Everyone has at least one family photo that they are intensely ashamed of. Some people are so ashamed that they make every effort to hide any evidence of its existence. However, if you have a good enough sense of humor, perhaps you are in the group of people who happily shows off these awkward photos for an evening full of ridiculous laughter. Take a trip down "family lane" with some of the funniest, cringiest family photos ever taken, next!
A Bird's Truest Form of Sentimentality
Who knew that birds could be so sentimental? This man took his quirky senior year photo with his lemon-yellow bird named Jeff. It was so pure and wholesome that it not only made it into the senior yearbook but was even immortalized in a picture frame to be displayed for all to see in his family's house. Ten years later this endearing photo of Jeff reminiscing over their younger years together was captured.
It's hard to tell if Jeff can recognize himself in the photo or if he is gazing jealously at this mysterious yellow bird being held so gently in his owner's hands.
Secret Grandma Society
They have matching haircuts, matching glasses, matching sweaters, and matching angry expressions on their faces. The only possible explanation for this is that the photographer stumbled upon a top-secret meeting of the Secret Grandma's Society. Either that or this was the only moment these women had to escape their overbearing families during the festive holiday season. So they prepared a private event with a dress code that was strictly enforced to catch some time alone.
The woman on the far left seems to even be holding up a butter knife threateningly towards the cameraman! It truly makes you wonder what the photographer said to anger them or if it was merely his presence?
Adult Fear on a Baby's Face
Imagine you ask your mother to send you one of your baby pictures. You have an idea in your head of what to expect - something cute or funny or endearing. Instead of receiving a darling image to show off to your friends, you receive this photo; a mix of a terrified adult face, eyes that saw far too many worrisome things, and a baby's pure horror of the unknown.
People all over the world are eagerly anticipating and waiting to see the remakes of this photo as the baby grows older...one as an adult and another one as a senior.
Terror in Tiny Eyes
What on earth has this baby seen? This poor child seems to have just witnessed one of the most shocking events to have happened on planet earth. What truly happened? The photographer was trying to get the baby's attention during a photoshoot, so he would look at the camera. He snapped his fingers together and captured the exact moment the baby looked over in horror and fear from the unknown noise.
The photographer could not have had more perfect timing. Instead of coming home with cute baby pictures to show the family, this baby's parents had a perfectly captured image of complete shock in their innocent baby's eyes.
12 Day Old Baby With an Attitude
What first caught your attention in this picture? Was it the displeased grimace of a frown on the baby's mouth, the angry and almost inappropriate hand gesture, or the complacently fed-up look in his eyes? This baby looks like its short twelve days on earth have already been too much for him and that he's telling the photographer that he's not going to take any more shenanigans from anyone, anywhere.
Maybe this little attitude-filled baby was simply not impressed with the world he was just born into or maybe he expected more after waiting nine long months in the womb.
The Same Hairdo for Almost 50 Years
This almost surreal graduation photo of a woman named Jan was taken in 1968 when she was 18 years old. Her hair was so perfect, full, and enormous that it is almost hard to imagine that it was not a wig or photoshopped right onto the picture. As real and impressive as this photo of Jan and her bouncy hair is, the most remarkable part of all is the remake.
Can you imagine being able to pull off almost the exact same hairstyle, outfit, and look as you did almost half a century earlier? Jan seems not to have aged at all!
Children Tell the Truth
If you want to hear the truth about yourself, consider talking to children. They are infamous for being brutally honest and straight to the point. After all, they haven't yet been taught the concepts of politeness and courtesy. This 5-year-old made it quite clear to the whole world who she loved most - her mother. Dad seemed to be a bit of an afterthought with the tiny plus sign added at the bottom corner.
You can't blame the child after all. In many families, the children spend much more time with their mothers than with their fathers, so perhaps mom was just the first person to come to mind.
Motherhood's Struggle During Christmas
The holiday season can be challenging for everyone, but mothers arguably get the shortest end of the stick. The look of pure stress on this mother's face as she struggles to hold together two flailing children for a simple Christmas photo says it all. Her daughter has already started crying and her son seems to be heading down the same path shortly. What's even worse is that she waited more than an hour in line for her turn at the photographer's station!
Despite, or perhaps because of, the utter chaos portrayed in this photo, there is no doubt this was one of her most popular Christmas pictures of all time. A brutally honest depiction of the chaos of motherhood.
The Most '80s Photo Anyone Will Ever See
This family took the trends of the 1980s to a whole new level. The full, curly permed hair combined with the thick makeup and oversized jewelry is only completed by the men's swag and style. This is certainly one heck of a family portrait. Maybe if they chose to wear a bit of a brighter color palette the photo wouldn't have such a dark and creepy vibe, but maybe it's all in the name of fashion.
Perhaps the most frightening part of this picture is the sly and mischievous look on the little boy's face. What does he know that the rest of the family is yet to find out?
The Best Replacement for a Tire Swing
No tire swing or swing set in your backyard? Don't worry, because this dad's creativity has you covered. This little girl spent her entire childhood being swung around in small trash cans whenever she wanted to play. From the look on her face, they seem to be having lots of fun. However, everyone is left wondering where exactly the little girl fit her arms during all of this?
At the end of the day, it doesn't really matter if you spend your childhood being swung around in tiny trashcans or on a fancy playground. The beautiful memories of quality family time are the most important of all.
A Dance Pose to Remember
You have to admire this guy's confidence as he stands in this stunning pose. Jazz hands out dramatically, feet poised elegantly, dressed in head to toe chic black (despite the vest with no undershirt), this guy is rocking the dancer's look against the moody, stormy backdrop. Don't forget to admire the slicked-back hair and dark, alien-like sunglasses sported even while indoors. Hopefully, he finished that class a bit better at dancing than at posing.
It's hard to imagine that there was really a time when the "vest without an undershirt" look was not only acceptable but also stylish!
Father and Son Twinning in Style
Honestly, this photo is far less embarrassing than some of the others on this list. At the time, this father was probably the coolest of the cool. And what better way to show it off than buying your son a matching outfit and posing for the camera? Every detail was very well thought out, from the matching metallic, reflective sunglasses to the black sleeveless shirt to the thin gold chain necklace.
When this little boy has kids of his own, they could recreate this photo, making the most epic image of three generations matching in this iconic, retro look.
"We Told You Not to Buy a Motorbike"
This photo is the perfect exemplification of "a picture is worth a thousand words". This man's entire tragic story is so clear, from beginning to end. You can even feel the defeat and sadness in his heart as he pathetically stands next to his motorbike with a broken leg (and potentially a broken heart as well). Reluctantly he must sell his prized possession and give in to the countless naysayers who predicted this exact thing would happen.
The real question here is who in their right mind would look at this man and what happened to him while on this motorbike, and still decide that they are interested in buying it for themselves?
A Toast to the Happy Couple
Hopefully, this photo was captured at the end of a very, very long and drawn-out wedding ceremony...as no one wants to assume that this was the bride's level of excitement for the entirety of her wedding day (not even mentioning the groom's overall look of boredom). A wedding day is supposed to be one of the happiest days of a couple's life, but this couple looks like they have already had more than enough of each other.
Weddings can be quite a stress, with lots of planning and preparing and small talk. Hopefully, this couple's marriage was much better and more fun than their wedding photos suggest the wedding was.
The Green Eyed Monster
Well, as can be seen by the pure look of jealously and disgust on her face, this baby is certainly not what this little girl was expecting. Maybe she wanted a puppy or she just hasn't yet understood the satisfaction of being a bossy older sibling or she simply wanted all of her parent's attention for herself. Time alone will tell what was to become of these feuding siblings.
Irony would surely take a win if these two siblings ended up being the best of friends. The little baby is completely oblivious here to the feelings of pure dislike being sent over by its older sister.
It's All Behind Her Now
It was supposed to be a dreamy and romantic photo of the bride in her wedding dress, overlooking a beautiful part of the hotel rooftop, but it appears that a few workers decided to do the ultimate photobomb. It's hard to imagine the bride didn't notice the perfectly awkward placement of her hand as she wistfully gazed outside at the men that she would no longer be able to pine over now that she was getting married.
This is certainly a photo that deserves to be carefully preserved in the family's most precious photo album forever. Future generations deserve the endless laughter it ensures.
12 Going on 40
Apparently, there was a time when "Glamour Shots" were all the rage. Young teenagers would go to a mall shop and pay to get their hair and makeup done professionally. They were given fancy clothing and expensive-looking jewelry to wear as they posed for their new glamorous photos. Although they were quite popular, they probably didn't always result in photos that make 12-year-old girls look like 40-year-old divorcees like this one.
It's really difficult to believe that this could possibly be a 12-year-old girl. Of course, makeup and fancy clothing can add years to a person, but her face and demeanor also look so mature!
Dad's Thumb Graduated With High Honors
Congratulations! You graduated and it's one of your proudest moments. You ask your dad to snap a few pictures to commemorate this happy day. When you look back through your camera's gallery, you see that he took one....just one photo. And if taking one photo wasn't bad enough, he covered your entire face with a blurry close-up of his thumb! At least no one can make fun of your hair and makeup this way...
The is one student in the back who actually made it into the photo. Maybe they should send it to him in case his father happened to do the same thing.
One Family's Freedom of Expression
Freedom of expression is so important for children, especially in their formative and rebellious teenage years. This mother seemed to do everything just right. Look at this happy family full of smiling children. The younger ones are bedecked in a wholesome and innocent look while simultaneously being contrasted by their older siblings sporting a heavy punk rock look. Their smiles say everything in their gratitude to their mother for accepting them in all their choices.
You can really see the resemblance in all of the members of this family despite their drastically different looks. Those smiles and dimples are endearing in all the styles!
Humpty Dumpty Took a Great Fall
It was Nursery Rhyme Day at school. Everyone had to dress up as their favorite character from one of the well-known nursery rhymes. Although he could have chosen any of the nursery rhyme characters or themes; Baa Baa Black Sheep, The Wheels on the Bus, or Baby Shark, this kid chose to dress up at Humpty Dumpty. What began as an innocent and cute costume, quickly spiraled into what could only be seen as a...ballsack.
"Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall...Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. All the kings horses and all the king's men, couldn't put Humpty together again."
The Apple Falls Far From the Tree
This photo shows such a pure contrast in the holiday sentiments of these two parents versus their daughter. Clearly, the mother and father are ecstatic about their festive costumes and ready to get into the holiday spirit. Their daughter, on the other hand, couldn't be less interested. Regardless, it's nice to see the whole family coming together in one photo...each side accepting the other despite their different opinions.
This one photo is proof enough that sometimes the apple does indeed fall quite far from the tree. As long as they are all enjoying their time together, that is the most important.
Four Faces in One
It's difficult to understand the purpose or idea behind this interesting photo. Besides the already awkward portraits of most of the individual family members, why are they placed inside what can only be assumed to be the father's face? The best part of all is perhaps how perfectly his wife's hair aligns with the little poofs at the top of her husband's head. A true piece of artwork.
This photo does seem to be a bit unsettling, especially when you consider how happy the mother and children look compared to the miserable grimace of the father.
A 1970s Photoshopped Wedding
Long before the days of quick and easy photo editing with programs like Photoshop, photographers still managed to work their magic when it came to editing. Although it certainly took far more time and a whole lot of effort, it was possible, as seen by this wedding photo, to effectively photoshop an image in a darkroom by playing around with exposure and a technique called dodging.
Although the purpose of this odd old-fashioned photoshop attempt is unclear (why would this bride want her husband's face on a TV screen for their wedding photos?) the effort is commendable.
Rock Star Wedding Featuring The Mullet
The first thing that comes to mind when you see a photo like this is most definitely the question of how many cans of hairspray were used to keep all five of these men's perfectly coiffured mullet hairdos in place for the entirety of the wedding. After all, that is no simple haircut to maintain, especially with the amount of top volume that some of these men were boasting.
Extras kudos to the rebellious man on the far left with the traditional hairdo. The amount of peer pressure he must have endured, and yet he refused to give in to the popular trend of the mullet.
That's One Cute Head of Lettuce
Despite the somewhat terrified and confused look on the baby's face, this photo is actually quite adorable. There was a contest being held by a local health foods store for the cutest baby. This is one of the photoshoots that ensued as a result. Who doesn't want to see a bowl full of lettuce, onions, bell peppers, and a pudgy-faced baby? It's a proper cabbage patch kid in real life!
Lettuce all enjoy the pure cuteness overload this photo provides. It was truly a pleasure for my day to be peppered with such a creative photo.
The Time the Cat Photobombed the Photo
This isn't just any old photobomb. This cat is an expert. She saw the camera and took her chance...her first real chance to fame. Sadly, this man doesn't seem too thrilled about the cat's behind being the center of his photo. All he wanted was a simple picture of himself in his little cabin in the coutryside. Instead of the moon outside his window, this cat mooned him in an entirely different way.
Perhaps in another parallel dimension, this cat could become a world-famous Instagram model. After all, she already knows the perfect angles to get lots of likes.
A Happy Family and Two Possessed Dogs
What was supposed to be a cute family photo of a father, mother, two children, and two cute doggos quickly turned into a National Geographic style editorial on two dogs gone rogue. Perhaps they were competing on who would be the center of attention or who would get to sit on mom's lap....or maybe even it was a longer-lasting feud over food or treats.
It is extra adorable that the family was all dressed in matching colors, which also happened to coordinate with their chocolate brown labs. Sadly, the doggos didn't want to cooperate in the memory-making.
A Little Girl and Her Floating Head Moon Brother
What exactly is going on in this picture? How was it taken? Was it edited together somehow? Where is the little boy's body? There are so many questions to be asked when looking at this photo. The little girl sits there quietly, primly, and politely while her brother's head looms above her with a strange look of a shadowed half-moon. Well, at least the photographer was trying to be creative!
This unique photo combines the whimsically strange vibes of Teletubbies with the moody, shadowy look of Bohemian Rhapsody. Perhaps that is what the photographer was aiming for all along.
Panoramic Camera Turns Baby Into a Centipede
If you didn't know about the strange effects that the panoramic camera can have on moving objects in a photo, this would perhaps be one of the most terrifying images to behold. Whether you think it just looks like a very strangely elongated baby, a baby centipede, a slinky-baby, or a Dachshund baby, everyone can agree that it is perhaps one of the strangest images they have ever seen.
These parents would win the Comical Parent of the Year award if they hung this up on their wall with all the other baby photos, as if it was completely normal.
The Cutest Troll Doll From Alaska
Although this little boy's parents were certainly over-eager to try out the trendy new haircut that was so popular in the 80s, the mullet, perhaps they started out a little too young with their son. His hair is almost certainly taller than him (he was only 2 years old in this photo), but he certainly rocked this rock star look like no other. Alaska of the 1980s was not ready for this level of cuteness.
Happy go lucky, with his innocent smile and oxford shirt, this cutie looks like the human form of a troll doll, only the blond mullet version.
Cat Work From Home Station
Everything about this setup is perfection. With most of the world learning the challenges of working from home, this pet owner decided to create a personalized space for his own cat, so he wouldn't feel left out. Complete with a mini laptop, coffee mug, and notebook, this cat seems as happy as can be with his luxurious new workstation. The perfect touch is the small poster in the background reminding the cat to "hang in there".
Pets are a part of the family too and when everyone is working from home, perhaps the perfect solution to keeping your pet happy as well is to build them a little workstation so they don't feel forgotten.
When George Michael Was Cloned
It started out as a cute and thoughtful idea from this little girl's parents. She was obsessed with George Michael...so what is the perfect present for her birthday party? Obviously, George Michael masks for her and all of her friends. It seems the parents may have forgotten to consider how seriously creepy it would look when 10 little girls walked around the house with the face of George Michael.
Despite being downright creepy, there is potential for some fun game of tag with these masks....it would be difficult to differentiate who was "It" and could add a nice spin to the simple game.
One Hairdresser for All
This couple started the trend of date night at the hair salon. Perhaps there was only one hairdresser in all of Alberta Canada in the 1990s, maybe that is the reason this couple has mysteriously similar hairstyles. Not only are the hairdos exactly the same (perm and all), but the color, texture, and length are identical. It's pretty rare to marry someone with almost the exact same hair as you.
They seem just a little bit too excited for their baby's hair to grow out long enough to be the next victim of this intense perm look.
The Suburban Street Rockers
The 1980s was a wild decade. From perms to leather clothes to neon colors to mullets....it had a little bit of everything, taken to the next level. This breakdancing crew that roamed the suburban streets was certainly one of the peak trends that decade had to offer. You have to appreciate the confidence and style all these kids have. If only there were videos to admire all their breakdancing moves!
The brown, elongated station wagon that was so popular from the 1960s to the 1980s perfectly completes the authentic vibe of this picture.
There Is No Reasoning With a Toddler
Toddlers can be difficult...to say the least. Unfortunately, there is a popular tradition to have young, toddler girls be the flower girl at weddings. It's cute and innocent and sweet. That is until the toddler decides to throw a fit and have a tantrum because instead of throwing delicate and beautiful flower petals on the ground...she wants to throw rocks. Probably not the best idea to do at a family member's wedding
It's the perfect tantrum state, face down on the ground, flattened like a pancake, refusing to move. This couple certainly had to give up on the idea of having a flower girl entirely.
A Very Worried Angel
Christmas cards range from extremely boring and stiff photos of families awkwardly posing together with fake smiles, all the way until something like this. Hopefully, there is a person behind that white curtain holding up the angel baby, who looks very concerned as he looks down on his siblings below dressed as Jesus and Mary. It's difficult to see if he is more concerned for his own safety or theirs.
At least this family made quite an attempt to come up with something a little more creative than the average for their yearly Christmas card. Anything is better than the fake smiles of so many family photos!
The Accidental Sister Dump
The perfect summation of sibling relationships is portrayed in one simple photo. Although this little girl probably tried to pull this maneuver off as an accident, her face tells a different story. Siblings will be siblings. She seems strangely unfazed by her crying sister who is seen flying to the ground. Although it wasn't much of a fall, no one likes to be dumped out of the comfy stroller they were enjoying.
Maybe if that stroller had a seatbelt, all of those tears could have been prevented. Or maybe the little girl would have found another way to punish her annoying sibling.
The Gravity Defying Hairdo
Middle school is a challenging time for most kids. There is constant pressure to fit in and be cool. In a time when big hair was the most simple way to make yourself seem cooler, some kids took it to an extreme. This girl had to use almost an entire bottle of hairspray to achieve this unique look of sky-high bangs. Think about the courage it takes to try a new hairdo the day of school pictures!
It would be interesting to know what her older sisters thought of this "attempt to be cool" hairdo, or how she even successfully made it all the way to school with her gravity-defying hair.
How to Protect Your Toys From a Monster
Imagine you walk into your daughter's room, expecting her to be soundly sleeping, peacefully in her bed. Well, she is sleeping peacefully, only for some reason she looks like she has been filled with hot air and will float away at any moment. Inside her pajamas, you find that she has stored an entire puppet, a stuffed monkey toy, a stuffed seal, and a watch. She is ready for anything!
Maybe she was scared a monster would come steal them away from her while she slept or perhaps she is simply a hoarder from a very young age.
Sometimes You Just Can't Win
Four children can be quite a handful, especially when you are trying to get them all together for one simple photo. After all, you all went for a nice little trip into nature, you just want to commemorate it with a photo. But of course, at least one of the children will act out. This man's daughter decided she didn't want to be in the picture, so the mother told her "fine, no need." She proceeded to take the photo of the rest of her cooperating family only to see the crying face of her daughter in the corner, sad that she was being left out.
The father seems more annoyed than anyone, making you wonder how many times they attempted to take this one simple photo. The three children in front were more than happy to cooperate, but the wailing child in the back could not be pleased.