We all remember our middle school days, even if we try hard not to. The cringe neon highlighter outfits, the awkward haircuts we didn’t know how to grow into, the new trends we anxiously tried to keep up with (or refused to follow) in hopes of looking cool. Middle school days were a whirlwind of emotions but without it, there’s no way that we could be the people we are today.
Looking back at old middle school photos might make us cringe with discomfort, but I think it’s important to appreciate that uncomfortable nostalgic feeling we get, and sit with it for what it is. A feeling of acknowledging change. Kendall Jenner, famous model and pop icon, even explains how her therapist urges her to look back with love instead of embarrassment. “‘why don’t you find a photo of yourself and put it on your bathroom mirror’ so that every day, every night you’re looking at her and you’re remembering that if you’re ever being mean to yourself, you’re talking about her.” Photos of our younger selves remind us that even though we have changed and grown, we were all still 11 at some point, and that 11 year old is definitely somewhere within us all, rooting for us.
Converse, chunky glasses, lokai bracelets and galaxy leggings were my typical go to outfit in 2016. A signature look that oddly enough made me feel confident and hip. Sometimes, on special occasions, I’d even accessorize my Hello Kitty purse and pink shiny lip gloss that my favorite youtuber probably made look cooler than it really was. Now, it seems as if most middle schoolers are more eager than ever to grow up and out of any potentially cringy phase. The lokai and rainbow loom bracelets we’d craze over are swapped out with apple watches, with fancy wrist bands. Hello Kitty satchels are swapped for LuluLemon belt bags. Pink cheap lip gloss from CVS is exchanged for Glossier, or an absurdly expensive Sephora product advertised on TikTok. It seems as though each generation is more and more eager to grow up as quickly as they can, and even though I once had the same desire to be a teenager and be grown up, it’s not like we can ever be 11 again. A cringy phase is almost a rite of passage in childhood, and it’s all a part of figuring out where we are and who we’re not.
This would be my advice for 11-year-old me:
Dear me from 2016,
Right now you are probably trying to learn a new song on your ukulele, or maybe journaling, or rereading the 4th Harry Potter book. Maybe you’re even listening to Twenty One Pilots, or the Hamilton soundtrack through wired earbuds while you do your homework in your room. Maybe you’re drawing on your converse, or FaceTiming your friends on your new iPad, making a musical.ly or fighting with mom. Whatever you’re doing or whatever you’re stressing out about, I want you to simply just live and enjoy it. Enjoy everything about where you are right now. Even the moments you feel like you hate. Like how cold it gets waiting for the bus in the morning, or how stressful friend group drama is, or how boring the same peanut butter jelly school lunch Dad packs every single day tastes. Even if you’re annoyed, and it’s all so simple and too constant, just take it all in. Every annoying, embarrassing, cringy moment!
Most importantly, unapologetically continue being yourself, because that is what being young is about anyway. You’re too young to be worrying about whether or not people are judging you, because even if they are, it doesn’t matter. Wear your galaxy leggings and your converse and your Twenty One Pilots sweatshirt because you’ll look back and be glad you did. I’m already looking back now, proud of the way we grew up and the way we tried every trend, and discovered what we liked and what we hated.
Embracing our annoying younger selves allows us to remember and appreciate how much we have changed. We are meant to change, and change is beautiful. Being young is all about learning and experiencing and being ourselves even if we don’t know what that means yet. So it’s not fair to cringe too hard or hate the children we used to be. Somewhere inside us all, there’s a 11-year-old middle schooler who was just trying to learn how to grow up for the first time. I hope you all can find that middle schooler, and give that 11-year-old you a hug or forgiveness, because we all know we probably needed it.
Autumn is a sophomore journalism and religious studies double major and encourages us all to give our 11-year-old selves a big hug. They can be reached at [email protected]