The Thing That Made You Feel Like a Geek in School Is Cool Now

Oh, to be a teen right now! Sure, there are many, many, many reasons the kids are not currently all right. But even while disturbing TikTok filters are running rampant and tanking teens’ body image, Gen Z is also redefining and reclaiming certain beauty standards so that now, one marker that made so many of us feel embarrassed in growing up is considered cool.

Braces. Old-school metal braces (colorful rubber bands and all!) are now a status symbol amongst Gen Z and Gen Alpha Youth. Even though teens today have more discreet options like Invisalign at their fingertips, they are willing to risk the cut cheeks and give up gum for the look of metal braces. In fact, Purewow reports that “the clunkier, the more rubber-bandier the better.”

“Orthodontists across the country are noticing a rise in interest in the uncool oral train tracks of yore among Gen Z hipsters and adults who have no qualms about broadcasting their perceived imperfections,” The Washington Post reports.

And this isn’t just about dentistry anymore. It’s about personal expression. Expensive personal expression. For thousands of dollars, they can show off their signature style or new vibe by choosing any color from the rubber band rainbow.

One teen told Purewow that she saw lots of celebrities with braces when she was younger, and now she sees girls on social media “that make [braces] look more stylish and trendy.” “I think there’s an element of ‘all my friends have them,’ so kids feel left out and want to join the braces trend,” she added.

The trend is a stark 180 from how braces were typically portrayed in the 90s and early aughts rom-coms. Much like the dreaded glasses, they were “ugly duckling items,” which Grazia points out were taken off during so many iconic makeover scenes.

Dr. Stuart Yeaton told the publication he has seen more teenage patients in the past four to five years who are “actively excited” to get braces.

“From day one, for a lot of that generation, they’re no longer associating braces as such a negative thing,” the specialist orthodontist said. “There doesn’t seem to be the same insecurity that there was before; people have a bit more self-confidence.”

And while plenty of people could (understandably) argue that social media destroys teens’ self-confidence, this could be an indicator that it is merely changing what does and doesn’t make t(w)eens feel confident. The more influencers they see with metal braces, the less nervous they are to get train tracks of their own.

And I, for one, would like a redo! As someone who spent so much energy making sure no one ever saw my metal mouth, I wish I could go through puberty again with my orthodontic care being seen as trendy and not dorky.