10 Times Stan’s ‘PEN15’ Nails Exactly What High School Is Like
I’m calling it. PEN15 is the best new TV series of 2019, not just because it’s original and hilarious, but it’s also the most relatable thing you may ever watch.
Currently streaming on Stan, PEN15 (get it, heheh) is a flashback to the early years of high school, as Anna and Maya (actually played by adults Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle) start Year 7 and have to navigate the minefields of popularity, dating, family drama and a series of firsts.
After watching the first episode, I realised that I was actually in Year 7 in the year 2000 – perfectly mirroring the TV series. I (alongside Chrissy Teigen) lived that EXACT experience. I actually screamed when I saw Anna searching ‘Ask Jeeves’. The details are that on point.
I cannot believe how spot on PEN15 is to my middle school life. It is to the EXACT YEAR. Every episode has made my brain light up with memories.
— christine teigen (@chrissyteigen) February 24, 2019
The only negative that comes with watching the series is that it’ll trigger a whole flood of memories you haven’t thought about in years. Tbh, some of these flashbacks are a little disarming. At points while watching the series I felt like I was reading pages from my own diary.
This series is peak ’00s high school and here are ten of the most relatable moments.
#1. A bad haircut feels like the end of the world
Rocking up to school with a radically different hairstyle was the ultimate power move. But it could also go horribly wrong. A bad haircut can ruin your life… for at least a few days.
Who's got bowl game? #PEN15show pic.twitter.com/XyFu6Dvk3m
— PEN15show (@pen15show) February 3, 2019
I’m coming out as a @pen15show stan. I can track the exact moment the standom first occurred: pic.twitter.com/DVdIkPParl
— Ξvan Ross Katz (@evanrosskatz) February 21, 2019
#2. Having braces for two years lasted an eternity
Whether you had braces (hello!) or your friends/family had them, having a face full of metal for over a year can make you feel like a social pariah.
When 2 yrs 'til u get ur braces off felt lyke a lifetime. #PEN15show pic.twitter.com/gjHT2GPDwC
— PEN15show (@pen15show) February 9, 2019
#3. Teens can be pretty damn petty and hateful
It’s weird to look back and realise how mean and petty we all were about our classmates. From the first ep, Anna and Maya are calling the other girls “sluts” despite being bullied themselves. It’s a vicious cycle.
That h0 b@g ! #PEN15show pic.twitter.com/sjLXlj6xzg
— PEN15show (@pen15show) February 8, 2019
#4. Your first kiss is truly disgusting
Don’t believe teen rom-coms. Your first kiss will be absolutely awful and will prob put you off kissing for a long long time. For me, I felt like someone was licking my teeth. For Anna, she had the boy sucking on her lips before drilling his tongue into her mouth. I’m getting PTSD already.
“What did you do with your tongue?”
“It was pinned back. Like it was in trouble.”
I know the Oscars are on but the first kiss episode of @pen15show is aces.
— Luke Barnett (@LukeBarnett) February 25, 2019
When All My Life comes on at the school dance and I’m literally at prom again 🙄. And no, I was not in middle school that year, but that was what my first kiss looked like 🤮 #PEN15show
— Melanie Ann (@SummerOlives16) February 18, 2019
#5. Your first teen crush will make zero sense
Anna’s infatuation with Alex begins the second she sees him despite him never giving her the time of day and for the most part treating her terribly. Sis, I can 100% relate.
so friggin hot it's like not even fair. #PEN15show pic.twitter.com/6DiKs5e77N
— PEN15show (@pen15show) February 12, 2019
“Sometimes love means ignoring someone for years” 😂 #feltthat @pen15show
— Roxanne Arredondo (@roxyyarred) February 13, 2019
#6. Your first g-string will make you feel like a new woman
This is probs my favourite episode because it details a rite of passage most people don’t talk about. Your first g-string. It’s a strange and wonderful experience mostly ‘cos you’ll either realise it’s not for you or you will become a lifelong convert.
2mrw ~ #PEN15show pic.twitter.com/UUzF9xJHcA
— PEN15show (@pen15show) February 7, 2019
#7. Making your entire class laugh makes you feel invincible
What makes Maya so great to watch in class is how hilarious she is and how in school she would have been a hoot. Sometimes you’re never going to be the hottest person in the room, but you can be the funniest. Again, very relatable.
please do yourself a favor and watch @pen15show on Hulu pic.twitter.com/ATCS1qzoIj
— 🌧tera colleen👍🏻 (@tera_alexander) February 12, 2019
#8. School fights are the most exciting thing ever
FIGHT!!! Is there anything more newsworthy at school then a fight? Hell no. As long as you’re not personally involved, fights are the highlight on any school week. In hindsight, we were all sadists.
You've got an aardvark #PEN15show pic.twitter.com/9BTBMHCs9s
— PEN15show (@pen15show) February 12, 2019
#9. MSN held your entire world together
If you didn’t rush home from school to jump on MSN, did you even exist as a teenager in the noughties? MSN was where you could say things to your crush you’d never say at school IRL. It was sacred ground. R.I.P.
AIM kids know that feel 😂 😂#Pen15 #hulu pic.twitter.com/Hna1uCrkYr
— 🌊トーサー • 〔≡_≡〕 🌊 (@somegaveall) February 15, 2019
I binged PEN15 last night and now I'm having PTSD flashbacks about the time my crush said I was "lame" for using the word "random" on MSN in 2003
— Meg Watson (@msmegwatson) February 20, 2019
If you weren’t on MSN, then you’d be in chat rooms sending ‘ASL?’ to random strangers. What a time.
#10. Smoking cigarettes was the coolest thing ever
Before later in high school when people smoked for real, in Year 7 smoking your first cigarette was the ultimate act of rebellion. Most of us didn’t even inhale and then exhaled in a cough of smoke but damnit we thought we ~looked~ cool AF.