There was only one thing that really mattered when you were an early '00s teen and that was coordinating outfits with your girl gang. In the early ‘00s, wearing matching accessories with your best buds was key to helping you look (and feel) like you fit in. The key to rocking an early '00s girl band vibe IRL was wearing matching ensembles, obviously.
The best thing about dressing like the high school hallway-friendly version Destiny’s Child was that you could navigate the twists and turns of school life more easily. Walking down the corridors matching your pals was empowering, even if looking back you realize it was a bit cringe-worthy. It meant that no matter what happened that day — you blushed in front of your crush, you tripped and fell in front of everyone during gym — you still had your crew to pick you up and dust you off.
Wearing matching pieces was a surefire way to know exactly who your friends really were, a matter akin to pledging your allegiance to a Great House in Game of Thrones. Once you were in, you were in for life. So let’s travel back to a time when life was simpler. Here are the 11 pieces we all matched with our BFFs back in the day.
1. BFF Jewelry
14KT "Best Friend" Pendant Charms, $49, Etsy
The most amazing gift your bestie could give you was a best friends necklace or bracelet. It would solidify your best bud status and help dissuade others from trying to poach you or your mate as their own BFF.
2. Those Jelly Bracelets
Rubber Jelly Bracelet Pack Of 30, $5, Etsy
Remember this creepy middle school trend of wearing plastic bangles that were supposed to refer to certain sex acts you would be willing to perform. In reality, you probably just wore these because they were trendy and to fit in with your peers.
3. Sweatbands
2 Wrist/Sweatbands, Approx. $7, eBay
Although your sweatbands might not have been exactly the same as the ones your friends had, you probably wore them similarly. You might have rocked one on a certain wrist or even one on each wrist. The possibilities were endless.
4. Mood Rings
An aspiring coven of teen withes would not be complete without matching mood rings.
5. Beaded Bracelets
Star Beaded Verbiage Bracelet Set, $5, Hot Topic
You'd spend hours crafting the most perfect beaded bracelet for you and your buddies. They'd include the same color scheme, lyrics from your favorite songs, or even the name of your girl gang. Matching didn't get more personalized than this!
6. Hair Bows
Hair bows were big in the emo kid scene and if your friendship group dipped into this crowd growing up, chances are you used all your allowance on cute matching bows.
7. Nail Art
Although nail stickers were more of a '90s trend, we probably still had some leftover from our pre-tween days that needed using up. If you were a Sabrina's Secrets collector, you might still have had the nail art pen that came free with the magazine. Creating your own funky nail art with your gal pals was an easy way to differentiate your group from everyone else's.
8. Big Sunglasses
If huge, bug-eyed sunglasses were good enough for Marissa Cooper, they sure as heck were good enough for your group! Although you probably went for different colors, your matching sunnies would all take up as much room on your face as possible.
9. Belly Button Piercings
Teens who loved the pop princesses of the early '00s might have followed in their footstepswith none other than a bejeweled bellybutton. You and your friends likely got your bellybuttons pierced at the same time, so it made sense that you got matching rings too
10. Converse
Sometimes you rocked the same color, other times you contrasted, and occasionally you'd swap one shoe with your BFF – if you were lucky enough to be the same size. Because nothing says sister from another mister than bonding over looking kooky together!
Who knows, maybe matching fashion will come back into vogue again, but in the mean time, you can make your best bud's day by gifting them some BFF jewelry. Let the fuzzy, nostalgia feels commence!
Images: Courtesy Brands
