Growing up is super complex, with girlhood being an especially complicated stage in most women's lives. After all, there’s a lot to learn and navigate, and women—like men—go through awkward phases, too. Everyone has their quirks, but these young women tried a little too hard to stand out from the crowd—with facepalm-worthy results. So, get ready for all the feels as Redditors bravely share their most cringey “I’m not like other girls” moments.
1. She Had To Face The Music
I think the most embarrassing thing I can recall doing occurred when my friend made the nice gesture of showing me a song she thought I would like, because I was ALWAYS going on about liking techno music instead of pop. My response still makes me facepalm to this day. I listened for a few seconds, scoffed, and then frowned.
“Remind me to show you some REAL music,” I smugly told her. What I showed her later was the competition music from Nintendogs. By opening up my DS and entering a competition.
2. A Change Of Heart
Ever since I was young, I’ve loved gaming and anime. I would absolutely hate other girls because of how insecure I was. I would call any girl who was pretty and had the same interests as me an attention seeker because I was jealous. This was mostly during my teen years. I also laughed at other girls with my ex-boyfriend and his friends when we were 15 or 16 and called them hussies and attention seekers.
All my Facebook statuses were literally just about bringing other girls and women down. Then one disturbing incident changed me. I had a guy friend who I was really close to—we were in the same classes—and one day, a new girl joined us. Apparently, he knew her from before and said that she falsely accused him of harassment.
I immediately hated her so much, and I 100% believed him. We would always talk about her behind her back. She was a bit of an outsider, but she honestly treated me nicely. One day I was sitting with some other girls from class, and she was there as well. We asked her why she hated my guy friend. I was absolutely ready to go hard on her, but then she told us what happened...detail by detail.
I remember her shaking and almost crying as she spoke. I will never forget that. I don’t know why, but I just felt her pain, and I knew she was telling the truth. Slowly, I became more of her friend and less of his. This happened almost 10 years ago, and I’m still friends with her. I haven’t talked to that guy in years, but I’m pretty sure he hasn’t changed much.
Also, I’m 100% a feminist now. I am ashamed of how I was, but I will never deny it. I’m glad I changed, and I try my best to help other young women now.
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3. She Got Called Out
In high school, 2016, I had a girl convince me that I was “basic” because I listened to whatever was on the radio and knew the songs. I have four sisters, so of course, I did—they didn’t like my music. Well, one day, I caught this girl listening to a certain band, and I asked her, “Oh, what are you listening to?” She answered, “Oh, you wouldn’t know them—they’re VERY MUCH not your taste.”
But I don’t have a specific taste in music. So, I asked her to share the details, and she just kept telling me I didn’t know them and that she was going to their summertime concert—clearly just to appease the metalhead boys in our choir. I said, “Oh really? Where’s the concert?” She replied, “Oh, it’s in New York!” Uh-huh. I then decided to reveal the truth.
I told her: “Oh really? My dad never scheduled a concert there.” Her heart visibly dropped as soon as she pieced two and two together. I have the same last name as the drummer. The band is local. It’s my dad’s band. I cringed so hard writing this because I can just remember her trying to convince me I didn’t know my dad.
4. Actually, She Harley Rides
A girl I occasionally used to hang out with liked to pretend that she was some sort of bad girl biker. She'd talk about riding every chance she got, show people pictures, and she’d even dress the part. So, I would always hit her up when I was going riding to see if she wanted to come along; it gets old being the only woman around.
But she'd always have an excuse not to come, like claiming that we shouldn’t ride if it had rained that week, and so forth. She would also always give me heck about getting on a real bike: I ride a Honda CRB1000RR, and she had an 883 Sportster. One day, I finally realized the truth. It was when she complained to me that she only got "her baby" out three times that year.
Like, woman—you base your entire identity on something you only do three times a year?
5. No Horsing Around
I remember being around 14 years old, and this 16-year-old guy asked me what my fantasy was. Confidently, I said, “Well, I mean most girls would like to have Prince Charming on a white horse, but I don’t like horses. I’m just different like that.” He definitely meant carnal fantasies. But I really needed him to know that I was cool and didn’t care about horses like other girls.
6. An Animerican Girl
I had a girl in my high school who legitimately believed she was an anime girl and was just born in the wrong body. She would listen to these subliminal “become an anime girl” YouTube videos, would end everyone’s name in -san, and she wore a schoolgirl outfit every day, even though we went to a public school. She would also sometimes say a random Japanese word or phrase because her brain “wasn’t fully acclimated to America.”
Needless to say, she was a fully white girl from the Midwest.
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7. Body-Shamed
I refused to wear skirts or dresses. I refused to carry a purse or do my nails. I developed early and had a chest before many of my classmates, which made me a target for the pubescent boys. I didn't want to be like other girls; I was tired of being called a skank for no reason other than my large chest size. I was 10, and I didn't want to be a girl because of all the awful things people would say about me, which led to social isolation from other girls.
The attention that I got was for one reason, and I hated it. So, I became “not like other girls,” specifically because I freaking hated the way kids treated femininity. I started wearing my mom's shirts—giant baggy shirts—to hide my chest. I got mocked for that because I wasn't wearing clothes that fit. I wore oversized pants, and I lived in my sweater even when it was more than 90 degrees outside.
I shunned everything that was considered feminine, even going as far as getting a freaking bowl cut. It took me until I was 17 to break out from the shell I had created, and by this time, everyone was pretty much over the fact that girls develop breasts. I stopped getting hassled for my body, and I stopped being so angry that I was born a girl.
I embraced everything about me that was feminine: I wore skirts, I painted my nails, I curled my hair. But even then, I was still uncomfortable in my skin. I’m 30 now and give absolutely no cares. If people can't handle the body I was born in, that's their problem. I own so many dresses and skirts. I like what I like unironically, and I have no problem loving the cute things.
It just makes me sad that I denied who I was for so long because of things that didn't matter in the long run. I'm happy now.
8. A Change Of Mind
Due to my parents' religious reasons, I wasn’t allowed to wear shirts with sleeves above the elbow and pants above the calf. I was basically “covered,” and because of this, I used to look at the girls at my school who wore shorts and crop-tops and think, “Ha! I’m not like them. I’m different. I’m cooler this way.” Good God, I was whack.
Furthermore, I used to think that gaming and being “unladylike”—things like wearing sweats and hoodies, being dirty, swearing, saying “bro or “dude,” etc.—made me even more unique and different. By not being “like the other girls,” I thought I’d catch more attention from the boys. Spoiler alert: I did not. I thought I looked cool.
In reality, I was a sweaty sponge dipped and rolled in the dirt with nasty popcorn teeth, and I looked and acted terribly. Those were the bad times...but now I’m a good, functioning member of society with good hygiene and a much better mindset.
9. An Offensive Teammate
A girl I went to high school with was such a try-hard to be “not like other girls.” She acted cool and edgy with everyone because she thought everyone liked her and that her sense of humor was so good. But she just turned out to be obnoxious; her humor was nothing but insults and demeaning comments about people at first glance.
Her biggest cringe moment came when we were trying out for soccer. Some members of the men's soccer team were volunteering at the tryouts to help the coaches. They were taking notes, running drills, starting warm-ups, etc. I was friends with them, either through classes or mutual friends. This chick got so agitated that I was conversing with them.
She actually inserted herself into every conversation she saw me having to try to make herself look better and insult me. I brushed it off and moved on because I don't have time for that. Her second biggest cringe moment occurred when she started a rumor that I was sleeping with a guy I was good friends with and that I was a hussy.
It turns out she didn't bother checking if he was in a relationship first—he was in a five-year relationship at that point. He called her out on it and told her that it was the last straw, and we stopped being friends with her. It ended up making a lot of people feel really shady about her after that.
10. Her Fib Was Plane To Sea
I was fortunate enough to witness this one. My now-wife and I, both UK nationals were living in Uganda for a time in about 2000, while she did some studying. We tried to travel around the country as much as possible while there. Anyone who travels anywhere at all has met other “travelers.” The clichés. The people who’ve been everywhere, seen everything, and done it all before anyone else did it, at half the cost and with the full approval of the local people.
In other words, jerks, basically. One time we were at a little town on the shores of Lake Victoria where you could catch fisherman’s boats from this place out to an archipelago called the Ssese Islands. However, you needed to be carried to the boats by a local porter due to a water parasite. The locals all had this parasite from childhood and lived with it fine.
But it’s definitely not good to catch it. There were a few Westerners in a cafe-type place, waiting for boats. One guy, Dave, we knew from other trips. He was great; he traveled a fair bit, and he always wanted to hear people’s stories. But he was totally naive and believed everything people told him. Another woman was also there.
She was one of those travelers. Dreadlocks. Tie-dye pants. You know the type. She smugly said something like, “I’ve traveled every way known to man, but I’ve never been carried by a person. I’m looking forward to completing my list.” Dave said—and he totally meant it, which gave it a devastating power—“Really? That must be awesome! What’s it like on a submarine?”
Watching her flounder, prevaricate, and finally have to answer, “Er, I’ve never been on a submarine,” was way more enjoyable than it should have been, were I a more worthy person. I’m not, though, so it was great.
11. She Kinda Just Came Out Of The Woodwork
My best friend took woodshop in Grade 9. She was late on the first day, and when she finally showed up to the class, the room was already full and consisted of only guys. The classroom door where she was standing was at the back, and the only open seat was at the front of the room. So, my teeny, little five-foot-two-inch friend click-clacked her way to the front of the class in her high heels that she wore daily.
They all just turned and looked at her with blank stares. She was also obsessed with big headbands and fascinators and other crazy hair accessories. She once wore a bird in her hair that was a Christmas ornament. She must have been such a picture making her way through that room.
12. She Was A Little Over The Top
I wasn’t like other girls because I really loved hats. Top hats, specifically. For like a year in the sixth grade, I think I wore a top hat to school every single day, and I thought I was the coolest of the coolest. Looking back, I think it’s funny now, but oh my God, did I cringe for years afterward thinking about it.
13. Crocodile Tears
I flew across the country for a friend’s wedding. During my visit, I learned that he was marrying a woman who was inexplicably terrified of fake alligators—like, statues or stuffed animals. But she was apparently fine with the real ones. After we went to a bar that had a little wood-carved alligator, she immediately started cowering and breathing heavily.
She started crying, until we left with my friend holding her. The kicker? They live in Florida.
14. Not Such A Hot Shot After All
This girl I went to university with insisted that she wasn’t like the other girls because she could “hold her booze like a man.” So, she started going shot for shot with this big dude. People tried to stop her, but heck—she was gonna prove herself. She kept insisting that she was fine. Finally, after fully passing out, we ended up having to take her to the ER for alcohol poisoning.
It was pretty clear she was just super stupid at that moment.
15. She Was Blowing Smoke
In high school, I had this friend who tried so hard to be “one of the guys” to the point where she would call herself that often. I didn’t realize how cringey she was until I ran into her at a party in my 20s. She promptly walked up to my then-boyfriend (currently my fiancé), grabbed his hat, put it on her head backward, and asked for a haul of his smoke.
Of course, not being an actual smoker, she coughed profusely. When she recovered, she proceeded to play-punch him in the stomach and started calling herself “one of the guys” again. But her act was too much; a few of us just looked at each other awkwardly and slowly trickled away.
16. It Was A Magical Time
Like so many other women, I went through a bona fide “I’m not like other girls” phase back when I was younger. So much so that I actually used to think that I was a natural witch after watching The Craft for the first time. It was so cringey. I became the moodiest middle schooler ever after seeing that movie. I miss it.
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17. G’Day, Mate
This girl just up and decided to have an Australian accent. She grew up somewhere in the Midwest. She didn’t think she fit in in LA, so she decided to have an Australian accent so people would find her interesting—but that wasn’t the most bizarre part. Strangely enough, she didn’t claim to be from Australia; she just told people she liked the Australian accent.
She said that she would be speaking with an Australian accent from then on. And you know what? She committed for at least a whole year.
18. No More Nyaas
When I was either a junior or a senior in high school, there was this freshman girl who was a little “different.” She wore cat ears and actually pinned one of those foxtails you get at conventions to her butt, and on top of that, she would rub against her friends or pout like some kind of moe-Ugyuuu-kawaii shoujo when she was sad or upset. And that’s not the worst part.
We were the anime clique, but holy moly, this kid annoyed the ever-loving heck out of me. I couldn't ever be in the same room as her because the minute she hit that “NYAAAAAAAAAA” sound that only DOGS could hear, I wanted to shove those ears down her throat. I'm sure she was a nice girl, but man…This was also when glomping, like pouncing on someone and hugging them, was at its peak.
She tried that once with me, screeching “NYAAAAAA OHAYOU MSMCLANE-SEMPAAAIIIIII,” and I yanked her right off me. We had to instruct her on the meaning of consent after that. In contrast, I was that geeky kid that wore Naruto merch with no shame, so there's that. The difference was that I wasn't throwing jutsu hand signs in people's faces.
19. Women Are Just Biden Their Time
I once saw a girl do something so cringey that I’ll never forget it. Even though women can do more now than ever before, someone I know got up in front of her class in middle school and made a speech about why women aren’t fit to be president. No, she doesn’t believe that anymore, and yes, she still dies inside every time she thinks about it.
20. From “Pick Me” To Picked Over
I thought I was “not like other girls” because I didn’t drink or party. Even worse, I thought I was above my classmates who did. In reality, I was just jealous because no one ever invited me to do these things with them—probably because I was such a snob. I was a total “pick me" girl, and I cringe whenever I think about it now.
21. The Wounds of Youth Are Hard To Heel
I played the ukulele and sang like a stereotypical wannabe manic-pixie-dream-girl. I also tried to get into riding a motorcycle, but I ended up breaking my foot on a motorcycle SAFETY COURSE designed to teach new riders how to ride. I refuse even to be a passenger on one of those things now. So freaking much for being “different” and “adventurous…”
I want to punch the teenage version of me in the face sometimes.
22. The Uniformed Non-Conformer
Back when I was still in school, I refused to wear skirts as a part of my school uniform and wore trousers instead, even though 95% of the girls wore skirts. Then in my final year of school, I finally tried wearing a dang skirt—and it was amazing. I immediately felt like an idiot for suffering for four years straight with trousers just so that I wouldn’t look like the other girls.
23. From Fan Girl To Fang Girl
I read The Vampire Diaries series when it first came out in the late 90s, and I ended up going through a weird phase where I convinced myself that I was 100% a vampire—but no one else knew about it—of course. I even bought a lapis lazuli ring like the vampires wear in the books. Dang, I loved those books.
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24. It Was A Minor Problem
I’m 29, so I lived as a preteen/teen during the peak AIM days. Putting up away messages was the greatest. Eating dinner with your family? Let the world know. BRB? Let them know! Taking a shower? Tell everyone! For some reason, though, one of my away messages for just that was “Save water, shower with me,” with the kissy face that had the little beauty mark. OG AIM users, you know the one.
I was honestly like 11. I literally had never even kissed a boy. I guarantee I was also still wearing overalls, Keds, and bucket hats. I’m currently a fourth-grade teacher, and I realize now that I was an actual baby at the time. I cringe just thinking about it. Overall, I would really like to go back in time and smack some sense into me.
25. She Auto Know Better Next Time
One of my best friends in high school decided to take a class in car mechanics. This friend also had zero interest in cars. When I asked her about it, I found out that she had this fantasy of being “that girl” who walks into a boys-only class and shows them all up. So, when she got to class on the first day and saw three other girls enrolled, she was pretty unhappy.
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26. This Probably Caused More Questions Than Answers
A girl I once had an extremely brief not-even-one-night-stand with randomly sent me a questionnaire survey that she made over a year later. The survey asked me questions like how she had performed and what I would change about her. We hadn’t really talked in the meantime, nor since, but I did fill it out for her for a laugh.
I thought she was joking. Later, I found out that she wasn’t. Yikes.
27. This Former Prude Was Kinda Rude
My “not like other girls” phase was, unfortunately, the hyper-religious kind. I’d wear the most unflattering clothes possible because “modesty,” while smugly muttering “modest is hottest” at all the other girls who were, in hindsight, justifiably upset with the school dress code. I also blared contemporary Christian music from my phone far too often during sports events.
The list goes on. Luckily, the phase didn’t last that long, and I was actually able to get to know some of the other girls and made some good friends by the end of high school.
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28. Living The High Life
Oh, geez. I thought I was a stoner after the first time I smoked. So, I bought this Bob Marley shirt that I wore all the time, and I donned Rasta-colored bracelets. I felt so cool and different from all the other girls. But then I passed out on a Rock Band drum set after smoking one like it was a dart, and I decided that maybe this wasn’t the life for me.
29. Singing A Different Tune
At one point, I based my entire personality on the fact that I listened to metal and that my musical preference somehow made me different and special. I honestly looked down on girls for liking pop or even the color pink. In retrospect, I think I was just lashing out about how people focused so much on my femininity as well as speculation about crushes and stuff.
Because of that, I took it out on anything remotely feminine. In my defense, I was also only like 10 years old.
30. It Wasn’t More Than She Could Chew
The lady next door needed help breaking into her son's friend's car. She said she could do it with some fishing line. I happen to like fishing, and I had some braided heavy pound test. Like, insanely tough line—so I offered it to her. She pulls the amount she needs, and then SHE TRIES TO BREAK IT WITH HER TEETH! Dumbfounded, I just stared at her.
After a while, I finally say, “Ma’am, that's a braided line.” Unfazed, she answers, “Oh no, honey, I’m a country girl.” Hmm, doesn’t work like that.
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31. An Odd Fashion Ins-Pirate-Ion
My cringey “I’m not like other girls” story was that I used to wear the same boots to school every day. This in itself may not seem so bad…except for the fact that they were my dad’s pirate boots from when he dressed up as a pirate for Halloween back in like 1988. I was the girl who wore her dad’s pirate boots to school. Every. Single. Day.
32. Ask A Silly Question, Get A Silly Answer
I had an extremely awkward moment that I didn’t understand till much, much later. When I was a freshman, this hot senior was flirting with me. He randomly asked me, “Top or bottom?” And I was like...I have no breasts (top) and big thighs (bottom). So, I answered with what I thought was my only remaining option: “Middle.”
I was very confused as to why he found this response super freaky.
33. Maxing Out
I definitely had more than a few interesting “moments” growing up that made me a little different. I wore argyle knee-high socks and Converse with my homecoming dress. I wore boxers under my skinny jeans like those emo guys in the early 2000s. I even put maxi pads on my shoulders and told people I was going to try out for the football team. Why.
34. You Could Say That She Was Console Emulating
I had no idea what the difference was between a PS4 Slim and a PS4 Pro, so while introducing myself to my class on the first day of sixth grade, I said I had the Slim and played with it every day. Except I slipped up halfway through the year, and my male friend called me out in a random conversation for saying I had a Pro.
I forgot I had to be consistent with my lies, and I instantly felt embarrassed and off-guard—especially after my friends started yelling “Oooh” and “exposed!” I made some dumb excuse about how I broke my Slim and got a Pro, but the damage was already done. This was a phase in my life where I had no identity and was a shapeshifting vagabond.
I had no real personality or interests, or at least, no interesting ones to share with my friends. But I guess I came off as a cringey “not like other girls” type of friend.
35. Unique, Just Like Everyone Else…
With almost everything I did, I felt proud of myself for supposedly not being like other girls. I didn’t wear the same types of clothes “other girls” wore, I didn’t wear makeup, and I was sooo unique because I liked anime—all of that kind of stuff. I also tried way too hard to make friends with guys because apparently, I thought they were better than girls...for some reason.
I do cringe looking back on it, but I also feel sad about it. Girls shouldn’t feel pitted against each other.
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36. It Only Just Clicked
It's always been so normal for me to play video games that I never presented it as, “Yeah, I'm SO different and special!” But the guys I dated would always be shocked and say things like, "WOW, you're a GIRL, and you play VIDEO GAMES?!” I was genuinely so confused because I only had friends who played video games.
It kind of never registered that there's a lot of men and women who...don't. The way I see it, playing video games is just a hobby on the same level as soccer, CrossFit or knitting, and I don't understand why it's supposed to be “cooler” than those other ones.
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37. No Kitten Around
I told everyone in the fourth grade I ate cat food for snacks. So, one day this guy brought Meow Mix to school and told me to eat it. I did. I don’t even know, man. I don’t even know. If I think about it hard enough, to this day, I still cry.
38. Accidentally On Purpose
My best friend in high school used to like to pretend she was "clumsy." She would basically fall around all the time on purpose, thinking it was cute. It always annoyed me because—being a chronically clumsy person myself—I've never been proud of bumping my head in public, tripping in front of hundreds of students, breaking my ankle at my friend’s birthday party, or breaking my big toe by stubbing it on my carpet at my own sleepover, etc.
It's embarrassing. There are moments that have kept me up at night for as long as I can remember. Her boyfriend at the time once mentioned in passing that she was having a clumsy day, and from that point on, she was ditzily "tripping" every chance she got and saying it was because she was SOOO clumsy. That’s when she hit my last nerve.
I pointed it out to a few people, we started not reacting to it, and it miraculously stopped.
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39. Her Boxer Phase Was Brief
I went through a phase of wearing boxers. But I, for whatever reason, felt that I couldn't tell my parents. So, I snuck out and bought them myself and then went out of my way to hide them and the fact that I was wearing them—until I left the house, at which point I'd proudly pull up the waistband so they’d be visible in my low-rise jeans.
There’s one element that makes the whole thing funny, though. The entire time, I was completely missing the fact that my parents did my laundry and regularly put them back into MY underwear drawer and not my brother's.
40. She Definitely Had Some Issues
I knew a girl back in high school who used to diagnose herself with mental illnesses based on, to the best of my knowledge, a Year 11 Psychology class and online quizzes. She would also try to one-up anyone who had a legitimate, medically diagnosed mental illness. Despite having—in her words—major depression, anxiety, OCD, bulimia, Munchausen’s, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and antisocial personality disorder, she refused point-blank to see a doctor and have any of these diagnoses confirmed or treated.
41. She Rejected Trends But Embraced Tropes
Ukulele-playing-indie-girl-singing-self-described-former-MPDG, here. I idolized Regina Spektor and scoffed at anything trendy. I did everything I could to convince every guy that I would be “the one who got away,” but that falling in love with me would be worth it anyway because negative intensity is better than no intensity at all.
I was so freaking narcissistic I cringe deeply to think about it. In reality, I just didn't know how to succeed in a more traditional feminine aesthetic, so I compensated for that fact by pretending to be above it.
42. A Pass For Your Past
I probably had most of my cringe moments as a teenager. I used to think I was cool because instead of using MSN or MySpace to gossip with schoolmates, I was on IRC and playing Counter-Strike or Diablo 2 with my online buddies. I only listened to metal, and I always wore black clothing while decking myself out in chains.
However, there’s one bright side to it all. With social media being in its infancy, most of my blunders have long been forgotten or were never immortalized online. I still have some quirky interests, I guess, but I don’t shy away from the mainstream either, and I now like to think of myself as a reasonably well-adjusted lady.
I hope that everyone gets a pass for cringey teenage behavior/phases.
43. She Was Casting Something A Little Different
I took a community college ceramics class, and we all had to introduce ourselves. The chick next to me introduced herself and declared that she was a witch, then cringe-bragged that she hadn’t been paying any attention because she was busy reading a book on candle spells. She then followed that up with, “But don’t worry, I’m a white witch, so I won’t cast any bad spells on anyone.”
She ended up being a cool and otherwise totally normal person, but man, I will never forget her introduction!
44. She Was Barely Skating By
Back when I was in high school, there was this girl who was always trying to be “one of the guys.” Once, a group of us was walking down the street when she randomly grabbed someone’s skateboard, said, “Watch this dude,” and started skating down the road. I guess she was hoping to prove how much of a skater “bro” she was—but her plan didn’t quite pan out.
Five seconds later, she ate the pavement, cut her chin open, and had to get stitches. It was a cringey moment, but at least we were still teenagers at that point.
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45. Her Converse Took Convincing
I wore knee-high Converse in high school. I thought I was so dang edgy...my daily outfits consisted of skinny jeans, a graphic tee-shirt, a leather jacket (or something like that), and my knee-high Converse. My mom tried to convince me not to buy them. I have to admit, though, I secretly still love them, and I kept them after they started falling apart.
In fact, they’re in a box somewhere in my house. But hey, my husband fell in love with me looking like that, so maybe it wasn’t that bad (it was).
46. Just Throw The Whole Relationship Away
An ex-girlfriend of mine used to love building her ego up about how she was so much different from other girls. It escalated to a point where she began flaunting how “cultured” and “tolerant” she was because she was dating a Mexican—me. It got so bad that some of her co-workers and friends didn't even know my name; they just called me "So-and-so's Mexican boyfriend."
That’s not even the worst part. I've never once in my life been considered Mexican. I'm third generation and half German. I’ve never not been an American.
47. Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow
I spent my middle school years wearing fake extensions, the type with hair dyed in a striped pattern to resemble a raccoon tail. I’d say “I’ll kill you” to anyone who tried talking to me—especially other girls. I don’t know what the heck was wrong with me, but I’m still lying awake at night replaying it all a decade later.
48. It’s Time To Change The Narrative
I was definitely one of those girls who was certain I could drink with the boys. I’m tall, so I could drink more than some guys, but nowhere near as much as a heavyweight. Plus, even though I secretly loved them, I told myself I hated all things pink, polka dots, and sparkles, and I refused to go near any of them. I also thought I could pass off as a cool girl by being able to talk about video games.
Of course, being the little sister of my family, I never actually played any video games; I would only just watch my siblings. But it’s honestly so frustrating that so much of my personality was essentially hidden for most of my teen years simply because I didn’t want people to see me as weak. It’s weird how society defines anything girly as weak.
49. The Teenage Years Are Always Ruff
I’ve been thinking about all of the stupid stuff I did and said in high school. I cringe so hard remembering how I thought I was better than all the other girls because I didn’t wear makeup or listen to pop music. I also remembered that I used to glare so hard and literally just GROWL at every boy who tried to talk to me in middle school. Ugh.
50. Um…So, Basically Be A Robot?
There was a point in my life that I felt I wouldn't be “like other girls" if I didn’t complain too much, didn’t act too emotional, had no strong opinions about anything, and just basically went with the flow as much as I could. This led to me having no boundaries and a lot of repressed mental health issues. And that’s not all.
I also thought it would set me apart if I could be a jack of all trades and knowledgeable about many different hobbies and interests. This led to me having a lot of equipment I barely use anymore, spending a lot more money, and feeling like I could never get past the basics of anything. This made me lose my sense of self.
Basically, I didn’t have an identity of my own, so I could basically be whatever girl someone wanted me to be. In essence, I'm not like other girls because I am all girls. I'm Whitney Houston—I'm every woman.
51. I Woodn’t Worry Sew Much About It Now
I always loved dolls and dressing up as a kid. I would spend all my free time playing with my dolls. But when I went to school, I would scoff at the other girls for playing with dolls. I wanted to seem tough and cool. Spoiler: I was neither of those things. For my 10th birthday, my parents worked together to build me some doll furniture.
My dad did a lot of woodworking, and mum was good with a sewing machine. Together they created a cool little wardrobe and bed set for my dolls. They were painted white and had little flower stickers for decoration. My dad had even made a little mirror to go on the inside of one wardrobe door, and mum had sewn up a mini mattress for the bed.
I just about cried when I opened my presents because I loved them so much. But my friend was sitting right beside me, and I knew if I told my parents I loved the presents, my friend would know I liked dolls. My lies would be undone. So, I said, “Thanks, but I don't like dolls. They're for babies.” My parents looked so freaking sad.
I'm 25 years old now, and I'm crying as I type this because I still feel so freaking guilty about it 15 years later. A few years ago, I got wasted at a family gathering. I sobbed to my dad, apologized for what I said, and I told him I loved the present. He knew. So, I got my apology out. But I still feel like such a jerk.
52. They Must Have Taken The “Fright” Elevator
A friend of mine started dating the single most dramatic girl I’ve ever met. We lived on the fourth floor, so we always took the elevator. One day we all get in the elevator to go down to the lunch hall. All of a sudden, this girl starts to react in the most embarrassing way. She literally dashes for the corner and starts rocking back and forth in a really sad act at being terrified.
My friend runs over to hold her and explains to us, “She’s terrified of elevators.” Huh? First of all, she lived with us on the same floor for two months, and we’ve all seen her on the elevator acting normal. Second, if she was really THAT terrified of elevators, she’d just walk the four floors; it wasn’t even that far up. Third, her acting was just terrible.
Of course, a few weeks later, she forgot all about her “fear” and went back to acting normal on elevators again.
53. A Red-Faced Moment
My “I’m not like other girls” moment was really embarrassing. When I was 20, my then very-new boyfriend and I started talking about Disney princesses. I can’t remember what got us on the topic, but he ended up saying something like, “You don’t strike me as the type of girl that used to play as a princess,” in a teasing way.
I swear to this day, I don’t know what my thought process was, but I thought I was being so flirty and edgy when I replied, “That’s because I wasn’t! While the other girls played princess waiting on their prince, I was playing Red Riding Hood waiting on the big bad wolf!” So. Much. Cringe. He literally didn’t even respond; he just kind of looked away awkwardly before changing the subject.
It’s a mortifying moment etched in my mind forever.
54. They Must Have Chuckled Afterward
I was my best friend’s maid of honor a few years back. While we were wedding dress shopping, this one quirky bride came into the store and was like, “Whatever dress I get has to go with my red Chucks. I am not one of those girls who wear heels; I’ve always been different.” The shop lady’s reaction was absolutely legendary.
She just stared at her for a moment before responding, “Actually, second to a traditional heel or ballet flat, Chucks are a super common choice for our many low-maintenance brides.” The bride’s whole attitude just deflated.
55. They Should Have Just Levelled With Her
This was something so cliché, it hurts to even talk about it. I am a girl, and I work at GameStop here in Germany, so one might assume I am into video games. For most people, this isn’t even something special anymore, so it shouldn’t even be a thing worth mentioning. But one day, we had this female customer who came into our shop.
She wanted to buy one of the Call of Duty games—I don’t remember which one. With the straightest face ever, she came to the counter and told me—obviously a female—and my male colleague without asking, “Yeah, that’s right. I am a girl that plays video games. I love playing with my male friends.” She said it like it was so rare and so special, and she felt SO cool. Like so, so cool.
I could barely keep a straight face while my colleague sold her the game, and we burst out laughing after she went out of the store.
Sources: Reddit,
