Middle school "fashion"

“All you middle schoolers have it easy.”
*that didn’t age well.*

If you're anxious about how you look in middle school, just remember, everyone will forget about it in highschool.

Illy: “WE DIDNT HAVE GOOGLE”
Also illy: “after an inspirational google search...”

i just ended my middle school years and i realized that nobody really cared what anyone else was wearing. sure, there was this one particular group of boys that all wore the exact same plain white hoodie every day, but it's not like that was what was "trendy" or something. everyone just did their own thing, and i liked that

"the clothes you wear and the things you try should make you feel comfortable and express who you are and what you enjoy"
school uniforms: allow us to introduce ourselves

As an early bloomer in middle school, who also happened to be chunky and wanted to fit in, it was a nightmare trying to look somewhat decent in middle school. There was a time where I thought “I don’t want my bra strap showing, but long sleeves are too hot and my t-shirts are too thin” so I ended up wearing those cheap undershirt tank tops *over* my t-shirts. Yeah, that was bad, but not as bad as wanting to fit in, to the point of buying one of those “shirts with the bird on it”, and not only have it entirely see through and can see my bra, but was also tight enough to the point of being a girdle. Word of advice to everyone on the thicker side (such as myself): that brand is *not* friendly towards people of our shape and size.

Schools that have uniform: *laughs silently in the corner*

"Being not heterosexual in the south is hard."
*I felt that.*

As a goth kid who has ginger hair, I felt that part where she said “my mom wouldn’t let me dye my hair” why do parents think we completely ruin our hair by dying it once IT GROWS 😩

to anyone in middle/early high school right now, wear what YOU think looks good. the "trends" are going to change in like a week, and it's much better to wear what you want to instead of wearing what others are without liking it yourself. once i realized (junior year) that i was happy with my own friends and that the popular kids weren't the people to take as examples, i was a lot happier.

In Middle school I had this really cool layered scene haircut and my mom died to to look like flames when I walked. And I mean fire fire with the reds oranges and yellows, my classmates loved it so I felt good while the dye lasted. Though most of the time I wore a black and grey striped hoodie with headphones attached and kept my hood on to hide because I was extremely self conscious when I wasn't around my friends. I loved all the girly outfits but because I was so ashamed of my body, and had a toxic friend who'd put me down when I'd try to look pretty, I was to scared to ever even think to try them on. So often times I was wearing jeans and the baggiest shirts I could find ( often in men's). Social media was also just starting to be a thing when I started Middle school back in 2012 and let's be honest there was no such thing as plus sized representation at all at the time so all I saw beauty was tall, skinny, giant boobs and a waist the size of a princess. I remember scouring my moms room for her elastic belts so I could strap them around my stomach to make my stomach and my waist smaller like a coreset which led to me going to a doctor because I was cutting off circulation and dealt with god awful cramps. The worst part is I was being fat shamed when I wasn't even that fat! I was only 20lbs over the weight I'm supposed to be at and I could easily take it off, and I never knew that until high school where I finally found me. Long story short I'm very happy now, and I would do it all again with some minor tweaks.

Omgggg I finished middle school and started high school in 2008 and high schoolers looked exactly as you described! 2008 was one of those fashion transition years. I remember all the scene trends, the quirky trends, and the mainstream trends. The Abercrombie polis and plaid and denim Bermuda shorts were everywhere too!

2009: some shorts, a random shirt, socks, some converse shoes
2019: *9yr olds looking like 20yr olds*

"Being not heterosexual in the south is hard" OMG THE ACCURACY! Coming from a lesbian who lives in North Carolina, she's frickin right. Like, she's speaking the truth here, and I don't know how depressing that sounds to someone else lol

“drenching himself in axe body spray instead of showering” GOD THE MEMORIES THE MEMORIESSSSS

Ah yes, my middle school days (also in 2007/2008) I wore the most bland things I could find so I wouldn't stand out in ANY way possible. No fancy little bird shirts, I refused to wear anything with any words on it, and I wore flare jeans because I was toothpick skinny and I looked like a damn skeleton in skinny jeans. I deeply admired emo and gothic fashion but was too nervous to actually ever try it out. I tried parting my hair further to the side to get a sort of swoopy bangs look without actually having bangs. I did wear the different colored tank tops that would show out from under the shirt I was wearing and I wore the same beloved blank gray hoodie every day to hide in. I also had no idea where to get the no show socks. I think silly bands were a thing? That might have been 2006. I hated them cause all they did was rip and pull out your arm hairs.

2:58 “Not being heterosexual in the south is tough”
That line hit me in my core

Guys have you noticed that her emo fashion was actually pretty good I liked it ( that doesn’t mean if you don’t like it you have to have it)

I’m not like other girls, I like other girls

I remember trying the emo thing my sophmore year. You wear a spiked choker to school ONCE and you get "petsmart" jokes until your a senior.

When my parents dont allow me to buy my comfortable clothes i want to wear my 'fashion' is: a tshirt or a hoodie and a jeans and socks

Well. Let's just say the latest "fashion" in our school is.. ✨ pajamas ✨ ...and everyone started wearing them because I wear them to school on a regular basis. And now the principals don't even try to dress code us any more lmao. It's great seeing everyone in onsies and pj's

When people that wear glasses take them off, they look like another person. This applies for the real world and the animation

I still do think even in this generation, fashion and middle school really does not get along..

her: middle school was so hard to look cute in
me: *laughs in uniform*

can we just RECOGNISE the fact that she has ATLEAST 1 MHA REFERENCE IN EVERY VIDEO!? MAD RESPECT KJMHJHVGCF

im in the 6th grade, and have almost completely transformed my wardrobe into- KAWAII FASHION!!! and im excited :3

4:50 got me rolling-😂😂😂💀

Im 16 and i actually went through a bunch of different styles. When I was 11 i wanted to go emo, and my mom was on board. I got elbow high fingerless wool gloves, died my hair bright blue and went on. And i stayed like that for 2 years, but i realized I didn't like it. So i experimentsd with the way I look, and know I've settled on a punk style. Will jeans, vans/doc martens, a band shirt and a heavily customized denim vest. Completed with gloves and a studded bracelet. And I'm happy with the way I look now.

5:24 are we just not going to talk about how smooth that animation was??

What is this a personal attack

I am a middle schooler.
As a middle schooler I thank you for the good advice. I always think I look like a ugly rat, but after this video, I think I have more confidence in myself.
Thank you
- Me

I’m actually kinda glad that she said about being in middle school, going through puberty, and trying to look ur “best”, made me happy Because I’m actually in middle school 6th grade and looking your best is kinda hard but I realize that it’s not that important ,but for my hair yes it is 💀, other than that I’m happy that I came across her channel she makes me really happy. :)

As of this summer I have just finished 8th grade, and where I come from, there is sadly lots of stigma around us scene and emo kids. I have been constantly harassed and heckled for how I express myself and everybody was a stereotypical Latina or an "Edgar." I tried to be normal at some point, but that's kind of when I realized that I'd rather be a hated somebody than a peaceful nobody. So you do you, it got me through middle school, and whether you wanna be left alone or not is totally up to you.

Im so glad i went through a 'i wanna dye my hair' phase in Middle school and my parents allowed it because 'if you give your Best in school and behave, we dont have to love your fashion choices, you do you kiddo', because now im honestly proud at how good i am in cutting, bleaching, and dying my Own hair, it looks pretty Damn sick! Also it gave me the oportunity to express myself in a uniformed school.

I'm in middle school and I had my friends write on my converse.
And you are right about the fashion, I don't know what i would do without Pinterest!

“Middle school” and “Fashion” are words that just don’t go together...

I literally just stuck with my emo phase. I still have snakebites, lots of earrings and black hair, and listen to the music, it was not a phase, mum.

“Being not heterosexual in the south is hard.” Oh boy do I know where you’re coming from- as an omniromantic, demisexual, trans dude who grew up in Texas? With Sensory Processing Disorder? Nightmare.
Edit: to everyone expressing their identities in the replies, you are valid and beautiful and if your parents aren’t accepting I’m your dad now. To everyone who is just here to be a jerk, get lost. If you are genuinely confused and gave a genuine question I’m happy to answer, but being rude and inconsiderate is definitely not appreciated.

The issue with growing up with the internet to guide you through your awkward phase… is that you have to have a certain amount of intelligence in your hormone stricken brain to utilize it properly. Unfortunately, I did not have that. And even more unfortunately, the people around me DID. I was so confused as to why things appearance-wise weren’t working out for me as well as it did for my peers, who were all very professional and fashionable looking. 12-14 were some rough years😂 every year that distances me from then is a cause for celebration. A word of advice: DO NOT try to be *TOO* different and special no matter what the internet tells you lmao

I also went through the classic emo phase in middle school, but tried to get out of it because of all the jokes and stereotypes about it. I didn't feel like myself, though, so I stuck with it through ridicule. I never really grew out of it, but I feel like I evolved. Now I'm in university, and I love being goth as I have been for the last 6-7 years! Maybe someday I'll do a complete 180, but considering this has been my style since I knew how to have a style, who knows...

Lol, I remember growing my bangs long, but spiking it in the back similar to your picture. Difference was my hair was thick and black. I spent two years dealing with people constantly fondling my porcupine spikes in awe.
Most of what we thought of as "fashionable" was just ripped out of magazines, our favorite music artists or our friends.
I single handedly sparked a short local trend of wearing the Slinky as a bracelet.XD

My fashion sense as a chubby person
1. Whatever Confidence I can barely gather
2. A hoodie
3. Sweatpants or leggings

When you said you had "a shirt with one of those dumb food puns", I felt that in my soul. (My favorite shirt from middle school said "you're so hardcore" with a cartoon apple core on it 😁)

I feel like us younger kids are going through the "middle school" phase earlier. Mine was the 4th-6th grade. I started to care what I looked like in 4th grade and sorta figured out my overgrown hair in 5th grade. In 6th grade, I started to actually get clothes for myself and not wearing anything my mom bought me. And this year in 7th grade I fully figured out my hair, finally have a decent amount of clothes that i actually like, did my own makeup for the first time and surprisingly was decent at it (i only do eye makeup and never face makeup), figured out what i want from school, and fully drifted from my friends that were doing some bad things like vaping, and strengthened my friendships with people that weren't putting on a whole new persona and doing those bad things. I was always confident but now I'm more confident in who i am and my identity and though my mental health is shit, I am satisfied with my life and know what I want in it. I'm going into 8th grade and in a year's time, I'll be going into highschool which is a weird thought. Anyway that was a long ass tangent but yea.

Im going through middle school right now, so im happy I saw this. I was so scared before i saw this that i was 'not keeping up with the trends', or 'looked too weird'. Im happy i saw this cause now I feel better wearing crop tops, and flair jeans! 😁

the moment you brought up yhe emo phase I just died of laughter, i still have sort of that dark grunge style but middle school emo phase was sO bad for the popular girls. They went from softie visco girls to complete "emo" in like a month at one point in middle school and it was hilarious

I switched from thin/metal glasses to large plastic spongeboby glasses. Turns out, not only does it look better, I can physically see when I'm starting to look over my frames. I did that a lot and never realized it

"Because growing up not heterosexual in the south is hard"
...I've never heard more true words spoken in my life

Being beautiful isn't define by your over-beauty. Is about your own human & how they do it. That's why you are AWESOME for being how you are.

My mom had to tell a 60yr old woman that she has natural curls, and helped her reclaim them! She thought since she got a perm at 12yr it's messed up her hair for life. Nope, just needed some help understanding her own hair, and how to style it. It was 10 years ago, she still goes to my mom every 3m. Has way more confidence

As a middle schooler who has a sister in university, im glad that I have someone who will honestly let me know that my clothes make me look like a clown who has no sense of fashion and will actually help me fix it before I go anywhere.

“You pre-teens have it SOO good right now”
Me, going into 8th grade and only has 3 friends and is a shy freak: *:’)*

I'm in middle school, and I see your point with the social media thing, but you gotta remember that with social media there comes the added disadvantage of cyberbullying. Also, uniforms.

all the dislikes are from middle schoolers who are "feeling attacked right now"

I was in the process of coming out as trans in middle school so my style was all over the place for some time. I was looking like an androgynous Pyrocynical until October 2018. Now I look like an e-boy with my middle part and dangly cross earring without the Tik Tok account, douchey personality, and obvious neurotypicality. But despite whatever I do to improve my sense of fashion, I will always look back on it a year later and question what went through my mind to justify ever looking the way I once did. The cycle only continues but I try to think of it as merely evolution.

Your animations are perspectives and inspirational so i hope to see your progress to a big youtuber

A nice easy make-up start for people interested is
1: Foundation, find a foundation color that matches your skin, or it being a bit more tan. It doesn’t have to be in specific spots on your face, I mainly just use it all over my face.
2: Blush. Grab a blush that it, and I repeat, NOT TOO LIGHT, NOT TO DARK/RED. Too light, can’t notice it or you look paler in some spots, to dark/red, congrats, your a lobster. Or burnt. Follow your cheekbones and put a bit of blush on them, and blend it.
And that was it
It was what I wore during middle school and helped me feel better. (For reference, I was pale as white, look awfully tired, and looked like I’ve lived under a rock. Make up just kinda made me more alive, even if it was just two things.)

We have way to strict dress codes, or else I’d dress alternative but in 2021 I’d like to say that most middle schoolers have really nice fashion

When I was 15 I adopted the gothic/punk look. My parents thought it was a fase, it wasn't. Currently I'm 25 and I'm still wearing all black clothes with skull motives, ripped black jeans, black leather jackeds, a heavy thick neckles and wide leather bracelets. I rock this look though and you don't f*ck with perfection. Also I have like a very wierd type of beard and body hair. It's like spoted with blond, brown and ginger patches and I was born with bassicly witte hair on my head that slowely coloured to a very dark brown. Yep I don't get it either.

"Not being heterosexual in the south is... tough"
I FELT THAT.

Ah yes, middle school. It hasn’t been that long since since middle school but my fashion sense was...interesting I guess. I wasn’t very popular and I felt like an outcast but somehow everyone enjoyed my style when we had free dress days (I had to wear a uniform most of the time).
Some of my fashion staples were:
-off brand doc martens cause I didn’t have a enough money to buy real ones
-flannels (I pretty much bought them in bulk at the thrift store)
-the same tattoo choker at all times like I didn’t even take it off to shower
-winged eyeliner using eyeliner I got at big lots
-some janky denim jacket/shirt thingy that I wore until I tore holes in the elbows

I had such a phase in middle school, I swapped out entire friend groups. I was trying to fit in with a crowd who I didn't gel with anymore, took a while to realize that I was having more fun on my own than with them. We had a school picnic at the local amusement park, and no one wanted to ride anything fun, so I bailed to ride coasters with my parents. They claimed that I "ditched" them, even though I'd been very vocal about leaving since I wasn't having any fun. I eventually rolled in with the anime dorks the next year, and stayed there comfortably throughout high school.

I go to my city's third best private middle school, and its a pretty cool school compared to other schools. We have clubs dedicated to equality, lgbtq+, student wellness etc. And what i love the most is our school's fashion trends, which to other people may sound weird. We like wearing a few strips of duck/washi tape on our pants, many pins/safety pins on our jacket sleeves and pockets, a colorful burst of all sorts of bracelets all over our arms (some even old and worn out!), necklaces made of corks, pocket chains made of soda tabs, painting/scratching our converses, stickers on our palms and forehead, and basically anything "weird" that isn't against our dress codes. Sounds crazy, right? Not everyone likes these ofc, the basic students wear... basic stuff.

I grew up really really long hair and bangs, and for middle school, I decided to both cut my hair to my shoulders and grow out my bangs at the same time (which was NOT a good look), all while wearing homemade bellbottoms (which I actually did like).

oh girl- when she said “my mom wouldn’t let me dye my hair”, I felt that. Although, I am glad she didn't let me do it. I freaking love my red hair, and honestly, it's worth all the mean comments from peers.

okay but no one is going to talk about 5:23 ? the animation looks so good!

25 years old now. It's good to reminisce on the days of middle school. Crazy to think how much has changed over the years.

Everytime I see this video I'm reminded of the one time my Mom brought me to such a make-up counter for some old lady to beat my face. I swear, it was exactly the same experience with the exception of me not having red hair naturally :'D

So I actually was fashionable thanks to the fact that legit every girl I would see would be wearing black leggings. Like, the entire hallway would be a sea (or a swarm) of them, and if you include nike air forces then yes that would also be the only think you'd see when you look at a slight downward angle. But yeah, in general middle school was full of terrible wearers.

Illy: encourages us to try our own styles in school
My school: alright so u all gonna wear uncomfortable black trousers from the fifties, a plain white polo shirt from the sixties, a black jumper from the thirties, and don't forget your tie that 'represents' our school

For me as a 13 year old about to get into 8th grade, my closet has two complete opposites and a sprinkling of stuff in the middle. Formal clothing that often makes it look like I have a bigger bust unintentionally that makes me feel incredibly confident, and comfy clothes that fit my other aesthetics and are good for days when I’m too tired to care.

_Fashion is how I show who I am without speaking. Broke_

You really inspire me! I can’t wait to make my own animations.

“Being not heterosexual in the south is tough” I have never agreed with something more

I think the biggest lesson that middle schoolers can take to heart regarding “fashion” which really means “looking good in a way that makes people like you more” is PERSONAL HYGIENE. Regardless of What youre wearing, nobody will like it if you havent done your laundry in half a month and your clothes smell like feet. Hygiene is one of the BIGGEST deals, especially at the age when your body is doing weird hormone things! Shower, wash your clothes, brush your teeth, brush your hair!

it’s a given to look awkward in middle school let’s be honest here 😂 i def went through my “emo” phase of parting my hair WAY too far on the side, my make up (just mascara), a beanie, and classic Bring Me The Horizon shirt

I hate how kids wear fake glasses and tell EVERYONE that their real. I’ve had glasses my whole life and I used to hate them, so watching kids wear them for funsies just kinda made me mad tbh

I’m honest I’ve come to a conclusion in high school. Wear what you want wear any style you think you may like even if you end up not likening it. It’s best to try and not like it then give up before you gave it thought. As a highschooler now I wish I knew this in middle school. Style just like a lot of things is fluid. If you like a specific style stick with it but you don’t have to :)

From elementary until high school, we wore uniforms. There wasn't a lot when it came to self expression, except maybe bracelets, or a necklace, or a watch.

as a person in middle school, we honestly get most inspo from insta or tik tok like everyone is rlly basic but its because we are rlly self-conscious of what we look like and how we dress. but I think in this day and age younger people are dressing more and more like highschoolers lmaoo so our fashion isn't that bad because we just copy off of other people.

i live in the south and i can agree that it’s not easy to be a pansexual trans boy. people who know nothing about other sexualities besides hetero try to tell me about my sexuality. it frustrates me so much, they keep on calling me bisexual or mistake pansexual with demisexual, even after i properly inform them.

Drinking game: Take a shot every time that Illy says Video during the outro

Now everyone is just bragging about how expensive or stylish their mask is..

Just throwing this out there from someone who recently got comfortable with how I look and my life overall, if youre aged 12-14 just do it. Yes it'l be embarrassing, no it won't work, yes it'l probably get you rejected by that girl you like but that's ok. Everyone goes through some bad times, your life was probably going to suck at this age anyway but only you are going to remember these years and it's better to get it out of your system now than to wait until life could realistically be going good to skrew it up. So make your hair look like Goku, go on that obnoxious anti alcohol one man crusade, buy that cheap plastic fur suit and throw it away after wearing it once it's ok. This isn't who you are and unless you kill someone it's not how anyone is going to see you, believe me the older kids hate you all anyway for cluttering up the school, the younger kids will think you're super cool regardless because you're older and they're stupid and the adults know you change so fast at this age that forming an opinion of you either way is stupid.

the part about your mom bringing you to the mall to get your makeup done horribly is painfully true

My "middle school fashion" is, jeans that make me look skinny, a baggy yet fashionable shirt, short socks, shoes & a flannel around my waist. With an emergency hoodie in my locker bc my confidence can skyrocket then drop like a dang rock.

Im about to go to middle school myself and this really helped me thank you so much!

For myself back in middle school, my mom taught me when I was in the 6th grade so that as I got older I would understand and learn more on how to properly do my makeup. The best, and I mean the BEST way to learn is using nude color eyeshadow, mascara, and chapstick. It's quick, it's simple, and can easily be cleaned off and not stain your eyelids blue or red 😂

Society: Be yourself!
Society: No..Not like that
illymation: Yes! Exactly how you want!

I’m glad to know I’m not the only one who’s mom managed to make them think that if you dyed your hair it would somehow grow back differently

As a redhead whose mother told her the same thing about dying my hair I dye my hair often with unnatural colors and the only difference I have seen is my red is slightly lighter. That is because to get the color to pop you have to bleach it. Pro tip, never do it at home. Make an appointment with a local beauty school to do it. It's cheap and professionally done.

honestly im glad my school has uniforms so no one get’s judged for their outfit

To any highschoolers that are insecure: Don't be insecure of yourself because you feel people are judging you. Almost everyone and I mean EVERYONE is going through of the thought of being judged too. And don't care about what other people think because in the end, it honestly doesn't matter! BE YOURSELF! 😊

My middle school fashion was hot topic for a year then just going to cheap stores bc I realized that no one really goes to hot topic and I didn’t really like going there and I felt goofy wearing the outfits

"What do I think? I think my mom told me not to curse in public." 😂😂😂

Honestly being a senior in high school, I didn’t care about how I looked in middle school. I was one of the zany crazy kids that no one paid attention to.

I like how I never went through any fashion faze. Comfortable clothing = 10/10

Illy, I just wanted to say that, I love your videos and you're such an amazing animator, and that you've inspired to become an animation storytime Clip-Sharer too! I hope that one day I can be as amazing as you

yknow, i went through the same "i want to look like a scene kid" phase. in 2014. that was also the beginning of my weeb phase, and the phase of me hyper straightening my hair every morning.
7 years later i'm a rainbow sparkly princess who is good at eye shadow and has lots of fun fashionable clothes, no more boring t shirts and leggings combo. it's what 12 year old me would have wanted.