Entertainment

The Most Relatable Episodes Of 'Lizzie McGuire'

by Nicole Pomarico

My early teen years were defined by a few very important things: Convincing my parents to raise my text messaging limit, shopping at Limited Too, and Lizzie McGuire. It's crazy to think that's it's already been 15 years since the show's premiere, but growing up wouldn't have been the same without her. Basically everything Lizzie and her friends went through, I went through it, too, and at the time, it was one of the most relatable shows I'd ever seen. Whether Lizzie was begging her mom to let her buy a bra or dreading picture day, sometimes, Lizzie McGuire was just too real.

Because let's face it: It's hard to figure out how to be a teenager. Those years are messy, emotional, confusing, and usually pretty embarrassing when you look back on them, so I was thankful to have a show like Lizzie McGuire to help me navigate them. Without her, I would have thought I was the only girl in the world who didn't know what the hell she was doing... but then again, I also wouldn't have crimped and curled

at the same time.

These are some of the most relatable episodes of Lizzie McGuire, and if you're anything like me, remembering them will help you cringe at the thought of what an awkward, embarrassing preteen you used to be. Here's to all of us who spent our middle school years wishing we had Lizzie's closet and wanting Gordo to be our boyfriend. Don't lie — you totally did.

1. "Between A Bra And A Hard Place"

For those of us who realized we needed bras way before our moms did, you probably went through the same painful experience of asking your mom to take you bra shopping that Lizzie did... and then actually bra shopping out in public with your mom. The worst part? It's not like a bra is some kind of

, since these days, most us just want to take them off.

2. "Gordo And The Girl"

When Gordo gets a girlfriend, Lizzie and Miranda feel super left out since all of his attention now goes to her. Who hasn't missed a friend after she got all wrapped up in her new significant other? Of course, not all of us took it to the length of spying on our friend and said significant other in public, but that doesn't mean you didn't want to.

3. "Pool Party"

Lizzie wants to go to a pool party, but she can't because she has to visit her grandmother's house. The worst! Family obligations suck when all you want to do is hang out with the "cool kids" and your friends, especially Danny Kessler, who was super cute.

4. "Rumors"

Lizzie sending that IM about Kate stuffing her bra to the entire school was basically the early 2000s equivalent of talking about someone behind their back and accidentally sending the text to that person. So much cringe, but it's something that's happened to almost all of us at least once.

5. "First Kiss"

In the space of a thirty minute episode, Lizzie gets her first boyfriend, her first kiss, and her first heartbreak — sounds pretty realistic to basically every relationship a 14 year old is involved in ever.

6. "Working Girl"

Lizzie gets a job at the Digital Bean (a coffee shop that, to this day, I wish existed in real life) and finds out that working actually sucks. Aka the experience all of us had at our first part time jobs, especially me, when I was a hostess at IHOP. Free pancakes didn't suck, though.

7. "Just Friends"

Lizzie does just about everything under the sun to get Ethan to like her — including golf — but he still thinks of her as just a friend. Bummer, but what so many of us needed after our first crush backfired on us, as they tend to do. Also, if you didn't get pissed at Lizzie for being totally oblivious to the fact that Gordo is clearly in love with her, you are lying to yourself. I would have treated you right, Gordo!

8. "Party Over Here"

Once again, Lizzie wants to go to a party, and once again, Lizzie's parents kill her vibe by telling her she can't go since no parents will be home. They lie, go to the party, and chaos ensues. Parents are always right, y'all. And they will always catch you in a lie. You can't deny it.

9. "One Of The Guys"

Lizzie stresses out because she turns out to be surprisingly good at sports, but she doesn't want to be seen as less girly because of it. Fortunately, her coach straightens her out, and teaches her a very important lesson that we probably all needed to hear at some point: "There are people that think that being strong is a boy thing, but that's because they're severely lacking in brains."

10. "Magic Train"

Lizzie, Gordo, and Miranda are shamed because they love a TV show that's made for a younger crowd. At first, they're embarrassed, but eventually, they decide they don't care who judges them. Be yourself, guys. Lizzie told you to.

11. "Picture Day"

Lizzie's mom wants her to wear the hideous unicorn sweater her grandma sent her in her pictures, but, like always, Lizzie wants to be cool. In the end, she takes her photo in the ugly sweater, but it's actually kind of adorable. And her grandma probably loved it.

Lizzie McGuire, thanks for being there for me for so many years. I can't wait 'til my kids are preteens and I show them the hilariously outdated DVDs. They might think I'm lame, but maybe the relatable messages will stay the same.

Images: Disney Channel, lizziemcguirequotes/tumblr (4), bakerbellamy/tumblr, dailygiffing/tumblr, Giphy (5)