I saw this brilliantly awkward tag over at Lauren's blog, The Emerald Dove, and thought it was an interesting way for you all to get to know me a little better. Check out Lauren's post and do let me know if you've done something similar! Of course, I only said goodbye to my teenage years 2 days ago, so for me the 'awkward teenage years' definitely refers to my school years of parties, neon, skinny jeans and belts that were never used to hold up my jeans in the correct way.

How would you describe your teenage self?

Erm, trying my hardest to be cool, a little bit nerdy but not in an intelligent way, rebellious in an attempt to fit in with my class mates, vain and filled with the constant desire to look good but always failing and always moving to and from various friendship groups not noticing I had some good friends already.

What did you enjoy most as a teenager?

The parties and freedom. We'd have beach parties, house parties, field parties...honestly just a party anywhere. And the nights out I had in my early years of being a teen were hands down so much better than the ones I had when I turned 18.

Which band/artist did you like listening to?

I was a die hard fan of You Me At Six & Mayday Parade. They were my go to bands if I was happy or sad and I spent most of my time hanging out with my old best friend Tom, just sat in his room listening to YMAS, whilst he played his video games and I played computer games.

What was your favourite subject in school?

Art. Hands down, I loved it. Mostly because my teacher was the coolest guy and the lessons were so relaxed. We'd listen to music during GCSE's whilst painting to our hearts content. I also loved History, but lost my interest in it a little when my favourite teacher left the school just before our final year. I was so disappointed when he left. 

Did you go through any awkward phases?

Many. I, like most, dabbled with the whole emo/scene phase with my bright skinny jeans and I even began to look a little gothic during some stages. But most of the time I was just in baggy hoodys belonging to a boyfriend of mine. I started college heading for a classier angle, wearing dresses or black tight skinny jeans paired with high heels almost every day for the first few months. Later I moved back to wearing my boyfriends hand-me-downs or even clothes he still wore, I had just decided we'd share them. He'd always tell me to wear clothes that actually fitted me, something now I still need telling.

Which books or films did you enjoy?

My favourite book was Wasted by Marya Hornbacher for a lot of my teenage years and god knows how many times I've read it. As university approached I got into some detective novels by Paul Auster and Don DeLillo. Film wise I loved Battle Royale I & II that my brother had introduced me to - they're Japanese films that are similar to The Hunger Games, but much better (and made before THG) and much more gorey.

What did you watch on TV?

Embarrassingly enough I still watched a lot of cartoons, mostly in the mornings. Sometimes my dad and I would find ourselves watching Lazy Town whilst waiting for a lift from my mum. I even sat through more episodes than I care to admit of Big Cook Little Cook. So basically, I watched tv for babies. Other than that, Skins was obviously the big thing with my generation. We all wanted that lifestyle until Freddie went and died. Skins was the cool thing to watch, but the most awkward thing was at parties when someone just had to shout 'omg it's like we're on Skins' and people would either concur or cringe. I still believe that they should have just left it with series 1 & 2, that group just had more going for them. And Sid and Chris were just loveable. I also spent most of my GCSE study leave watching back to back Next Top Model and 16 and Pregnant. And of course Misfits, when everyone fell in love with Nathan and his hilarious comments. And of course Simon when he got that buff bod.

What advice would you give your teenage self?

Love your self no matter what other people think. Don't look in the mirror and compare yourself to other girls at your school or the celebrities and models you rip out of magazines, stick in a book and desire to resemble. Be yourself. And don't let boys dictate your happiness.

Now, have some embarrassing photos of me as a teen...All these photos are from 2010, a year I miss greatly. It's only 4 years ago, and I find it a little weird that the only difference between 16 year old me and 20 year old me is that my hair was a little thicker (dying it red for 5 years and the phase of back combing caught up with me!) and that I'm a little less chubby now. 

And I've left the best lovely and large for you...honestly, I find this photo quite terrifying: