Growing up is hard. And our various stages of development are just – let’s face it – super awkward and weird.
But you never really get a true appreciation of that until you’re looking at it all in hindsight. It’s not until you’ve had a little distance between you and the thing that you can pick up the photos and other perfect records of the past and say “Wait…what was going on with me?”
The good news is that this is a more or less universal experience and thus there’s no sense getting all shy about it. Instead, celebrate your strange past, and even spread it around the internet, if you wish, like these denizens of Reddit did.
10. Many talents
Do you think the person creating that page layout knew what was up?
9. Super cool
Smoking kills, kids. Don’t do it.
8. Blow that horn
I’m not sure why, but I can just hear the cicadas in the background of this photo.
7. She bangs, she bangs
Hey, better than adult me could do. Good job.
6. A historic moment
If you actually ate that entire thing I am really proud of you, kid.
5. Christian Granny Goth
Do you have a moment to have some tea and talk about our lord and savior Nosferatu?
4. Look out
Eh, you’ll grow into ’em.
3. All the way done
This kid is about to go write some VERY intense and also illegible things in her diary.
2. Signs of things to come
Well that’s just downright weird.
1. Spiral perms and shoulder pads
I don’t know why it was a thing for a while for women to have pretend broad shoulders, but it was.
And it’ll probably come back, because, fashion.
Ah. Good times.
What were your awkward years like?
Tell us in the comments.