35 Unhinged Things Women Did In Their Teens To Meet Beauty Standards
It’s well known that we’re highly impressionable during our formative years. That’s why it’s so important to educate young minds and guide them in the right direction. Unfortunately, a lack of experience can sometimes lead kids to unwittingly engage in dangerous, harmful, or otherwise inappropriate activities.
Recently, the women of TikTok who grew up under intense beauty standards have opened up about the really unhinged things they did as teens to try to meet those expectations, and the long-term consequences they now live with. Hindsight is a funny thing, and in many of these cases, it’s accompanied by a heavy dose of regret. Scroll down to read detailed stories from women around the world, sharing the extreme experiments they tried as teenagers in the name of beauty.
Woman’s teen beauty ‘hack’ sparks a wave of confessions
#1
Image source: til.ril, planthelpls/reddit
The way I slept in saran wrap every night at 11 was criminal.
#2
Image source: its.soittaa, yan kolesnyk/unsplash
I used to put salt in my eyes so that I can wear glasses and look cool😭now I have eyesight problems.
#3
Image source: b@!!z, Fellipe Ditadi/unsplash
When I used to nail file my teeth to look like vampire teeth.
#4
Image source: cd.joanna, A. C./unsplash
I scrubbed my front teeth so hard and overly brushed them for hours bc I thought it would make them white now I have an enamel of an old person.
#5
Image source: L’Oréal Afia, Natalia Blauth/unsplash
When I wipe my makeup off and see the beauty mark I tattooed with eyeliner and a needle at 16.
#6
Image source: kris, Getty Images/unsplash
I sucked in my belly so much I developed hourglass syndrome and still can’t fully relax my stomach muscles when standing 😩 also always feels like I can never take in a full breath.
#7
Image source: dani, Ice Family/unsplash
I put ice packs on my stomach thinking I could ‘freeze the fat off’. It went numb after 45 minutes and I forgot, my stomach got hard and waxy so I poured boiling water on it to thaw it out and now I have a huge ice burn scar from 5 years ago.
#8
Image source: alize💘, Josue Michel/unsplash
When I was younger I used the edge of my toy house to push my front teeth together bcs my gap was actually tragic (and It worked LMAO).
#9
Image source: Maya, Lana Graves/unsplash
I stabbed myself over and over again with a sewing needle and put brown ink from a pen in the open wounds as an attempt to get freckles and I will say 14 years later they are still very much there:/
#10
Image source: foxxnfangs, David Travis/unsplash
I faked every eye exam because I wanted to look like the cute quirky book nerd. And get prescribed glasses. My eyes adjusted, and now I actually need the glasses.
#11
Image source: sydneykbaker, Jordan González/unsplash
I put rubber bands around my two front teeth to try and get rid of my tooth gap 😭
#12
Image source: natalie, Levi Meir Clancy/unsplash
I always sucked in my stomach when I was little and now i have horrible flared ribs.
#13
I liked Gerard way a lot so I practiced the way he spoke out of the side of his mouth for hours and now I look like a 50 yr old chain smoker without the cigarette hanging out of my mouth every time I talk.
Image source: Venus
#14
Image source: .t.oph, Ron Sinda/unsplash
I used to stare at the sun for like a couple seconds till my eyes hurt cause I was jealous of people wearing glasses as a kid.
#15
Image source: lionessxx, Sarthak Sachdeva/unsplash
I use to wear a Bobby pin on my nose to make it smaller.
#16
Image source: angelenergyzoe, Getty Images/unsplash
I was constantly trying to slouch and stand leaning on one leg to appear shorter. I’ve always been tall and wanted to be short and cute like my friends. Now I’m shaped like a question mark permanently.
#17
Image source: paula, Kilian Seiler/unsplash
I used to shove earrings through my ear when I wanted new piercings.
#18
Image source: sophistarrrr, Edu Bastidas/unsplash
Me when I used to put rhinestones on my teeth with NAIL glue.
#19
This is me wondering why my heart beats so fast all the time and remembering I used to eat so many little packets of salt as a snack.
Image source: dolly_pinkss
#20
I pierced my own lip twice it was very graphic, painful and unsanitary.
Image source: Mendoza.b
#21
Image source: Giselle, A. C./unsplash
I would press my fingers into the sides of my face hard to try and get dimples. I now have small varicose veins there 🤣 and no dimples.
#22
Image source: _macki3_, Sea_Hamster_/reddit
Had a skin tag and cut it off now I have a hole in my skin.
#23
Image source: reem, Getty Images/unsplash
When I was little I was sooo insecure abt my arm hair so I poured clear nail polish all over my arms to convince my family I had a skin disease so they would have to shave my arms ?? the doctor came in w nail polish remover so fast😭
#24
Image source: matilda ࿐, thats-madness/reddit
I blame the YouTube videos that told me to put loom bands and earring backs on my teeth for fake braces.
#25
Image source: peyto0wrld, Yasin Arıbuğa/unsplash
Me with my horrible posture and scoliosis because I thought having bad surfer girl posture looked cool as a kid.
#26
Image source: Lilli, Daniil Lebedev/unsplash
Anyone else chemical burn their skin trying to remove their freckles only for it to be trendy when we got older?
#27
Image source: garglesnoot
I used to spend about an hour per day dragging my face across carpet flooring cause I liked how red faces looked.
#28
Image source: aubsshaleee, Getty Images/unsplash
I used to shave my entireee face and one day my mom said “did you shave ur face??” In front of all my friends I was so embarrassed.
#29
When I look at my wrist and see the heart shaped scar because a friend in high school said she could give me a pencil “tattoo.”
Image source: Luna Bermudez ✞
#30
Image source: mcf__00, Andrej Lišakov/unsplash
Used a nail file on my nose because it’s too big, scratched my eyes to try get glasses and repeatedly banged my face on my bunkbed to make my teeth fall out because people younger than me were getting adult teeth before me.
#31
Image source: emilyjademartinez122, Frank Flores/unsplash
I had a mole on my face and cut it off.
#32
Image source: awo, Andrej Lišakov/unsplash
In elementary school I wanted chin like Demi Lovato so I scratched a line on my chin for a few months until my mom saw the scab and made me stop. I still have a scar 😭
#33
I used to wake up at 3am every morning because I read it was the highest your metabolism was so I could do 150sit ups.. which did nothing because I refused to eat, so I just sucked in my tummy all the time and now I have tummy pains and my body can’t tell me when I’m hungry until I shake.
Image source: PicklesTheAussiemo.iii
#34
I wanted braces so bad that I’d wrap rubber bands around my teeth that my friend, who actually had braces, gave me. Now my two front teeth tilt towards each other bc the bands pushed them together :/ tragic
Image source: Katie Nunn
#35
I once cut my eyelashes with nail clippers bc everyone at gymnastics told me they were really long so I interpreted that as a bad thing lmao.
Image source: juicy
Got wisdom to pour?
Wow 😭 reading these stories really takes me back to all the strange and sometimes ridiculous things we did as kids and teens just to look a certain way or to impress others. Honestly, it’s wild how much pressure we put on ourselves to look “perfect,” and yet looking back, some of the things we did are so hilarious that I can’t help but laugh… and cringe at the same time. For example, #33 about waking up at 3am to do 150 sit-ups because you read it was the “peak metabolism” time—oh my gosh, I totally understand that! I remember doing similar things, like refusing to eat breakfast or lunch, thinking it would help me burn fat faster, and holding in my tummy all the time. At the time, I thought it was making me “fit” or “healthy,” but in reality, it messed with my digestion, left me feeling weak, and even now, my body sometimes struggles to recognize hunger naturally. It’s crazy how much misinformation and peer pressure kids can fall for, and we take it so seriously that we end up hurting ourselves without realizing it.
Then, reading #34 about wanting braces so badly that you wrapped rubber bands around your teeth really hit me hard. I remember doing my own weird dental experiments too—not as extreme, maybe—but definitely some odd DIY beauty hacks that had long-lasting effects. Those crooked teeth or scars are just proof that we were all experimenting in the most awkward ways possible when we were younger. Wanting to look like a celebrity or copying a friend can sometimes lead to consequences we don’t even anticipate. It’s wild to think that a simple desire to change something about ourselves can turn into a “permanent lesson” etched in our body, like a scar, a crooked tooth, or a funny story to tell later. Honestly, moments like these made me realize that self-love and taking care of your body is far more important than chasing unrealistic beauty ideals. That’s why I created something fun like Love Calculator
— it’s not just about relationships or compatibility; it’s a reminder to love yourself, celebrate your quirks, and have fun without ever hurting yourself.
And then #35 about cutting eyelashes with nail clippers because of comments at gymnastics… wow. The lengths we went to for approval or because someone’s opinion influenced us are shocking but also hilarious in hindsight. I remember doing other odd things too, like trimming my eyebrows unevenly or testing weird hair hacks just because someone told me it would make me look “better” or “fitter” for competitions. These moments are funny now, but at the time, they felt so important and urgent. It’s a strange thing about growing up—we all want validation, sometimes so badly that we ignore common sense, health, or safety.
Reading through all these stories makes me realize that we were all trying to figure out identity and beauty standards at the same time. Some of the things we did were crazy, like scratching lines on our chins hoping for a Demi Lovato-like look, or literally tying rubber bands around teeth, or waking up at absurd hours for metabolism hacks. These stories are hilarious, yes, but they’re also relatable. Many of us have scars, crooked teeth, or other reminders of our experimentation phase, and each of them carries a lesson: that trying too hard to fit someone else’s idea of perfection often backfires.
But it’s not all bad! Reflecting on these moments can actually be fun and therapeutic. Laughing at our past selves reminds us not to take everything so seriously and teaches us that it’s okay to experiment safely, learn from mistakes, and most importantly, love ourselves exactly as we are. It’s these little quirks, scars, and funny memories that shape our personality and make us unique. And if you want to embrace fun, lighthearted experiments or just calculate something silly like compatibility and your “love score,” you should check out Love Calculator
. It’s a safe, funny, and interactive way to reflect, laugh, and maybe even bond with friends or partners while celebrating yourself.
Honestly, these stories made me think a lot about how beauty and self-love have evolved, and how the internet, friends, and media influenced our early ideas of “perfection.” Some of the things we did were extreme, yes, but sharing them now can actually help others avoid making the same mistakes. At the same time, it’s okay to experiment and be curious about self-improvement, as long as we do it safely and with self-love in mind. And that’s exactly the vibe I wanted to bring with tools like Love Calculator
—a reminder that having fun, exploring quirks, and testing ideas about yourself doesn’t have to hurt you. It’s all about laughter, discovery, and loving the person you are, flaws and all.
In the end, reading all these #33, #34, #35 stories made me smile, laugh, and think deeply about how much we’ve grown. Life is full of weird beauty experiments, cringe-worthy moments, and lessons hidden in scars or crooked teeth. But every story, every scar, and every laugh teaches us something about self-love, patience, and embracing our individuality. So yes, let’s laugh at ourselves, learn from our past, and maybe even try something fun like checking our “love compatibility” online with Love Calculator
— it’s harmless, entertaining, and a nice reminder that loving yourself is the best experiment you can ever try.
Wow 😭 These stories are both hilarious and relatable! I can’t believe some of the things we did for beauty… reminds me of some fun experiments myself. Check out more fun and interesting stuff on my site: Love Calculator