were. We. Thinking. My mom never let me dye my hair, but since mine was naturally red, it didn’t really matter. I’d give myself a really deep part and *try* to tease the back of my hair. It was awful. When you mixed that hair with mirror selfies and selfies where you hold the camera up as high as possible, it made it even worse.
2. Tank tops over shirts
I remember I saw someone in my homeroom do this with a spaghetti strap peasant top over a white shirt. And I thought, “This is it. This is so trendy.” I was right, but so, so wrong.
3. Velour track suits
My family didn’t have enough money to buy the Juicy Couture one, but wow, did I drool over it and try to recreate the look with an Aeropostale version. Oh man…Aeropostale is a whole other story.
4. Logo/graphic everything
Shirts, sweatpants, bags, pants, shoes – everything had a brand name on it. We were literally walking billboards, and we paid $35 for a T-shirt.
5. Belts over pants (and everything punk)
After Lindsay Lohan and Avril Levine starting doing the whole “punk” thing, wearing belts over jeans or cargo pants was definitely a trend, especially on MySpace.
6. Plaid “cowgirl” shirts
Do you remember getting on Tumblr and seeing a million of these style blogs? I always tried to copy the clothes in the pictures, and I totally bought a yellow plaid shirt from American Eagle to take a selfie like this.
7. Super low-rise boot cut jeans and sparkle belts
I remember my first pair of “cool” jeans. I wore them every chance I got and always wore my best shirts with them. Of course I paired them with light brown suede clogs!
8. Chunky high-lights and chopped layers
Every brunette in my school had this exact haircut. I styled my hair in the layers, and it was so annoying because if you didn’t straighten it every day, it would be really poofy. Plus, it was impossible to put in a ponytail for sports.
9. These hats in every color and material
10. Ponchos
I remember these being in style for literally two weeks and then if you wore them after, you were a dorky weirdo. I made my mom buy me two (including a green version of the one below), and I only wore them once. Sorry, mom.
11. Super heavy eyeliner
Every school had a scene group that reapplied their eyeliner multiple times a day. It was so thick and dark. I remember one girl was so good at it that she didn’t need a mirror – we were in line for school pictures and she spent the whole 15 minute wait putting on eyeliner, and everyone thought she was so cool.
12. Writing on your shoes
Angsty teen lyrics covered our converses. So did words like “rawr” and “bling bling” and signatures of our friends with “ily♥”
13. Sparkly/shiny makeup
There were rhinestones on our jeans and shirts, and sparkles on our eyes. I remember the first eyeshadow I had was a pink shimmer a friend snuck to me because I wasn’t allowed to wear makeup. Then, in eighth grade, I got a sparkly gold palette which my mom always borrowed from me. My mom was trendy.
14. Heelys
My mom never let me get a pair because she said “these are just a fad and they’ll be out soon.” She was right, of course. However, that never stopped me from being jealous of my friend who had four pairs.
15. Tiny purses
These could fit your tiny razor cell phone and a pencil, and that’s about it. But hey, they were cute right?? They were sequined, logo-covered, and super durable. Why do purses now get dirty so easily? What were these made out of??
Looking back and remembering the 2000s got me feeling nostalgic. Middle school was actually pretty fun, even if the fashion trends were a little questionable. I’m super glad we got rid of those streaks in our hair!
Photo Credit: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16