You Know You Were a Teenager in the 2000s If. . .

By Britt Stephens

Updated on July 30, 2020 at 9:48 PM

Everett Collection

Everett Collection

Remember last decade, how you used to quote Mean Girls word for word while talking to your best friend on your Nokia cell phone? You wore low-rise jeans with tiny t-shirts and Rocket Dog sandals and spent your afternoons requesting music videos on TRL and learning the dance moves to "I'm a Slave 4 U." We'll be honest; we still quote Mean Girls and try to copy Britney Spears routines, but we look back on those days with equal parts dreamy nostalgia and sheer horror. We're taking a trip down memory lane with all the best (and worst) things about coming of age in the aughts. So here we go: you know you were a teenager in the 2000s if . . .

— Additional reporting by Lauren Harano

01

click to play video

You Shook It Like a Polaroid Picture

02

click to play video

Took Off All Your Clothes

03

click to play video

And Denied Things by Saying, "It Wasn't Me"

04

You Thought These Two Would Be Together Forever — Getty | Jeffrey Mayer

You Thought These Two Would Be Together Forever

05

Same With These Two — Getty | Kevin Mazur

Same With These Two

06

And These Two — Getty | Jason Squires

And These Two

07

Your Jeans Didn't Have Back Pockets — modaxpressonline.com

Your Jeans Didn't Have Back Pockets

Levanta Cola Med Wash Skinny Jeans ($30)

Main Image

Levanta Cola Med Wash Skinny Jeans

08

Or Belt Loops — oldnavy.gap.com

Or Belt Loops

Mid-Rise Rockstar Super Skinny Jeggings for Women ($20, originally $35)

Main Image

Mid-Rise Rockstar Super Skinny Jeggings for Women

09

But They <i>Were</i> as Low as Humanly Possible — Getty | Jean-Paul Aussenard

But They <i>Were</i> as Low as Humanly Possible

10

You Spent Hours Choosing a Song to Play as Your Outgoing Voicemail Message — Dreamworks via Giphy

You Spent Hours Choosing a Song to Play as Your Outgoing Voicemail Message

And recording it at just the right moment.

11

Crafting Your AIM Away Message With Emotional Song Lyrics (or Cryptic, Attention-Seeking Blurbs) — AOL via Giphy

Crafting Your AIM Away Message With Emotional Song Lyrics (or Cryptic, Attention-Seeking Blurbs)

12

Downloading Music From Kazaa and Limewire and Burning It Onto a CD

13

And Organizing Your Top Friends on MySpace — MySpace via Giphy

And Organizing Your Top Friends on MySpace

It was never without drama.

14

You Were Addicted to Texting and Playing Snake on Your Nokia Cell Phone — Nokia via Giphy

You Were Addicted to Texting and Playing Snake on Your Nokia Cell Phone

15

And You Kitted It Out With a New Cover Every Month — ebay.com

And You Kitted It Out With a New Cover Every Month

Nokia 5165 Vintage Cell Phone With USA Flag Design ($30)

Main Image

Nokia 5165 Vintage Cell Phone With USA Flag Design

16

Then You Got It Taken Away For Running Up the Bill — Paramount Pictures via Giphy

Then You Got It Taken Away For Running Up the Bill

17

This Was Your First iPod — Getty | SAMANTHA SIN

This Was Your First iPod

18

And You Had to Wait a Week to See That Selfie You Took — Unsplash | bady

And You Had to Wait a Week to See That Selfie You Took

19

You Quoted Mean Girls Religiously — Paramount Pictures via Giphy

You Quoted Mean Girls Religiously

20

Learned the Cheer Routines From Bring It On — Universal Pictures via Giphy

Learned the Cheer Routines From Bring It On

21

Tried to Surf Like You Were in Blue Crush — Everett Collection

Tried to Surf Like You Were in Blue Crush

22

And Wanted to Take a Road Trip With Your Girlfriends, à la Crossroads — Everett Collection

And Wanted to Take a Road Trip With Your Girlfriends, à la Crossroads

23

You Remember This Miley Cyrus — Getty | Jesse Grant

You Remember This Miley Cyrus

24

This Hilary Duff — Getty | Gregg DeGuire

This Hilary Duff

25

And This Rihanna — Getty | Kevin Winter

And This Rihanna

26

You Thought This Was the Best Super Bowl Halftime Show Ever — Getty | Jeff Kravitz

You Thought This Was the Best Super Bowl Halftime Show Ever

Until Beyoncé in 2013, of course.

27

click to play video

You Learned All the Dance Moves to "I'm a Slave 4 U"

28

No, Really. Every Move — YouTube via Giphy

No, Really. Every Move

29

Even the Supersexy Ones! — YouTube via Giphy

Even the Supersexy Ones!

30

When You Got Home From School, You Made Yourself Some Easy Mac — target.com

When You Got Home From School, You Made Yourself Some Easy Mac

Kraft Easy Mac ($1)

Main Image

31

Requested Videos on TRL — Getty | KMazur

Requested Videos on TRL

32

Watched Celebrities Get Punk'd — MTV via Giphy

Watched Celebrities Get Punk'd

33

And Flipped Through YM Magazine — amazon.com

And Flipped Through YM Magazine

YM Magazine ($38)

Main Image

34

You Wore Tube Tops and Prairie Skirts — Getty | KMazur

You Wore Tube Tops and Prairie Skirts

35

And Juicy Couture Sweatsuits — Getty | KMazur

And Juicy Couture Sweatsuits

36

Then You Accessorized With a Tiffany Charm Bracelet — tiffany.com

Then You Accessorized With a Tiffany Charm Bracelet

Tiffany & Co. Charm Bracelet ($350)

Main Image

Tiffany & Co. Charm Bracelet

37

And Those Sunglasses That Were Barely Tinted Enough to Protect Your Eyes — Getty | Gregg DeGuire

And Those Sunglasses That Were Barely Tinted Enough to Protect Your Eyes

38

click to play video

You Remember Samantha Mumba

39

click to play video

Hoobastank

40

click to play video

Willa Ford

41

click to play video

And Dream

42

You Hung Out at the Virgin Megastore — Getty | BORIS HORVAT

You Hung Out at the Virgin Megastore

43

And the Vans Skatepark — Getty | Anton Novoderezhkin

And the Vans Skatepark

44

And Played Dance Dance Revolution in the Middle of the Mall — Reddit via Giphy

And Played Dance Dance Revolution in the Middle of the Mall

45

You Didn't Leave the House Without Your MAC Lipglass — maccosmetics.com

You Didn't Leave the House Without Your MAC Lipglass

MAC Lipglass ($18)

Main Image

46

Or Your Rocket Dog Sandals — amazon.com

Or Your Rocket Dog Sandals

Rocket Dog Sandals ($23)

Main Image

Rocket Dog Sandals

47

Or Your Von Dutch Trucker Hat — Getty | J. Merritt

Or Your Von Dutch Trucker Hat

48

Or Your Dooney & Bourke Logo Purse

Dooney & Bourke Purse ($258)

Main Image

Dooney & Bourke Purse

49

You Got Your Belly Button Pierced and Bought the Dangliest Ring You Could Find — bodycandy.com

You Got Your Belly Button Pierced and Bought the Dangliest Ring You Could Find

Belly Button Ring ($12)

Main Image

Belly Button Ring

50

Then Showed It Off in Your Tiny Hollister T-Shirt — hollisterco.com

Then Showed It Off in Your Tiny Hollister T-Shirt

Hollister T-Shirt ($20)

Main Image

Hollister T-Shirt

51

Your Feet Stayed Warm in a Pair of Ugg Boots — ugg.com

Your Feet Stayed Warm in a Pair of Ugg Boots

Classic Ugg Boots ($170)

Main Image

Classic Ugg Boots

52

While Your Legs Cooled Off in a Denim Miniskirt — Getty | Amy Graves

While Your Legs Cooled Off in a Denim Miniskirt

53

And If You Were Feeling Fancy, You'd Stick on a Crystal Tattoo — Getty | KMazur

And If You Were Feeling Fancy, You'd Stick on a Crystal Tattoo

54

You Were Hooked on The O.C. — Fox via Giphy

You Were Hooked on The O.C.

55

Wished You Lived in Laguna Beach — MTV via Giphy

Wished You Lived in Laguna Beach

56

Thought About Who Your Phone-a-Friend Would Be — ABC via Giphy

Thought About Who Your Phone-a-Friend Would Be

57

And Wondered If You'd Be the Weakest Link — NBC via Giphy

And Wondered If You'd Be the Weakest Link

58

You Remember When Kelly Clarkson Won American Idol — Getty | Kevin Winter

You Remember When Kelly Clarkson Won American Idol

59

And When Christina Aguilera Got "Dirrty" — YouTube via Giphy

And When Christina Aguilera Got "Dirrty"

With two R's.

60

You Wondered If Beyoncé and JAY-Z Were Dating — Getty | Kevin Mazur

You Wondered If Beyoncé and JAY-Z Were Dating

61

click to play video

You Listened to "Where the Party At" on Repeat Even Though You'd Never Actually Been to a Party

62

click to play video

And You Listened to "In Da Club" on Repeat Even Though You'd Never Actually Been in a Club

63

You Remember When Jessica Simpson Thought Tuna Was Chicken — Getty | Sandy Huffaker

You Remember When Jessica Simpson Thought Tuna Was Chicken

64

And When Paris Hilton Thought Walmart Sold "Wall Stuff" — Fox via Giphy

And When Paris Hilton Thought Walmart Sold "Wall Stuff"

65

You Wore Your Hair Stick Straight — Getty | J. Vespa

You Wore Your Hair Stick Straight

66

Or Maybe in One of Those Ponytails With the Two Strands Hanging Down in Front — Getty | SGranitz

Or Maybe in One of Those Ponytails With the Two Strands Hanging Down in Front

67

Or Maybe You Rocked Micro Braids — Getty | Harry Langdon

Or Maybe You Rocked Micro Braids

68

Sometimes You Did a Few Front Twists — Getty | SGranitz

Sometimes You Did a Few Front Twists

69

Or Flipped the Ends Out — Getty | Vince Bucci

Or Flipped the Ends Out

70

Basically, You Were the Hottest Thing Ever — Paramount Pictures via Giphy

Basically, You Were the Hottest Thing Ever

71

And You Should Look Back on That Time With Pride — Paramount Pictures via Giphy

And You Should Look Back on That Time With Pride

No matter how mortifying it looks in pictures.

Pin it! — Everett Collection

Pin it!