What it Looked Like to Go to High School As Gen X

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What it Looked Like to Go to High School As Gen X

No one knew what they were doing, but they looked cool doing it.

Published 2 months ago in Wow

You wore your heart on your denim jacket and your angst in your locker. If you survived gym class, cafeteria mystery meat, and your best friend dating your crush; you earned your stripes. High school wasn’t a vibe, it was a battlefield… with bad lighting.

This slideshow brings the past right to your screen with all the chaos, cool, and cringe-worthy moments that made Gen X high school unforgettable. It’s like cracking open a yearbook full of scrunched-up notes, questionable hairstyles, and rebellious attitudes; minus the bad hair spray smell (we can’t help with that).

Want to know what it really looked like? Get ready. This slideshow is a locker-smelling, hallway-stomping, note-passing flashback into the chaotic, glorious world of Gen X high school and trust us, you’ll feel seen.

1
Not Technically Sleeping, But Spiritually Gone
Body in English class. Mind on pizza. Soul at the basement.

2
Parking Lot Diplomacy: Where Detention Was Avoided
You either had a Marlboro in your sock or a mixtape in your glovebox. Or both.

3
The Exact Moment You Realized You Should've Studied
“If I get a C, I’m still technically passing.”

4
School’s Out. Shenanigans: In Session.
This is where “just five more minutes” turned into “I’m grounded now.”

5
The Original Instagram Influencers
They knew their angles. They knew their power. They didn’t need filters.

6
Staring Out the Window Like a Music Video
“Will I ever get out of this town?”

7
Already Thinking About Friday Night
When your brain is running on peanut butter crackers and Mountain Dew. Barely.

8
“Assigned Seats” Were Just a Suggestion
Sitting on the desk = rebellious. Actual chairs = for the weak.

9
Cafeteria Politics: Choose Your Table Wisely
Jocks, goths, theater kids, stoners, loners… lunch was basically Survivor.

10
Sidewalk Bro Session
Sitting, judging, smoking, sharing the same pair of headphones like it was sacred.

11
Mentally Checked Out by Third Period
Somebody’s chewing a pen. Somebody’s writing lyrics. Somebody’s plotting their band’s next gig.

12
Gen X Google: Your Own Brain + A Typewriter
Mistakes weren’t deleted. They were shamed in ink forever.

13
Probably Just Drew Something Inappropriate in the Yearbook
You rocked the classroom, always waiting to get out. Now you kinda want to go back.

14
Locker Loop: Gossip, Lip Gloss, Repeat
Where every dramatic life update was delivered like a soap opera scene.

15
Laughing So Hard You Might Pee a Little
The kind of laugh that makes the teacher come out and yell: “WHAT is going on out here?!”

16
Pre-Homeroom Gossip & Half-Asleep Studying
Someone’s eating. Someone’s hungover. Someone's being dramatic over a test. All is right.

17
Click-Clack Panic Attack
No delete key. Just Wite-Out, rage, and a prayer to pass typing class.

18
Locker Talk: The Sacred Ritual of Teenage Girls
“OK but don’t tell anyone…” (tells everyone.)

19
“Open Your Textbooks” = Immediate Nap Time
Half the class is doodling. One kid’s actually learning. The teacher’s just tired.

20
Parking Lot = Therapy, But Full Of Denim
Someone’s blasting Def Leppard. Someone’s crying about a breakup. Someone’s selling cassette tapes from their trunk.

21
She Woke Up Like This (and Everyone Noticed)
Hair teased to heaven, Walkman in hand, and an attitude that said: “Don’t talk to me unless you’re Prince.”