Remember when we thought we were on top of the cool chain? If it’s not the MTV icons or the cast of shows like The OC and One Tree Hill, we’d have taken all the credit ourselves. The outfits, the accessories, the online profiles… they all reflected our personalities in the biggest, boldest ways. We were young and cool during a time when less wasn’t more and honestly, we didn’t care. It was hip, it was fun, and it still makes us feel nostalgic to this day.
But we won’t deny that looking back on those moments make us cringe, too. After all, “We didn’t know we were making memories. We just knew that we were having fun.” (You used that as a caption for a photo on Facebook or MySpace, didn’t you?)
Here are 30 things that will make you cringe and laugh at the same time. (‘fess up, we’re all guilty of these.)
Letting all your Facebook contacts know you lost your phone/changed numbers.
It was easy, convenient, and it worked. And sometimes, it gave you an excuse to leave your number for your crush to notice or to scour through the comments looking for his or hers. Genius.
The duck face
Most girls had this down pat. Apart from sporting the latest trends, you had to know how to pose for cute photos that would shortly be up on MySpace or Facebook. And no photo would be complete without the duck face, something that would definitely prompt Miranda Priestly’s “pursing of the lips”.
Texting with “style”
Because back then, cute texts meant extra letters and a clever combination of symbols to come up with different smiley faces. Of course, no text message would be complete without a LOL or an XOXO at the end.
Popcorn shirts, anyone?
Sporting a popcorn shirt (or a crinkle shirt) meant you were stylish. Girls looked for opportunities to wear these everywhere: in school, to a party, or even when arriving at sleepovers. It was definitely considered an “it girl” item.
Those straightforward Facebook status updates
That’s all they were – updates. “…is going to the mall”, “…is about to enjoy a stack of homemade pancakes. YUM.” This type of status update is a “pre-shade period” essential. Before people learned how to bring all their drama online, all you’d read then was a mix of random yet simple, straightforward updates. Good times.
Sunglasses indoors? Okay.
Nicole Richie pulled a Jackie O. 2.0 with her signature oversized sunglasses, and girls were quick to catch on. Only, of course, tweens and teens everywhere didn’t care where they wore it – all that mattered was that they had it and they could pose with it.
Using sneakers as sketchpads
The emo and the tortured artist know this all too well. We can’t say we’re proud of marking all over our Converse sneakers but hey, it did happen at some point. And when it did, there had to be photos – photos that needed to be equally “artsy” or “dramatic”.
Iconic phone cases
We were just so invested, weren’t we? It wasn’t enough that we had mobile phones for calling and texting our friends. We just had to have the phone charms, the “coolest” ringtones, and phone cases that were really out there.
Interesting makeup looks
Dabbing concealer on the lips then topping it with gloss (or leaving it matte and uhm… dry? About to crack?), or applying layer after layer of black mascara… there was nothing subtle about makeup in the 2000s. It was either pale lips and dark eyes, or pink shimmer on the lips and eyelids. Don’t get us started on the body glitter and the thin eyebrows, either.
All the trends in one ensemble
Yes, nothing was done in moderation. It was go big or go home, and you can pretty much guess what all of us chose. You’ve got your flared jeans, studded leather cuffs, thin chokers, side bangs, and colored hair in one crazy ensemble… and it worked. At least we thought it did.
Closing your flip phone dramatically whenever you had the chance
Because a) it was cool to own a flip phone and b) nothing emphasized said ownership of flip phone more than the occasional (or frequent) dramatic opening and closing to text or make/end a phone call. Plus points for the girls if you owned the pink MotoRazr!
Claiming the “cool spot” on the bus
Like there’s really any, right? Those hot leather seats sure played a role in who you thought you were in school (and you thought others were). Thankfully, we’ve all snapped out of that stage (at least most of us did) and we could care less about who’s cool or not.
Dancing the Macarena
Before Tyga came in the scene with his version, there was the version all of us danced to. Yep, we memorized the steps and we had no shame in showing that off to the rest of the world: family gatherings, birthday parties, school programs… Cringe.
Having an iPod clipped to your belt or bag strap just because
…and having to press the next button multiple times before finally being able to brag about that amazing song you just downloaded. Having an iPod was definitely cool but how we used it as an accessory was somewhat questionable. But it worked and it was convenient so hey, no regrets.
Feeling cool and triumphant about victimizing people with this video
It was a jump scare type of video that not everyone knew about, so you looked for as many victims as possible. Each time you were successful, you’d laugh like crazy and feel like you just pulled the greatest prank ever.
Choosing the cute floppy disk and being all artsy with the label
The plain colored ones worked just fine, but you just had to have the cute, transparent ones that came in different colors. It just made all your school supplies cuter and it got you attention. Plus, you could spruce it up even more by getting creative with the label.
Getting your cute on through text
More than the adorable smiley faces you could come up with by combining different symbols, you also felt like adding extra letters and always using the makeshift heart symbol that also made its way to Facebook and MySpace updates. <3
Spelling out words on your calculator
You know, words like “boobs” and “hoe”. For someone reason, that was always a hoot in class even when many others already did it first. I guess it was another one of those “look what cool stuff I can do” type of things that didn’t get old fast.
Spending hours making sure your MySpace profile looked good
Suddenly, we could all code. The best MySpace profiles had carefully curated Top 8’s, catchy updates, and everything you could think of. The more colorful and eyecatching your profile was, the cooler you were.
Your Xanga had to be cool, too.
Apart from writing entries about friends or your crush, or creating a post dedicated to quotes, the overall look of your Xanga page had to be amazing, too. After all, your audience wasn’t just limited to school peers. You could come up on the Google search results for “best Xanga quotes” and not know it.
That email address you once thought was so cool
…is now quite potentially one of the most embarrassing things you’ve ever created. Kudos to you if you’ve managed to delete the account eventually but if you’ve kept it up to your employment days, well… that’s something else.
Creating a mixtape for your crush
And staying anonymous. Dropping it in his or her locker was the thing, and it had to have really cute artwork, too. The songs ranged from “Ocean Avenue” by Yellowcard to “Why Can’t I” by Liz Phair. Peyton Sawyer, thank you for introducing us to just how wonderful music can be for sending signals.
Your choice of footwear
It was Spice Girls meets Lizzie McGuire and you had the outfits to match each pair with. From chunky sandals to platform sneakers, you thought you were rocking the coolest footwear at school or in the mall and the other girls knew it, too.
Your instant messaging Away message
Before the Chainsmokers, there was Dashboard Confessional, Avril Lavigne, Liz Phair… artists that had the best lyrics you could use as an away message – a message you sincerely hoped your crush would see.
The MySpace star look
Trucker caps, glossy lips, 0ff-shoulder tops… anything that would make the likes of Kendra Wilkinson and Tila Tequila proud. Having these on and posting a duck face mirror selfie would have your peers watching your every move. Ah, to be a social media star.
Wearing multiple Livestrong bands
Whether for making a statement, raising awareness, or just plain accessorizing, you were in if you had these on your arm. Arm party was way, way different in the early 2000s. It didn’t matter what you were wearing, you just had to have these.
Shutter shades
Kanye did it first, and the rest of us were eager to follow. Never mind that they came in colors that didn’t always match our outfits. Never mind that we chose to wear them indoors. The important thing was, we were fashion forward with these. LOL.
It’s not just a phase, mom.
Scene kids knew how to make a statement. It wasn’t something that needed to be understood. It was really just about standing out, making a statement, and riding the angsty wave throughout your teen years.
Wearing candy-colored wayfarers everywhere
It was cute and fashionable then. It went with skinny jeans, flippy mini skirts, baby tees, name it. Never mind that we chose neon colors to rock. What mattered was we had the best eyewear to show off.
Digital camera mirror selfies
You had to have a digital camera at every party. Uploading the photos to MySpace and Facebook gained you a lot of attention, too. Today’s mirror selfies will definitely put ours to shame. Oh, well.
Most of these may have made you cringe but they definitely made some of the best years of your life extra memorable. Besides, it’s always good to have something to laugh about with your friends. So the next time you think about deleting old pictures or throwing away those “used to be cool” accessories, think again. You might wanna keep those in a box for moments when you feel like taking a trip down memory lane.
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