During my teenage years, I purposely chose to be an outsider, not the kind that people shun or bully, but someone who actively rejected conformity. While my younger sister excelled in popularity at school, I avoided it at all costs, preferring to stand out from the crowd. Surprisingly, this attitude has continued into my 30s, and I still find the most joy in being independent.

Regardless of whether you were an outsider or not, we all experienced a variety of phases during our teenage years. Looking back, some of these phases are cringeworthy - like, seriously, did you actually wear bell-bottoms during your hippie phase? In case you've repressed these memories, here are 11 irritating phases from your teenage years that you'd love to erase as an adult.

1. Artsy phase

In my case, I entered my "artsy" phase during my sophomore year of high school. At that point, I had come to the realization that people were generally terrible, and I found solace in spending time in the art room with a potter's wheel and plenty of canvases and paints. My parents have held onto the paintings and sculptures I created during that time, and I am grateful for their sentimentality.

2. Vegetarian phase

Around the age of 10, I read Charlotte's Web and was inspired to become a vegetarian. I stuck with it throughout my high school and college years, and to be honest, I was one of those self-righteous vegetarians. However, for reasons unknown to me, I abandoned my vegetarian lifestyle after moving to New York City.

3. Soapbox phase

Oh, I remember when my sister went through that phase, and I won't ever let her live it down. No matter what the topic was, she always felt the need to interject with some irrelevant input, often based on misinformation, and it always seemed to put a damper on everyone's good time. Needless to say, it was incredibly frustrating.

4. Hippy phase

Oh my goodness, that phase where you exclusively purchased organic products, drank fair trade coffee, and idolized the Grateful Dead and/or Phish. You might have even had dreadlocks at the time.

5. Indie rock phase

As a former college-radio DJ, I definitely went through the indie rock phase, and I'm still recovering from it. It's during this phase that your pretentiousness reaches peak levels. For instance, you might have said something like, "What do you mean you like The Beatles?! Are you deaf?!"

6. Boy mad phase

It's like watching a Taylor Swift music video, but with even more drama.

7. Goth phase

I personally never experienced this phase, but I know individuals who did. Anyone up for black lipstick, white makeup, and fake fangs?

8. Attempt at "fitting in" phase

I can't fathom why anyone would subject themselves to this phase. Even when you think you're in, you're inevitably out at some point. Don't be a silly basic bitch!

9. Jock phase

Whether you were attempting to be an athlete yourself or simply trying to score with a football player, many of us have experienced the jock phase. I mean, who wouldn't want to wear a letter jacket?

10. Stoner phase

I went through that phase myself, but I can barely remember anything from it. The one skill that has stuck with me, however, is the ability to create a bong or bowl out of virtually anything. I mean, anything.

11. Straight-edge phase

I dated a few of these straight-edge kids in the past, and they were so insufferable! They refuse to drink or do drugs and display it by marking X's on their hands. The funniest part is that while some drew the X's with markers, others got them tattooed, and I bet a few of them are currently intoxicated in a bar as I write this.