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Article created by: Indrė Lukošiūtė

Flipping through old family albums is both a pleasure and a challenge for us. It’s great to revisit wholesome memories from our past again, but it can really hurt to see just how many embarrassing and awkward photos there are of us. It’s cold, hard proof that we weren’t as cool as we thought we were! Is that really how we used to dress? Oh, dear Lord, is that what we look like when we smile?!

If you learn to embrace that goofy and derpy side of yourself, you might realize just how much fun you can have in front of the camera when you’re not trying to come across as ‘perfect.’ And it makes it sooo much easier to deal with any awkward pics you might find in your archives.

That’s where the Awkward Family Photos project comes in. The brainchild of childhood friends Mike Bender and Doug Chernack, AFP features super awkward and cringy photos from the past that are incredibly fun to look at. Nearly all of us have some pics at home like this which makes it even more enjoyable.

Scroll down for the newest vintage awkward pics, as featured by Awkward Family Photos, and remember to upvote your fave ones, Pandas. Got any similar photos to share with us? You can post your pics in the comments. And if you can’t get enough of AFP, then hang on to your hats and check out Bored Panda’s recent articles about the project here, here, and here.

More info: Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | AwkwardFamilyPhotos.com

#1

"My Favorite Picture Of My Parents. Them On Their Wedding Day. 1991"

Young woman drinking from a bottle while a man in a suit looks on in this awkward family photo moment.

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    #2

    "My Grandma Got Bit By A Pelican On The Pier And Then Began To Scold It"

    Woman in casual clothes pointing at a pelican on a railing, capturing an awkward family photo moment by the water.

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    #3

    “One Of Our Goats And I Were Both Pregnant With Twins And Due The Same Week. I Made Her Dress Up And Take Maternity Photos With Me”

    Pregnant woman in white dress with a flower crown holding a goat dressed in white, an awkward family photo moment.

    awkwardfamilyphotos Report

    #4

    "My All Time Favorite Picture Of My Sister. She Was 6, Tired, And Had Just Tried Sparkling Grape Juice. Not A Fan"

    Young child wearing a yellow party hat and holding a glass, captured in an awkward family photo moment.

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    #5

    "Dad Didn't Have Much Luck In The Arm Wrestling Circuit, But He Has High Hopes For His Boy"

    Man and baby sitting on a red armchair in an awkward family photo with the baby sucking on the man's thumb.

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    #6

    "We Just Wanted A Nice Family Photo"⁠

    Family photo with two dogs roaring in the foreground, capturing an awkward family photos moment indoors.

    awkwardfamilyphotos Report

    #7

    "When It’s Your First Day Of Kindergarten And Also Your First Day As Head Of The Pta"

    Young girl with curly hair, missing front teeth, wearing pearl earrings and a denim jacket with a spotted fur collar in awkward family photo.

    awkwardfamilyphotos Report

    #8

    “As A Child, I Would Dress Up As A Clown Whenever There Was A Reason To Celebrate – In This Case The Birth Of My Younger Brother”

    Family posing awkwardly outdoors with child in clown costume, capturing a classic awkward family photo moment.

    awkwardfamilyphotos Report

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    #9

    "I Asked My Grandma If She Had Some Rice That I Can Put My Phone In When It Got Wet And She Pulls This Out Of A Cabinet"

    Elderly woman smiling while holding a container labeled telephone rice in an awkward family photo moment.

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    #10

    “I Was Just Trying To Peel My Daughter Off Of Me, Sit Her On The Bench And Then I Was Running To Get Out Of The Picture. However It Looks Like I Have Left My Children With Their Sitter And Am Running Away For Dear Life!”

    Child crying next to Santa with a serious boy and running woman in an awkward family photos Christmas setting.

    awkwardfamilyphotos Report

    #11

    “I Got A Life Sized Barbie When I Was 7 And My Brother Had Other Ideas”

    Young boy awkwardly kissing a Barbie doll while a girl in a princess dress looks on, a classic awkward family photo moment.

    awkwardfamilyphotos Report

    #12

    “My Poor Daughter Never Heard The End Of It From Her Siblings After Her Heartbreaker Tee Shirt Turned To Fartbreaker For School Pictures"

    Young girl smiling in a school photo wearing a red shirt, one of the awkward family photos shared online.

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    #13

    "My Dad In High School (1959) vs. Me In High School (1986)"

    Side-by-side awkward family photos showing a man with a cigarette and a boy playing a sousaphone outdoors.

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    #14

    “My Sister Looking Like She’s Gonna Tear My Head Off When I Was An Infant Being Held By My Dad”

    Father holding newborn baby while older child in bright clothing awkwardly smiles in home with flowers and wood paneling

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    #15

    “During Our ‘Perfect’ Beach Photo Shoot, My Oldest Son Jumped On My Back, Propelling My Infant Son Out Of My Arms"

    Family struggling at the beach with a child falling into the water in an awkward family photo moment.

    "My infant son was not harmed, just wet and scared but mommy is forever traumatized.”

    awkwardfamilyphotos Report

    #16

    "A Valentines Day Card From A Student Of Mine"

    Handwritten awkward family photo card with stick figures and a thank you note about pushing to goals.

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    #17

    “Our Grandma Used To Not Only Give My Sister And Me Mullets In The 80s, She Would Then Perm Them. Matching Permed Mullets. Need I Say More?”⁠

    Two girls with big curly hairstyles posing in an awkward family photo with vintage dresses and a decorative pedestal.

    awkwardfamilyphotos Report

    #18

    “My Husband As An Infant. I Prayed Our Children Would Not Inherit His Large Cranium”

    Baby with an awkward expression resting chin on hands in a vintage awkward family photo with yellow tones.

    awkwardfamilyphotos Report

    Paul Kinnear
    Community Member
    9 months ago

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    #19

    “Our Daughter Would Not Cooperate For Her Photos. She Was Doing Everything But Smiling. Here She Is Getting Ready To 'Hulk' Out”

    Toddler girl in a purple dress making a funny face sitting on a wooden floor in an awkward family photo setting.

    awkwardfamilyphotos Report

    #20

    "I Was Born In 1981 But Turned 55 In 1992"

    Vintage awkward family photo of a young person with large glasses and retro clothing posing for a school portrait.

    awkwardfamilyphotos Report

    #21

    "My Daughter Was Supposed To Be A Flower Girl In Her Aunt's Wedding But Napping Is Life (And She Was Safely Strapped In)"

    Baby in white dress awkwardly leaning back in wagon during family gathering with people sitting on pews nearby.

    awkwardfamilyphotos Report

    #22

    “A Photo My Mom Captured Of My Then Two Year Old Daughter"

    Toddler sitting on bed reading The Exorcist book with a dazed expression, an awkward family photo moment.

    awkwardfamilyphotos Report

    #23

    "My Great Grandma And Her Twin Sister In Springfield, Missouri. The Original Inspiration For The Shining I’m Sure"

    Two young girls with long braids and bows in an old awkward family photo from 1909, sitting on a couch.

    awkwardfamilyphotos Report

    #24

    "My Parents Wedding Day, 1980s"

    Man in suit posing to hold a woman in a wedding dress on his hand in a creative yet awkward family photo outdoors.

    awkwardfamilyphotos Report

    #25

    "My Husband’s Grandfather Hung Every Photo On The Wall That He Had Of His Grandchildren"

    Man with two children posing awkwardly in front of a large trash dumpster filled with black garbage bags in winter.

    "As a test, the family had the grandkids pose by a garbage dumpster and sent it to his grandfather to see what he would do and he still hung it up on the wall. It then became a tradition to send him photos of the family by dumpsters."

    awkwardfamilyphotos Report

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    #26

    “This Is A Photo Of My Daughter And Her Father Riding The Tennessee Tornado Roller Coaster At Dollywood. When We Saw The Photo At The Sales Kiosk, We Laughed So Hard We Just Had To Buy It!”

    Two people on a roller coaster ride showing scared and awkward expressions in an awkward family photo.

    awkwardfamilyphotos Report

    #27

    “It Was 1990 So I Guess My Parents Thought They’d Dress Me Up Like A New Wave Recording Artist”

    Toddler wearing mismatched pants and red cardigan standing on a couch in an awkward family photo indoors.

    awkwardfamilyphotos Report

    #28

    "It Was My Son’s First Time On My Favorite Ride And He Was Terrified. As For My Husband, He Just Always Looks Like That"

    Family on a log ride with mixed expressions capturing an awkward family photo moment at an amusement park.

    awkwardfamilyphotos Report

    #29

    "Vintage 1984 Polaroid Of Mr. T Pitying Me As A Baby With My Mom"

    Man dressed in retro style with gold chains interacting with baby held by smiling woman in awkward family photo.

    awkwardfamilyphotos Report

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    #30

    “The Photographer Kept Telling My Son To “Smile More!” And This Was His Version Of Smiling “More””

    Smiling mother with two children posing for an awkward family photo with playful and exaggerated expressions.

    awkwardfamilyphotos Report

    #31

    "My Daughter Would Not Stop Crying Until She Got Her Own Cone Of Shame"

    Little girl and dog both wearing protective cones in an awkward family photo moment inside a living room.

    awkwardfamilyphotos Report

    #32

    "I Apologize For My Crimes Against The Ozone Layer. High School Graduation, 1989"⁠

    Woman with a large two-tone teased hairstyle in a vintage awkward family photo holding a bouquet of flowers.

    awkwardfamilyphotos Report

    #33

    "My Mother And Grandmother Demonstrating Safety Standards In The 1960s"

    Mother and child on an old chairlift ride above Jackson Wyoming in one of the most awkward family photos from 1965.

    awkwardfamilyphotos Report

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    #34

    “This Is My Sister Graduating High School Back When You Had To Wait To Get Photos Developed”

    A vintage awkward family photo of a high school graduation ceremony with a graduate receiving a diploma.

    awkwardfamilyphotos Report

    #35

    “It’s Hard To Get All 4 Brothers To Behave For A Picture But The Oldest Sure Tried To Keep Everyone In Line”

    Four young boys captured in awkward family photos, showing a mix of playful and uncomfortable moments.

    awkwardfamilyphotos Report

    #36

    "Came Across Some Old Photos Of A Weird Looking Baby At My Parents' House. Found Out It’s Me At 4 Weeks. Thank God They Captured My Beauty Before I Grew Out Of It"

    Two vintage awkward family photos of a baby making shocked expressions while holding a football and a teddy bear.

    awkwardfamilyphotos Report

    #37

    "Found At My Parents. Not Sure If I Should Laugh Or Cry?"

    Old VHS tape labeled for Matthew's 1st birthday with Ghostbusters II, a nostalgic awkward family photo moment.

    awkwardfamilyphotos Report

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    #38

    "My Great-Grandfather's Passport Photo From 1978"

    Elderly man in formal suit holding a glass of wine, featured in an awkward family photo with vintage ID background.

    awkwardfamilyphotos Report

    #39

    “Thirteen Of Grandma’s Grandchildren Were In The House For A Couple Days Around Christmas-Time. She Was Pretty Exhausted”

    Elderly woman resting head on table while working on puzzle, an awkward family photo capturing a humorous moment.

    awkwardfamilyphotos Report

    #40

    “Grandma Made These Wonderful Crochet Vests For Each Of My Husband’s Siblings. He Looks Strangely Happy About It. (Far Right)”

    Group of children wearing handmade crocheted tops posing for an awkward family photo from the 1970s era.

    awkwardfamilyphotos Report

    #41

    “I Received This Photo From My Dad While He Was Babysitting My Daughter. When She Found Out Grandpa Could Take Out His Teeth, He Let Her Wear Them”

    Older man and young child making funny faces, showing awkward family photos that evoke cringe and humor.

    awkwardfamilyphotos Report

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    #42

    "My 2001 School Photo"

    Teen girl with spiked hair posed for an awkward family photo with a subtle smile and blue patterned top.

    "In order to perfect this aesthetic masterpiece, I put a massive amount of gel in my wet hair, then I bent over and swung my hair around and blow dried it upside down until the gel hardened completely… I got a little lightheaded each time, but clearly worth it!”

    awkwardfamilyphotos Report

    #43

    "Here Is My Dad With My Grandma In 1956 At The Snow King Chair Lift"

    Woman and child on a swing high above a cityscape, an awkward family photo from July 1956 in Wyoming.

    awkwardfamilyphotos Report