Was there a more fun week in the school year than Spirit Week? That's when all rules went out the window and you got to get as silly as you wanted to with your classmates. There were certain things every early '00s kid wore during Spirit Week in high school as well, no matter where you were from. It didn't matter if you were a public school kid or a private school one, a freshman or a senior. Spirit Week fashion transcended all levels and cliques.
Because of that, these annual five days gave us hella silly memories. Spirit Week was about getting pumped over your school and bonding with your peers (while causing some real rivalry with those upper and lower classmen around you), and we did that through what we wore. With themed days like Pajama Day and Crazy Hair Day, we got to flex our creative muscles and try to get the best laugh we could for our outfits.
If you went to high school in the early millennium, you might remember some trends that were prevalent in the hallways during that time. Like, say, trucker hats or '90s-inspired scrunchies. You'll know just what I mean when you read on. Below are 11 things every early '00s kid wore during Spirit Week in high school.
1. White T-Shirts
Hanes Men's 6 Pack White Crew T-Shirt, $13, walmart.com
White T-Shirt Day was all about tagging your tee with as many memories and jokes as possible. People roamed the halls with Sharpies and pulled friends over to draw funny pictures and share inside jokes on sleeves and backs. Bonus points if you managed to get a lewd joke in there without any teachers noticing.
2. Pajamas
Sleep Robe, $40, aerie.com
Jam-Jam day was the best! Also the most stressful. You had two options: Go silly and wear the onesies you get from Christmas every year, or actually go in a cute ensemble. The latter required a frantic emergency run to the mall because who actually own pajamas that aren't frayed at the bottom with the elastic gone? Like let's get real.
3. Slippers
Homer Simpson Slippers for Men, $25, amazon.com
Piggybacking off of that PJ theme, most people took advantage of the day and showed up in cozy slippers. Bonus points if yours were themed, like with Homer Simpson or Eeyore! (And even better if you brought your teddy bear, too, because #noshame.)
4. Trippy Leggings & Silly Socks
Pizza Socks, $8, urbanoutfitters.com
Mismatch day was all about putting together the most embarrassing pieces of clothing you owned into one insane outfit. Which was, ya know, a breeze. Staples for that look were patterned or psychedelic-colored tights (to be paired with shorts) and cheeky-patterned socks.
5. Bandanas
UO Geo Bandana, $8, urbanoutfitters.com
To truly establish a proper rivalry between the different classes, everyone in the halls had to know what grade you belonged to. Enter the bandanas tied around your head all Ugly Coyote, with either "Sophomore" or "Senior" (or whatever your grade) scrawled across them.
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6. Trucker Hats
johnnie-O Trucker Hat, $24, johnnie-O.com
Hat Day was a big one during Spirit Week, and what did most people wear for it? You guessed it: The beloved trucker hats. Let us all collectively shake our fists at Ashton Kutcher for starting that one.
7. Boy Clothes
If your school did the whole "Switch Genders" day (and chances are they unfortunately focused on boy versus girl binaries), you probably took the opportunity to "become a boy." Now you could make fun of the guys for their lame outfit choices by sporting ribbed ski sweaters or layered Polos ironically. If you were a boy dressing up as a girl, the obvious go-to's were velour sweatsuits and skinny sparkle scarves.
8. Cartoon Shirts
Looney Tunes Basketball Tee, $14, khols.com
Cartoon Shirt Day let you represent your favorite childhood characters, so say hello to a parade of Looney Tunes, Space Jam, and SpongeBob tees. Other favorites were Rugrats, Doug, and Recess!
9. College Shirts
UIC Logo Circle Red Tee, $14, uicbookstore.com
If you were a senior, chances are your school let you represent the college you were going to after the year was up. So you'd show up to school wearing your future university hoodies and shirts, or a hastily scrawled on "NYU" or "Northwestern" on a white tee. Because who buys college shirts anyway?
10. Your Finest '90s Scrunchies
For Crazy Hair Day, girls had a lot more options than boys. And the old '90s accessories were almost always busted out to create the craziest of hairdos. From an explosion of butterfly clips to plastic barrettes, it was a fun walk back into the good ol' days.
11. Your Spirit Shirt
Senior Shirt, $24.50, spreadshirt.com
Each class had its own colors and its own shirt, but that didn't mean you didn't add your own personal ~flair~ to the piece. Sometimes sleeves would be rolled, or hems would be snipped into crop tops. Necklines would be cut off so the shirt hung all loose around the shoulders á la Flashdance, or the bottom was cut into festival-like fringe. You definitely got to get creative with it.
No matter what crazy days your school thought of for Spirit Week, it was always fun to put your own wacky twists on them.
Images: Spread Shirt (1); UIC Bookstore (1); Kohls (1); Delias (1); johnnie-O (1); Urban Outfitters (2); Amazon (1); Aerie (1); Walmart (1)
