Low-rise jeans, owl necklaces, eating cinnamon by the spoonful, or laying face down in all sorts of random places… These are just some of the popular trends of the past (thankfully). Though in general, trends seem to be ever present – if one foolish fad becomes a thing of the past, you can be sure there’s another one—likely even more foolish—coming.

Bearing this in mind, it’s no surprise that people have taken part in all sorts of crazes over the years. Members of the ‘Ask Reddit’ community have discussed such crazes, opening up after one user asked them about the dumbest fads they ever participated in. If you’re curious to see what their stories entailed, you can browse them on the list below, and see if you took part in any of the same things yourself. If not, you can head straight to the comments to share what popular fads you participated in.

#1

I had a mullet in the late 80s as a 4th grader.

I was neither a businessman nor a partier.

Image credits: Godloseslaw

#2

In the early 90s there was a trend going around my area called “eraser burns”

As you can guess, it was rubbing an eraser on your skin, almost always on the back of your hand, until it broke skin. Idk kids do stupid things lmao. I’m thankful everyday that social media wasn’t around when I was growing up

Image credits: Big-Amphibian502

#3

I crimped my hair.

Image credits: DoeRayMeFarSewLaTea

#4

Early 90s. I owned more plaid shirts than a lesbian lumberjack

Image credits: Luddites_Unite

#5

I had long hair as a teenager, and sometime in my early 20’s (the late 80’s, early 90’s), I cut it short but left a rat tail in my hair.

When my wife cut it off (she’s a hairdresser) she kept it. I think it’s still in a box somewhere…

Image credits: jfincher42

#6

Planking

Image credits: Billbapoker

#7

Long chain wallet 8th-10th grade, 1994-1996ish

Image credits: Nugatorysurplusage

#8

I wore s**y plaid miniskirts over a pair of jeans (this is when flares were in style, to complete the picture). Black babydoll T-shirt, messy bun pigtails, and thick eyeliner, and OMG that goopy glitter gel – glittery hair, glittery eyes, cheeks, just … Why so much glitter, 2004?

Image credits: pearlie_girl

#9

Collecting and wearing silly bands

Image credits: Number1Barooista

#10

I’m a guy and when Dawson’s Creek came out I got my tips frosted like Pacey

Image credits: anon

#11

Pogs. I was *sure* they would be worth something one day

Image credits: buzzfeed_sucks

#12

Cinnamon challenge with some friends

Image credits: anon

#13

In middle school I was caught up in two: “I’m not like other girls” and thinking I was “cool” because older teens/young 20 year old (and sometimes older than 25 but I thought *that* was creepy) men would hit on me. Girl…no…

Image credits: SassyTofuB***h

#14

Tramp stamp

Image credits: birdofswag2

#15

I worked at a toy store when beanie babies were a thing. I used my employee discount and early access to buy dozens truly believing I would get rich. Still waiting…

Image credits: Davidicus12

#16

When acid washed denim was hot I would wear all my acid washed together…pants…shirt & denim jacket with a popped up collar along with those baggy topped cowboy boots. My sister has several pics of me in all my faded glory which sends her descending into uncontrollable giggles.

Image credits: Savings-Delay-1075

#17

Very baggy pants jingos I think

Image credits: Downtown_Raspberry45

#18

I carried around a yo yo, wore pooka shells, and bleached my hair in middle school

Image credits: SpewnFromTheEarth

#19

Smoking Cigarettes

#20

I pretty much spoke in 2016-19 memes for that length of time. *shivers*

Image credits: KnightMS_

#21

As a teenager and young adult I used to be an edgy far right bigot.

It’s funny looking back on that period of my life now that I’m a trans woman.

#22

In the 70s my mum made our entire family dress in velour track suits. Unwilling participant here.

Image credits: TiffyVella

#23

Crypto.

Tried GPU mining for a little while, generated a tiny amount of Bitcoin and Ethereum, dropped out soon after. I still have my crypto wallet and keys but haven’t bothered to decrypt my vast fortune of several few dollars worth of digital currency.

Image credits: MathematicianOld1117

#24

The Naruto running thing

I’ve never even watched an episode in my life

Image credits: August2022Wolverine

#25

Inflatable furniture. I had so many chairs. And cats…

Image credits: BrasAndBarflies

#26

6th grade 1990. Z Cavaricci pants then Skidz overalls where you left one suspender unbuckled and hanging.

Image credits: Nairbfs79

#27

Zebra highlights

Image credits: goddess_of_fear

#28

Oh gods my high school emo years. Turns out I was a confused goth.

Image credits: Owlcifer

#29

My mother made me get a Dorothy Hamil haircut when I was in 4th grade. It was a d**n bowl cut and I’m a girl and I cried and she got mad because the hair dresser felt bad. Then she dropped me back off at school and the substitute thought I was a boy 😆😆 it was traumatic 🤣

Image credits: alycat32

#30

The zig zag part 🤦🏻‍♀️

NM1159:
Yes! I could never do it right but that didn’t stop me from trying!

Image credits: TheYayaC

#31

Your stereotypical “flannel wearing outcast” right here

Image credits: Sweet-Ad1906

#32

Facebook. Deactivated profile nearly two years ago. Don’t miss it at all.

Image credits: anon

#33

I unironically owned an ICP album in the late 90s.

#34

Clipping a g*****n feather into my hair…

#35

Ok let’s go back to the 80s parachute pants. Enough said

#36

When Yo-Yos blew up in the late 90s

#37

Bloody knuckles and quarters

#38

I had ugg boots.

#39

Hammer pants. Inside out sweaters, sagging my pants way low, overalls with one strap done, super long belts, wallets with super long chains, …

#40

Skinny jeans so tight they gave me body image issues for years to come

#41

Lemon detox diet.

#42

Kony 2012

#43

Tanning beds

#44

In middle school it was cool to have longer hair if you were a guy. I’m not talking like fabio length or anything, but where your bangs almost covered your eyes. I couldn’t pull it off because my hair grows really slow. Plus I had some crazy cowlicks that made it look funny.

#45

“I’m not like other girls!1!1!”

Essentially just hated other women, loved male attention, would always try to redirect the convo to focus on me instead of other girls, would be “cutesy” for attention, did stupid inappropriate stuff like let guys throw s**t down the space between my b***s as a game (I have DDs), etc. Also made me say some borderline racist/sexist/homophobic stuff because that’s what guys liked.

Now I look back and… *yikes*. I’m sorry to anyone who had to be around me and I’m no longer the bigot I was. Bit me in the a*s though because girls hated me at my high school and I stopped being obsessed with guys so they stopped talking to me too.

#46

Lost all my money in the stock market when wallstreetbets was pumping GME…

Learned a $20k lesson

#47

Going to college

what a waste of time

#48

There I was in junior high, my best friend and I loved The Cure (I like them, always been more of a Depeche Mode fan) and we thought it was so cool to wear skinny jeans with the legs rolled, some kind of patterned socks, black Mary Janes type shoes.

We teased our hair to make it look like Robert what’s his face, powdered our faces and painted our lips and eyes with black eyeliner. We thought we were so cool!

#49

Mini helicopter things called fidget spinners

#50

Being a silly, screaming 12 YO Beatlemania chick. I still scream a lot…Get Off My Lawn!, but we old bats are allowed to.

#51

White rapper fad of the early 2000s

#52

Diamond Hands.

I held almost $300K worth of GME when it went over $400 per share.

#53

Holding your friends neck in the bathroom in highschool until they passed out. This was in the 90s, I don’t even know why… it was just a thing you heard about so did it.

A few years ago I saw it on the news again about how kids are making each other pass out as pranks… i was like pshhh, we did that back when I was your age lol

#54

Sagging my pants. There’s just nothing redeeming about it. Ugly and super impractical. We’d run around with one hand holding up our pants so they didn’t fall off. But the dumbest part was how cool it was and how much of an outsider you were if you didn’t participate.

#55

Jelly shoes

#56

I had my hair permed into an Afro in the 70s. I’m a white female. I looked ridiculous. Of course, at the time, I thought I was cool with my rake in my hip pocket.

#57

The dumbest fad I participated in was probably the one where everyone was trying to see how long they could hold their breath.

#58

Ice Bucket Challenge

#59

Acid washed jeans, 1990 or so.

#60

I love the ones I have, but I acquiesce that funko pops are dumb asf.

#61

Thin eyebrows 🤦🏻‍♀️

#62

I’ve paid cash money for both pogs and slap braceletts.

#63

Keto.

Doesn’t work. Just eat healthy and exercise – it’s really that simple.

#64

Colour blocking

#65

Silly string bracelets going all the way up your arm.

#66

Mood ring

#67

Garbage pail kids card collecting.

#68

I was *very* into the knife song and game in highschool. The more I drank, the more accurate I got. I only have one scar.

#69

Religion.

#70

Wanting a Furby. Ended up in my closet after 10 minutes.

Edit: as a young child, not recently lol