26 People Shared Their "Style Icons" From Middle School, And The Answers Are As Funny As They Are Nostalgic

    The absolute CHOKEHOLD the Disney Channel had on our fashion sense is both mortifying and hilarious.

    Jake Farrington
    by Jake Farrington

    BuzzFeed Staff

    When we were younger (we're talking middle school/high school), everyone had that ONE fictional character who really changed the game for us.

    Paramount Pictures / Via giphy.com

    And after you found them, it wasn't enough to just watch their movies or draw them in your Lisa Frank notebook — you had to copy every bit of their style in an attempt to BE them.

    Warner Bros. Pictures / Via giphy.com

    So I asked the BuzzFeed Community which TV/movie characters were their biggest style inspirations growing up, and let me tell you, the answers are DELIGHTFUL!

    1. "Hilary Duff/Lizzie McGuire taught me everything I couldn't do with my hair."

    Walt Disney Co. / ©Walt Disney Co./Courtesy Everett Collection

    "Butterfly clips, spiky hair buns, crimps, braids, fake colored clip-in hair strands — I spent an entire year of my life getting up early before school and trying to do something different with my hair, and let me tell you, IT WAS TOUGH."

    —Katelyn W.

    2. "Elle Woods, specifically from Legally Blonde 2!"

    ©MGM/Courtesy Everett Collection

    "Her casual looks were perfect. The skinny, shiny scarves that don’t actually keep you warm, LOL. Mix that with Baby Spice and you've got my middle school style."

    —audreybeauchamp

    3. "Clarissa Explains It All."

    Clarissa wearing mismatched clothing
    ©Nickelodeon Network/Courtesy Everett Co

    —sejrup9690

    4. "Anything worn by either Phoebe (Alyssa Milano) or Piper (Holly Marie Combs) from Charmed."

    ©Viacom/Courtesy Everett Collection, ©Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection

    "I don't think I ever hated a single thing they wore on that show; everything was unique and amazing."

    —vpmybooks


    "I think my favorite style icons were the Charmed sisters. It was so wild that these four women would just go to their jobs truly dressed like they only shopped at Wet Seal, and then would fight demons in the same outfits. It was just on the verge of being 'stripper-chic' and I lived! I'd stare at Phoebe fighting a warlock in a sequin tube top like, 'How do I become you?'"

    —Joseph D.


    5. "Santana from Glee.🤍"

    ©20thCentFox/Courtesy Everett Collection

    —camilladaniele

    6. "This is embarrassing, but I love '80s fashion, and in high school I took every chance I could to look like Alex from Flashdance, especially with the leg warmers and clunky jewelry."

    Cbs Photo Archive / CBS via Getty Images, Paramount / ©Paramount/Courtesy Everett Collection

    —colleend9

    7. "That's So Raven started it all for me. I was obsessed with her whole fashion aesthetic."

    Raven wearing a multicolored jacket and jeans
    ©Disney Channel/ courtesy Everett

    "Maybe not so much anymore, but when I was younger I was always concerned about looking as put together as Raven. Loved the colors!"

    —Casey D.


    "Raven from That's So Raven! I figured if I dressed like her, I’d also get her 'see into the future' power. Guess what — it worked!!"

    —Anonymous 

    8. "My style icon was Mary Poppins."

    Walt Disney Co / Courtesy Everett Collection

    "I would wear hats like her and precocious shirts and always carried around an umbrella. I thought maybe I would be able to fly and would regularly jump off the porch."

    —Joe

    9. "Buffy Summers! I bought a faux leather jacket and shirts that looked like ones she'd worn."

    Buffy fighting someone
    20thCentFox/Courtesy Everett Collection

    "I even carried a broken piece of a wooden pallet that resembled a stake in the pocket of said jacket. 🤣 I was about 14 or so, LOL."

    —jessethecowgirl


    "Buffy the Vampire Slayer was my ENTIRE fashion personality. Crucifixes, leather, and tight black shirts were my entire wardrobe. A bit strange for a suburban ninth-grade boy, but I made it work."

    —Donny 

    10. "Everyone from Get a Clue!! The brightness and diversity! But also Cher in Clueless."

    a group of kids wearing bright clothing
    Disney Channel/Courtesy Everett Collection

    –Nicole C.

    11. "Seth Cohen from The OC."

    ©Warner Bros / courtesy Everett Collection

    "Because he was that perfect blend of nerdy and funny, and had a best friend who would punch you. Also, Edward Cullen is the reason I wear light gray T-shirts (he makes it look easy)."

    — Kyle M.

    closeup of Edward Cullen
    Summit Entertainment

    12. "In high school I tried so incredibly hard to replicate Peyton's entire wardrobe from One Tree Hill."

    Cw Network/Courtesy Everett Collection, ©Warner Bros / courtesy Everett Collection

    "The black leather jacket, band shirts... I even tried to be her as the Angel of Death for Halloween one year! She was such a style icon during the emo/punk music era of the early 2000s!"

    —beezuschrist

    13. "Selena Gomez as Alex Russo in Wizards of Waverly Place."

    Disney Channel / ©Disney Channel/Courtesy Everett Collection, Disney Channel / ©Disney Channel/Courtesy Everett Collection

    —Anonymous

    14. "The fashion in the movie Stuck in the Suburbs was big for me, specifically Brenda Song's looks. I bought a soccer ball purse because of her. I felt very cool."

    Disney Channel

    —Molly Capobianco

    15. "There was no one more iconic for me than the Olsen twins in Billboard Dad."

    the Olsen twins wearing sunglasses, T-shirts, and jackets
    ©Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection

    —Taylor W.

    16. "Christian from Clueless!"

    ©Paramount/Courtesy Everett Collection

    "I loved him because I was preppy and clean cut, and I KNEW he was a homosexual before Cher did. Her gaydar was off, LOL."

    —Pablo O.

    17. "Francine from Arthur inspired me to be comfy and vaguely butch."

    PBS

    — Alice Lahoda

    18. "Claire Danes in My So-Called Life!"

    ABC/Courtesy Everett Collection

    "Brooding teen vibes, including oversized sweaters (must cover the hands!), plaid shirts, and of course overalls with only one strap buckled. Add a box of “Crimson Glow” hair dye, and you’re all set."

    —Anonymous

    19. "Miley Cyrus/Hannah Montana taught me that I could rock a spaghetti strap OVER a long sleeve, and accessorize with the skinniest sequined scarf you've ever seen. My 13-year-old self THANKS HER!"

    ©Disney Channel/Courtesy Everett Collection

    —Claire W.

    20. "Lindsay Lohan in Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen!!!!!!"

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    —Sheridan G.

    21. "Zack Morris from Saved by the Bell was it for me."

    Zack Morris in a multicolored sweater
    ©NBC / courtesy Everett Collection

    —Michael G.

    22. "Marissa Cooper from The O.C. Everything looked amazing on her."

    ©Warner Bros / courtesy Everett Collection, Gregory Pace / FilmMagic

    "And the fact that Mischa herself was the face of so many amazing brands in the early 2000s just made her so much cooler. She’s the reason I became obsessed with owning a pair of Keds in 2006 (and finally got ‘em in 2014)."

    —Melissa L.

    23. "Usagi Tsukino (Serena) from Sailor Moon. The outfits she wore scream '90s, and I love anything Y2K."

    TV Asahi

    —Anonymous


    "Somewhere between Ally McBeal and Sailor Moon."

    —Dustin C.

    24. "Blossom! Every time I use a quirky hat, it reminds me of her."

    Blossom wearing a flowered top hat
    Alice S. Hall / ©NBC / Courtesy Everett Collection

    — Anonymous

    25. "The president’s daughter from My Date With the President’s Daughter. That pink dress is the best dress to ever be a dress."

    ABC

    — Brent B.

    26. "LaLaine, aka Miranda from Lizzie McGuire, was it for me."

    LaLaine wearing a T-shirt with writing on it
    Walt Disney Enterprises / Courtesy Everett Collection

    "I tried to dress like her a few times and ended up just looking like an indecisive clown, but I still felt the power of being the sidekick who should've been the main character. One-name energy like Madonna and Beyoncé."

    —Myke Thompson

    Thank you to everyone who submitted answers! This was beyond fun to put together. And if you want to play, tell me who your style inspirations were in the comments!

    Note: Responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.