While everyone says that middle school was a dark time filled with braces, unfortunate haircuts, and undesirable fashion trends, there are a few things from the early 2000’s that I wish I could bring back. Here is my personal list of the top 10 middle school fads that I admit I miss:

1. Silly Bandz

I remember going to school with an arm full of Silly Bandz. Recess would be my favorite time of the day not just because we wouldn't be sitting in class, but all of my classmates would trade Silly Bandz. They were stretchy, colorful, and came in thousands of shapes. I have a box of about 80 Silly Bandz sitting in my closet, just waiting to be worn again.

2. Crocs

Crocs are probably some of the comfiest shoes I have ever worn, especially if you were cool like me and had a pair with fur inside of them. You could even buy jibbitz, essentially Crocs jewelry or shoe charms, to decorate them. My mom got me a new pink pair last Christmas that I only wore when I knew I wasn’t going to see a lot of people. However, that’s going to change. From now on, you’ll see me rocking my Crocs everywhere I go (if anyone sees any new cute jibbitz, let me know).

3. Jean Skirts

I only had one jean skirt in my middle school years but I wore it everywhere. My go-to outfit was my jean skirt and my favorite Aeropostale logo tee. Jean skirts went with everything: tee shirts, polos, flip-flops, boots…the possible outfit combinations were endless.

4. Heelys

Okay, so what’s not to like about Heelys? The were shoes with wheels! If you were tired of walking, you just had to give yourself a boost, lean back, and let your Heelys do the rest! Not too sure why this fad went bad.

5. Bath & Body Works’ “Liplicious” Lip Gloss

I can not even begin to count how many Bath & Body Works frosted lip glosses I had. Every time I went to the mall, I made sure to visit Bath & Body Works to see if they had come out with a new “Liplicious” flavor (my 2 favorites were Passionfruit Guava and Whipped Vanilla). I kept a small cosmetic bag in my backpack filled with about 5 different lip glosses that I would pull out throughout the day to brag about all the flavors I had. And of course, I exchanged those lip glosses for a new 5 each night to bring to school the following day.

6. dELiA*s Graphic Tees

dELiA*s wall of hanging graphic tees was always a beautiful sight for a middle school girl. The shirts typically had graphics of animals, food with human features, and popular cartoon characters. They were super cool and also super comfy.

7. Claire’s Stud Earrings

Claire’s had some of the best jewelry for young girls. My personal favorite were the stud earrings. I wish it was socially acceptable for a 19-year-old girl to wear panda earrings or earrings that spelled out “LOL.” From earrings designed as animals or words or food or crazy shapes, Claire’s had it all.

8. Juicy Couture Jacket

The Juicy jacket fashion trend started up around 8^th grade. We girls realized we were close to being highschoolers and decided to begin wearing more of an “adult” brand. Thus, Juicy Couture jackets became popular.

9. Soffes

Soffe shorts were THE loungewear to have in middle school. I would pack a pair for every sleepover I went to. They were comfortable, easy to thrown on, and came in so many colors.

10. Anything Abercrombie

And finally, the good ol’ Abercrombie and Fitch. Anything Abercrombie was popular in middle school. Whether you had Abercrombie logo tees, v-necks, jeggings, tank tops, skirts, etc., any and all Abercrombie was cool. My personal favorite were the skirts. They were floral-printed skater skirts with an elastic waist, and I hate to admit it but, I still find them super cute.