44 Cringe-Worthy Photos of Teens Who Thought They Were Peak Cool

The teenage years are an exceptional period in most young people’s lives, no matter the generation. They are often accompanied by acts of rebellion, experiments with your looks, and all sorts of exciting experiences. That is why documenting them is a must—it allows you to look back on them years later and, well, let’s be honest, have a good laugh most of the time.

This type of content is what makes the ‘Blunder Years’ subreddit great. Its description encourages people to share their “dusty treasures with the world”, and they sure do, which is why there are already 853k members in the community.

Back in the day—during the film camera era, for instance—taking pictures was more difficult than snapping a quick selfie nowadays. That might be one of the reasons current teenagers will have plenty to look back on in the future. Nowadays, young adults have roughly 10 million photos compiled on their smartphones collectively.

The good old selfie is likely to be one of the most recurring types of photographs in the future. Statistics reveal that nearly 56% of young people (18-to-24-year-olds, to be exact) take up to four such self-portraits a day; 9% of them take eight or more. 

At one point taking a selfie was nearly impossible without doing the so-called duck face. Even though its golden years seem to be long gone, it was a popular trend once, and teenagers can be quite susceptible to pop culture or similar influences. For example, they might start to dress or behave in a way that people in mass media do, that’s supposed to be representative of teenagers.

NSS Magazine pointed out that over time, the way young characters were depicted in magazines, movies, or TV shows grew more and more distant from the actual everyday youth. Eventually, the portrait presented in the media became more of a role model rather than a representative, and some teenagers started copying it.

Copying or idolizing certain popular figures is normal teenage behavior. According to child and adolescent psychiatrist Dr. Alan Ravitz, putting them on a pedestal like that is linked to the teens’ inclination to create fantasies and a developing need for independence.

In an article for the Child Mind Institute, he pointed out that as they grow, kids develop psychological and emotional independence from their parents. That is why they need someone to look up to that is not mom or dad, and in our culture nowadays, they often choose renowned athletes, movie stars, or other famous people.

The Child Mind Institute shed light on the downsides of obsessing over famous people as well. The latter can set the wrong example when it comes to body image or the materialistic world. In addition to that, excessive obsession over a well-known person can consume the youngster to the extent that they start to isolate themselves from the outside world.

Newport Academy also analyzed how celebrities influence teenagers. It pointed out that the youth often compare themselves to famous people, which might create unrealistic standards considering their looks. Surveys revealed that as much as 80% of girls have done exactly that. Luckily, some renowned personas use their influence to spread positive messages about body image or start positive trends.

A very significant trend—just look at how many representatives it has on this list alone—was the emo phase, popular in the early 2000s. Its origins came from the post-[intense] music genre, known as emocore. The latter started gaining popularity around the 1980s, way before the emo look became a somewhat mainstream style choice for teenagers around the world.

As a matter of fact, some style choices that were popular two decades ago are making a comeback. Fashionistas are wearing certain pieces again that might cause you flashbacks. Just to give you an example, remember the tiny shoulder bag that you can barely put your arm through? Or the bucket hat that resembles something students wear on a field trip? That’s what I’m talking about.

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