Blunder years could be described as a period in someone's life when they thought they were different and edgy but in reality they were choosing terrible clothes and even worse haircuts.
There's even a subreddit dedicated to it, appropriately called Blunder Years: pictures from a regrettable past. It invites people who just found their old photos not to delete them but to make amends with their former self and upload it on the Internet. And many do. Here are some of the cringiest posts the online community has to offer.
When you're done scrolling through them, check out our earlier article about people posting their most embarrassing childhood photos.
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2008, Senior Friend Asked Me To Prom When I Was A Freshman. My Parents Didn't Want Me To Go But Also Didn't Want To Forbid Me, So They Didn't Give Me Money For A Dress Thinking That Would Stop Us. We Made Both Of Our Outfits Entirely Out Of Duct Tape For Like $30
You might think these people are crazy for posting such photos on the Internet. However, a certain amount of self-reflection can be healthy, helping a person to become their strongest self.
But only to a certain extent, of course. Amy Morin, the author of 13 Things Mentally Strong People Don't Do, said dwelling on the past can easily distract someone from the present. "The truth is, you never know what life would have had in store for you if you'd made a different choice," she told Inc.
It Was “Opposite Day” At School In 2005, Most People Wore Black And White Or Something.. I Decide To Dress As A Girl.. I Lived In A Small Town In Idaho. It Didn’t Go Over Well
Wanted to say the same. The effort he put into this, wow!
Load More Replies...Love it, people who had/have an issue with it can go suck eggs.
In my city in Brasil, in Carnaval we have a day called "vai quem quer" (Goes there who wanna go) and girls dress like boys and boys dress like girls. I gotta say I look fantastic in a dress.
Do it like a Shakespeare play, dear. Confidence and whole lot of rouge
Load More Replies...This is great! You rocked the Slipknot shirt and fishnet stockings.
we had something similar in our school. All the "jocks" (to use a USA term), wore "girls clothes", and the girls wore their boys sports uniforms / clothes etc. It was hilarious!! And these were cliche very Aussie blokes ie you did NOT question their "manliness"... and yet dressing in chicks clothes for a day, was treated as fun. Ah... the memories. <3
My high school in Southern California did the same thing! Every year they would have a "powder puff" football game. The cheerleaders would wear football uniforms all day and then play a game against another cheerleading squad from a rival school. The football players would wear the cheer outfits all day long and then cheer for the girls. It was the only football game I was ever interested in cause it was fun to watch the boys cheer and the girls were absolute beasts on the field.
Load More Replies...Embarrassing? No, brilliant! I would have liked this guy :-)
We had an opposite day when I was at school. Everyone turned up with their school uniforms on backwards and I arrived dressed in jeans, T-shirt and trainers. When I was asked what makes it opposite I said "It's the opposite to school uniform" I got away with it
Gosh I had a laughter attack, my son also dressed as a girl complete with balloons for an Opposite Dance. Thank you for the memorable gales of laughter I think your a most HANDSOME boy...the girl not so much lol lol lol 💘
Would've been cute to have added fishnet around the exposed waist - you did well coordinating everything together! You did not look happy but still sweetly cute!
I live in Idaho. Just add a beard and a rifle and you could be my neighbors twin! (He’s a super nice guy) 😂
hahaha Idaho! We’d celebrate you!!! (If it was North Idaho then sorry.)
Pretty good! It can't be called "drag", or even "cross-dressing" - it's more "1970s Punk/Metal"
Opposite Day at was wearing pyjamas or clothes. Took it to eleven. Well done.
Forgot to add that it takes a STRONG young man to do what you did - you rock!
That skirts up to code but not the shirt. Did you get dress-coded for it?
Why not? It’s not about bravery, he did not came out as a gay, or something that might offend someone. He’s way of dressing is the exact definition of Opposite. A boy, dressed as a girl. Nailed it.
I suspect you are doing brilliantly, whilst the rest are still clinging to their "best years" in HS. You go!
I really feel for you. My son did the same thing for crisscross day at his highschool.
Cute. Too bad they don’t have Powderpuff Football anymore. You are ready for a Cheerleader. (The girls play football in full pads.)
In, out, over, around and outside the box. You thought and came up with an original idea!
Yeah, uh ... Idaho. Good job though! Actually, in the little town I lived in, they really did have a day where the boys dressed as girls. Then they did a "talent" show. I have hilarious pictures of my 6'5" (at that time) husband. Way funny. BTW he continued to grow and eventually reached 6'8".
The confidence it would take to not freak out, turn around and go to change
Well look at the bright side. You MUST BE STRAIGHT because no self respecting homosexual would leave the house looking like that!! LOL
I believe the downvotes are from peeps not knowing the SK maggots reference lol
Load More Replies...Depending on your circumstances, you may just need to give yourself permission to move forward, and then make a conscious effort to stop every time you beat your head over how lame you used to look in high-school.
"Refusing to dwell on the past isn't about ignoring the things that happened. Instead, it often means embracing and accepting your experiences so you can live in the present," Morin explained. "So recognize the emotional toll that dwelling on something is taking on you, and then give yourself permission to move forward."
I Don't Know If I'm More Embarrassed By How Many Hours It Took Teen Me To Make This, Or That I Actually Tagged My Crush When I Posted It
Got Dumped A Week Before Prom, But My Mom Insisted I Go Take The Pictures She Paid For, So I Made A Sock Puppet To Bring As My Date. I Regret Nothing
My Mom Dressed Me Like This So I Was Easy To Spot When She Picked Me Up...
My Mom Told Me Not To Blink During My 2nd Grade Class Picture
My Siblings And I Were Forced Into A ‘Pet Look Alike’ Competition. It Still Haunts Us
My Dad Always Thought This Haircut Looked Incredible On Me. My Mom Thought The Shirt Was Incredible. Looking Back At 2nd Grade Me Is Incredible. I'm A Female
In Honor Of My Husband’s 37th Birthday, I Present To You His Senior Prom Photo From 2000
Tried To Smile, Channeled Jim Carrey Instead. Allllllllrighty Then
My Mother Said I Would Regret This Photo... No Regrets Mom! Circa 2002
10m, And Looking Like A Middle Age Mom Who’s Deciding To Grace You With A Smile, While Still Judging You Just A Little
‘How Did You Know I Was Gay?’ Said The Posing Seven Year Old Boy In Make Up, A Perm, And Black Sequinned Jellicle Cats Dance Costume
It’s Amazing What Growing A Beard, Growing Up, Changing Your Style And Leaving A Cult Can Do For You! (2011 vs. 2020)
My Boyfriend's 10th Grade Picture Is Pure Rebellion. According To Him, His Mom Cried When She Received The Pictures Back
ohhhhh the teenage passive-aggressive rebellion is strong in this one. I totally appreciate the thought process behind this. If I was his parent, I would've found this hilarious.
Had A "Photoshoot" With My Mom And Thought That Being "The Weird Kid" Made Me Cool And Mysterious
that's one good lookin' guy.... (swap the leather coat for a plain black leather coat, & it'd be classic). Please tell me you took these to a legit modelling agency. Because jacket-choice aside, you could've got a contract.
Ten Years And One Transition Later: Some Things Never Change
There is no reason to ditch Mario, no matter what's your age or gender.
My Family Looking Like An Ll Bean Catalog Submission, And Then There's 15 Year Old Me
Found My High School ID This Morning
My All-Time Favorite Picture Of My Husband. He Was 20 In This Picture. Posting With His Reluctant Permission
It's like business at the front party at the back but in the picture it's party at the top business at the bottom
Husband? Dead. Emotion? Devastated. Insurance Money? Cashed. Eyebrows? Don’t Need Them
12 Years Ago. Teenage Pregnancy. Our First Family Photo
School Photo Looking Like 60-Year Old Librarian With My Cardigan, Turtleneck And Thick Glasses Date And Age Unknown
My Mother Found This Photo Of My Church Friend (Ryan Gosling) And I. We Had Some Awful 90s Hairs Cuts
When I Was 14 I Was Dating A Girl From Another High School. I Decided To Surprise Her On Her Birthday By Dressing Up As A Clown And Busting Into Her Classroom Singing “Happy Birthday”. She Was Mortified! When The Dust Settled She Thankfully Realized The Thoughtfulness That Went Into The Gesture
8th Grade Me Thought I Was The [Coolest], Went Like This To A Christian Concert Event
I Was That Girl
In High School I Went Through A Belt Phase. For Some Reason, I Thought The More Belts I Had On, The Cooler I Looked. I Later Discovered... That Was A Lie
They Seem To Bring A Smile To Your Face. Hope This Makes Your Day A Little Better. I Present, Me As A Kid
Me At 17(2010) Living It Up In Vegas
Me, On My 8th Birthday, Getting The DS I Raved About
Growing Up In Detroit When Eminem Came Out Yeaaaaaah...
14 Year Old Me Photoshopping Out My Dad For Britney Spears. This Is Just So Toxic
Me At Age 15, Channeling My Inner 30something Business Woman
Dwight Schrute Glasses? Check. Braces? Check. Turtle And Cat As Only Friends? Check. Braided Rat Tail With Beads? Zoom In...
As Most People Thought My Fiancé Last Photo Was Not A Blunder, I Present To You Her College Library Card - 2003
I Was In An Early 2000's Transitional Phase Between Awkward And Total Embarrassment
Well I'm 34 Now. Still Into Model Rockets Though
I’m Glad My Looks Didn’t Peak At Age 13. (Not A Costume. God Help Me, I Really Dressed Like That)
My Childhood Was Destined To Be A Rough One...
Hawaii Wasn’t Ready For My Ice Cold Sister And I In 2003
Freshman College, ‘94: Control Yourselves, Ladies
He looks like he's headed to Silicone Valley to start his own tech company.
Mom Found This Recently, Me At 18, My Reaction When She Showed Me Was "God Damn What Is That Creature"
2002, Age 14. I Have No Idea What I Was Rebelling Against But I Was Going At It Hard
My Outfit During A Snowfall In May 2004
My Junior Year Yearbook Picture
Sophomore Year Of High School, I Would Show Up Like This And Hang Out Behind The Library With My Little Edgy Kids Group
My Parents On Their Second Date!
I Was A Cute Little Girl, Except For The Fact That I'm A Guy
ah, the cliche of gender-signalling identifiers. You were cute. end of story. :)
Every Time My Friend Moves, She Rediscovers This Gem From Middle School
Note: this post originally had 196 images. It’s been shortened to the top 50 images based on user votes.
My Bro-in-law knows not to mes with me. I have pix of him with a bright blue mohawk and faux tattoos from the early 1990s. No idea what he was going for then, but right now he just wants his kids never ot see those... Mwahahahaha!
As an asian, I must say I never had anything close to this which I can call a "phase" but this is fascinating. I wonder what I would have been like had I the means to do things like this. No offense.
I feel blessed. I don't have that many photos of me. I must have hidden! But bless these people that shared of themselves.
I had some awful fashion phases too. I'm glad these people were brave enough to post theirs. Makes me feel a little bit better about myself.
I'm 72 and I'm still embarassed by a picture taken of me in my Brownie uniform whern I was abut 11. My mom kept it on display until she died!
I hate it when people comment "I would (dress like that or do that) if Only I was brave enough" either so it or don't if you are afraid to then simply don't ...0 regret
My Bro-in-law knows not to mes with me. I have pix of him with a bright blue mohawk and faux tattoos from the early 1990s. No idea what he was going for then, but right now he just wants his kids never ot see those... Mwahahahaha!
As an asian, I must say I never had anything close to this which I can call a "phase" but this is fascinating. I wonder what I would have been like had I the means to do things like this. No offense.
I feel blessed. I don't have that many photos of me. I must have hidden! But bless these people that shared of themselves.
I had some awful fashion phases too. I'm glad these people were brave enough to post theirs. Makes me feel a little bit better about myself.
I'm 72 and I'm still embarassed by a picture taken of me in my Brownie uniform whern I was abut 11. My mom kept it on display until she died!
I hate it when people comment "I would (dress like that or do that) if Only I was brave enough" either so it or don't if you are afraid to then simply don't ...0 regret