Everybody is very familiar with the awkward middle school phase. Everybody went through it. It is all part of the middle school experience. However, it seems like middle-schoolers now are skipping the awkward phase and it is not fair, to be honest. Everybody in middle school should have to go through the awkward weird phase.

That is just a part of it. You see people in middle school now who look like they are seventeen or eighteen. They need to go shopping at Justice and Aeropostale like the rest of us. They need to wear Silly Bandz up to their elbows. Middle school for me was the time where you were judged for every little thing about you. Here are a few trends that were popular when I was in middle school AKA throwback to 2012. Also, enjoy some of the personal pictures to prove that I was a follower of a lot of these trends.

1. Wearing shirts from Hollister, Abrecrombie & Fitch, and Aeropostle.

And buying the tightest size possible. I can vividly remember wearing my sister's hand me downs from Hollister and feeling like a total badass while doing so.

2. The side ponytail.

The side pony that was (literally) on the side of your head. And yes, this is me heading to my first middle school dance.

3. Silly Bands.

You would wear these up to your elbow, go to school, and exchange bands with your friends.

4. Plaid. Burmuda. Shorts.

You owned just about every color too.

5. Peace signs.

You were either drawing peace signs all over the place or you were holding a peace sign up in a picture.

6. iPod Touch .

When your parents did not let you have an iPhone, the iPod touch was your next best option.

7. UGGs.

If you didn't wear UGGs, were you even cool?

8. Taking pictures on your iPod touch with the Retrica app.

This was VSCO in 2012. We all thought we were so hot when using this app. Well, I thought I looked hot.

9. Participating in "photo challenges" on Instagram each month.

We are not even going to ask why this was a trend.

10. Facebook tag posts.

And lets not forget we could not even put our real birthday on Facebook, because we were too young.