If you were a teenager in school between 2000 and 2009, you will undoubtedly remember it was a very different experience to that of today's cohort.
In the early days of Facebook and before Snapchat and Instagram, we'd communicate via MSN or upload photos from our digital camera to our MySpace profiles. When it came to fashion, there were no YouTubers or influencers to share tutorials with and we'd go to school wearing Dream Matte Mousse and with hair backcombed to the heavens.
While we may forget the names of people we went to school with - we will never forget the popular trends or what we were all talking about on the school corridors. Scoobies, Paul's Boutique and Bang Snaps were all key elements of school life that to many of us, don't feel too much of a distant memory.
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To reminisce, we've compiled a list of things you’d only know about if you went to school in Liverpool during the noughties. Focusing on things from secondary school or high school, these are bound to stir some memories.
This list isn't intended to be comprehensive, we've chosen a number of things Liverpudlians will remember from 00s secondary school days. But if you feel there is something we should have included, let us know in the comments section.
1. Scoobies
More commonly known as 'scoobies', scoubidou returned to fashion in the early noughties and saw kids learn everything from plaits to square stitches and barrel knots to trade colourful bracelets with friends. The plastic knotting craft came before the 'loom bands' craze of 2014 and were extremely fiddly to make, but that didn't stop you from learning and wearing them to school.
2. Paul's Boutique
Years ago, Paul's Boutique was one of the go-to labels for the trend conscious girls of Merseyside, selling bags, hoodies, statement tees and more. At the time, the signature PB logo could be spotted a mile away down hundreds of school corridors, usually paired with rhinestones, cheetah print and bright coloured designs.
3. Pasta King
If you went to secondary school in the 00s - you'll probably remember queueing to get a Pasta King in the canteen. Dished into their signature red pots, you'd be unlucky to get a batch of pasta that was particularly watery.
Do these awaken any memories for you? Let us know in the comments section below.
4. Dirty sports bags/jane norman bags
Years ago, many teenage schoolgirls were desperate for a Jane Norman carrier bag to pop their PE kit in or carry ingredients for that week's food tech lesson. That wasn't the only carrier bag trend, as many could be seen switching Jane Norman out for a Dirty Sports bag.
5. MSN
Before group chats on platforms we know today, you'd rush home from school to talk to the people you already spent all day with and chat on MSN. It was a time where you'd non-stop send a 'nudge' or a 'knock' to spam friends, beg your parents for a webcam for a decent display picture or to do video calls - and you could forget signing in and out of MSN to attract the attention of your crush.
6. Fat school ties
Depending on when you went to school, there will have been a certain way to wear your school tie which was deemed 'cool.' For some of us during the noughties, wearing a short, fat school tie was a go to and often caused a battle with the teachers who told you to wear it the neat and traditional way.
7. The Frenzy
A staple part of growing up in noughties Liverpool, The Frenzy was arguably a stepping stone for tweens and teens to get a taste of "a real night out" - without the alcohol and hangovers. It was a disco-like ticketed event for kids that often took place on a Thursday and was a place to friends to come together, dance to cheesy music and socialise on a school night - and often the topic of conversation the following day on the corridors.
8. Top buttons
Another part of school uniform rules in many schools was having your top button fastened - but that didn't stop noughties school kids from rebelling and making their uniform their own. Those who didn't comply may have gotten detention, whereas others found a loophole by cutting the button of their shirt.
9. School rivalries
You knew very little about the other schools in your borough, but you knew you 'hated' everyone who went there. Without even meeting peers from the school, there were legends of rivalries that had been passed down through the school years and you sided with your own school.
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10. Bang Snaps
Operating under several different names during their time in the playground limelight, these little paper dumplings were essentially tiny fireworks that exploded to make a loud noise when kids threw them hard enough onto the ground. Consisting of gravel and a small amount of silver fulminate explosive wrapped in cigarette paper, you'd jump every time you heard one of these go off.
11. LimeWire and Bluetooth
In the 2000s, LimeWire - and another version known was FrostWire - was most prominently known for being the way to download and distribute pirated materials, particularly pirated music. You may remember it successfully ruining the family computer..but that didn't stop you from downloading all the latest hits and Bluetoothing them to friends in the school yard, hoping the file would transfer in the time you had for break.
12. Watching Waterloo Road
Rushing home to watch Waterloo Road every week and discussing the latest episode in school the following day was a routine noughties teenagers had for years. The first episode aired in 2006 - but a reboot is currently in the works.
13. Make-up trends
School fashion and make-up trends are ever changing, but for some of us who were pupils in the noughties, we're very thankful that camera phones and social media weren't what they are today to capture our looks of the past. Dream Matte Mousse was the go to foundation, Barry M crackle nail varnish was all the rage and the teachers were on hand to try and get us to remove as much of it as possible.
14. Rumours of your head getting flushed down the toilet in year 7
This one is pretty self explanatory - but we've all been there. Before moving on up to 'the big school' or 'the seniours,' these type of rumours always circulated and struck the fear into us.
15. Piczo
A social networking and blogging website, Piczo was founded in the early 2000s and became extremely popular with teens. Amongst school friends, you'd always want the best glittery gif or drama would be caused when you set up a "r8 da boyz and r8 da gurlz' on your page.
16. Charity silicone wristbands
At one point, these were practically part of the school uniform. Many of us wore at least one colourful silicone band from a local charity in those days - with some handing them out when raising awareness in schools.
17. Playing the helicopter game
Whenever you got a chance to go to the compute suite, or if you did IT, you'd get this game up on your screen. Many will remember the green and black software which saw you aim to keep your helicopter up and dodging anything that would disrupts its path.
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18. That one kid who came back after six weeks with a full on moustache
This one is probably less of a noughties thing and more of a generic school fact. But there was always one or two kids in your school year who came back after the holidays looking a lot older.
19. Buying treats on the corridor
There was always that that kid who sold a Lucozade, lollipops, or individual sweets out of a selection box. Arguably the entrepreneurs of our school days, we had no other choice to make a purchase if we couldn't leave school premises and hadn't had time to stop at the shop on the way to school.
20. Impulse spray, Charlie Red and Red Jeans
This was what most Liverpool teenagers spelt of before the fragrances and influencers of today made an appearance. For many 00s schoolgirls in Liverpool, these were the first scents we bought and the fumes would often suffocate us in the PE changing rooms.
21 .MySpace
Before Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat - MySpace ruled the roost. Looking back, there was nothing more cringy than uploading photos from nights out with your digital camera onto MySpace or being part of the political mine field that was carefully choosing who made it into your MySpace top 5.
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