There are a few downsides to being an awkward elementary- or middle-school kid. For one, the pictures can be pretty cringe-worthy. My Myspace profile, which is still active, is a goldmine of adolescent wreckage that I can barely stand to view even in adulthood. You probably still wore Limited Too and Aeropostale after everyone else had switched to Abercrombie and Hollister (as though those were any better). Times were tough, but retrospectively, being the awkward- looking kid was actually a good thing. Here’s why:
Do It for the Instagram
Your #tbt posts are always way funnier than everyone else’s. I have posted one of my own along with this article as definitive proof. You’re long past feeling (that) embarrassed about getting black-and-orange braces for Halloween. The best captions are bred from the most awkward pictures. Plus, if you’ve gotten more attractive over time, it can be a nice way to humble-brag. If you haven’t, well, the expectation wasn’t that high anyway.
No "Relationship" Stress
Middle-school relationships were hilarious. Most people asked each other out over AOL Instant Messenger and then avoided each other at school. Oftentimes, a friend had to break up their relationship because no one was mature enough to do it on their own. If you still looked like you were 10 at age 13 like I did, you avoided that stupidity completely and could focus on more important things, like watching "Hannah Montana" and going to the mall.
You Weren’t the Bully
If you were an awkward kid, chances are you were too meek and small to demand lunch money or make fun of someone’s unfortunate underbite. You were probably nice to the weird kids because you were a weird kid yourself. That’s got to come with some kind of karmic reward, right? Right?
Your Personality Is Probably Pretty Good
That’s not to say that pretty people don’t have good personalities. They do. It’s just that when you’ve had two sets of braces over the span of five years, you kind of have to develop a sense of humor about it. I, for one, wasn’t exactly in the position to look down on somebody through my crooked glasses— which, by the way, were crooked because I got hit in the face with a basketball twice.
Ready for the Real World
If you were awkward, chances are you were also bad at sports. This means you were picked last during every PE class ever. That’s OK, though. It just means you’re used to rejection! Job application rejection emails won’t faze you nearly as much as your competitors whose parents shelled out for Invisalign and who always had two distinct eyebrows.
Quick shout-out to all my friends who have been beautiful and magnificent since birth: I still love you just as much, but there are some things you’ll never understand.
