13 Regrettable Ways I Used To Pose In Photos

As an avid social media user, I've had plenty of practice posing for group photos, profile pictures and of course, random selfies. Of all the ways to pose in photos, I consistently used to choose some of the silliest faces and body positions. Starting from the days I had an digital camera permanently glued to my hand in middle school and up until my early college years, I've amassed a catalogue of awkward photos that should have never seen the light of day.

It's a miracle the public doesn't have access to the horrid digital camera-in-hand, mirror selfies I used to post on MySpace during my middle school years. I'm sure those photos would be an absolute abomination, rife with dirty mirrors and duck faces. I'm ashamed to admit that some of my most embarrassing photos were actually taken pretty recently. Sorry not sorry?

Of course, not all of the poses and expressions I did were completely terrible — and anyone who wants to rock one of these should do so with pride. After all, who's to say that duck lips and West Coast hand signs can't be cute? For me, though, it feels slightly embarrassing and sometimes I deeply regret these 13 ways I used to strike a pose.

1. The Hunched Over Lean

There's no way all of that hunching could have been good for my back. Weirdly, I always had my head slightly cocked and a hand behind my back when I did it. Although there's nothing super awful about this pose, it just doesn't make any sense aesthetically. I'm questioning why no one loved me enough to tell me I looked like Quasimodo's sister when I hunched over like this, to be honest.

2. The Arm Over Head Pose

Maybe I imagined myself posing for a magazine anytime I hit this arm over the head pose models and celebs are always doing in photoshoots. Looking back, I wish I would have left this one where I found it. A simple hand-on-the-hip could have sufficed if I just had to do something with my arm. But no. I chose to go all America's Next Top Model in many of my old photos.

3. The Cheerleader

I look as though I'm prepared to shout a peppy, "Readyyy? OK!" at any moment. I was a cheerleader throughout my teens, after all. But that's besides the point. If I wasn't in uniform, there's no reason I should be hitting this pose. Thankfully, a phone was in my other hand. I probably would have had double fists on hips if not.

4. Every Awkward Hand Pose

The number of weird hand poses I covered my face with is disturbing. Digging through my old selfies, I found photo after photo featuring my fingers awkwardly positioned to shield a portion of my face. It defeats the entire purpose of taking a photo if I'm just going to hide behind my extremeties.

5. Whatever This Look Is

Why Summer? Just why? Nothing about this facial expression is attractive, yet I have dozens of photos tainted by this grimace. I must have convinced my younger self that cool kids don't smile. At least it looks like I was having a good hair day in this shot.

6. The Famous Duck Lips

Judge me all you want, but I know we all have a few duck face selfies in our archives. I didn't make duck lips a permanent part of my selfie routine, but I did it enough to be deadly. I never realized I had so many photos featuring these puckered lips, and yes, I'm ashamed.

7. Holding A Handbag With No Handbag

Yes, it looks like I'm toting an imaginary handbag. I suppose this is what happens when you have absolutely nothing better to do with your limbs. And here I am again serving the meanest duck face ever.

8. Repping The West Coast Even Though I'm From Atlanta

I'm a southern native, born and raised. There was no reason for me to consistently pose with a West Coast hand sign. I was probably convinced that it was the cool thing to do at the time. It wasn't.

9. The Model Pose

Compared to many of my other embarrassing selfies, this one isn't nearly as bad. I once took glamour shots and they had me pose as such. From there, I ran with this neck-holding pose. I guess I felt like a model all over again every time I did it?

10. Chuckin' Deuces

Nearly every kid did/does it so I really shouldn't complain. I could fill an entire photo album with pictures of me throwing up deuces. I had been hitting this pose ever since I was a young child. Old habits die hard, I suppose.

11. Pointing At Absolutely Nothing

Yet another double whammy: I'm chucking a deuce and aimlessly pointing at the same time. I despise every photo that features me pointing into the camera or off into space. Even if I was actually pointing at something, it's not like you could see it in the photo anyway. This pose was pointless, no pun intended.

12. Looking Back At It

The "looking back at it" pose was all about attitude. You had to poke out your butt, and give a sly glance, as if to say, "My body's so bootylicious!" (thanks Yoncé)! I could certainly do without all of this unnecessary attention to my bum though. Luckily, this photo wasn't taken totally from behind like all of my other booty shots.

13. Scrunched Faces

I used to think this was the cutest little face I could ever make, when in reality, I just look like I smelled something rotten. It doesn't help that this smelly face was done while I selfied it up in my bathroom.

Everyone went through awkward photo stages, so I know I'm not alone. Sometimes, I feel sad about the fact that I grew up during a time when selfie-ing became a way of life. Then again, most of my millennial peers are part of this well-documented period of regrettable posing history — and thankfully, I learned how to really pose somewhere along the way.

All those awkward selfies are a thing of the past, but at least they made me comfortable in front of a camera when it came time to grow up and seriously serve a look.

Images: Summer Arlexis