Awkward Family Photos That Must Be Seen
By Sarah Norman | October 27, 2023
The couple who flannels together stays together
Getting your family together is a hassle regardless of whether you're trying to take a swell portrait, a photo for a Christmas card, or some good ol' fashioned prom snapshots. There are some people who are adept at taking good pictures, but most of us just wind up taking cringeworthy shots that we'd rather hide in a drawer than show the world.
Today, we can take a million pictures to find the right one, but in the Groovy era you had one chance to get the perfect shot. If it didn't work you were stuck with a super cringe photo until the next time you tried to get everyone together. The following photos show exactly what can go wrong when you try to take a family photo.
Is this not the most '70s prom photo you've ever seen? Starting from the bottom - the shag carpet squares and paper mushrooms are straight out of art class (and we're not talking about a super successful art class either). The mushroom are so mind boggling that they almost overshadow the dual plaid outfits that these two are wearing.
These two deserve props for wearing matching flannel suits to prom, but they must have been so sweaty. Hopefully there was AC in the gym that night.
How's the weather up there
No one can help what they look like, but that doesn't mean that their photos are any less awkward. Being a teenager isn't fun. Our bodies change, we grow in strange ways, and some young people get growth spurts that see them go from 4'11" to 6'1" overnight. That kind of thing can be a boon for the basketball team, but it makes prom photos an absolute nightmare.
Normal airport behavior
The only awkward thing about this photo is that someone thought it would be a good way to capture the end of a long trip. Who hasn't wanted to lay down in an airport and press your face against the cool tile while you wait to board? Is the floor gross? Absolutely. But it's just as good as sitting and staring at all the other passengers for a couple of hours.
My family is my co-pilot
This family looks great and all but if we see them loading into the cockpit on our next flight we're getting a refund, going home and watching some TV.
Grandma was clearly ready to take this photo
Grandma was clearly ready to take this photo, everyone else not so much. We put the onus for this awkward photo directly on the photographer, he could have easily gotten everyone to make a nice face for their photo, so they didn't look like someone just pulled a live skunk out of a bag in front of them.
Whatcha got in there?
It's fascinating to see a little bear family paying a visit to a little human family. Now, is the bear family trying to figure out if they can chow down on the little human family? Of course, but it's still really cute.
Calm down, dad
Honesty has always been the best policy. This little girl was definitely being honest about how she felt about being in this family photo and Dad is a close 2nd… SORRY, Mom... awkward!
Years ago, we didn’t have the luxury of the digital photo to decide if we wanted a retake. We proudly posed and waited for the film to be developed only to find out that, well… we may have missed the mark. The only problem is that while we want to forget, we can’t! Even if the photo gets stored away for safe keeping, it usually rears its ugly head at some point.
Have a nice trip?
There are really no words for how funny it is that this poor tourist went backwards over a safety railing at a gorgeous temple while posing for a photo. The monks at this place must still be talking about the day this guy took a swim in their koi pond. Even if they've taken a vow of silence they're definitely thinking about it.
Nothing like a trip to New Orleans
For two cool guys who wanted to visit a mausoleum they don't look all that excited about it.
So that's what they mean by 'plenty of fish in the sea'
Some photos are so perfect that there's really nothing to say. We love this photo so much that it should be in the Louvre. We're not sure what section so we'll just petition France to add a new wing.
Dress to impress
When families dress in matching outfits for a trip it can be cute, but it's mostly just kind of creepy. We know that this family is making sure that no one gets lost. It's not a bad idea at all, we just wished they'd gone with something a little cooler like matching cowboy hats or maybe monocles. This very '80s look is definitely dated, but don't be surprised if you start seeing hipsters rocking something similar some day soon.
Fitted
There's something very Devo about this family photo. Not only are they clearly ready for some kind of seaside/space adventure, but they all look like they really enjoy whatever it is they're doing. Once again our eyes are drawn to the dad who's clearly having the best time of his life while wearing full scuba gear and moccasins.
Leave the top hat at home
Let's not mess around here, the eye is immediately drawn to the top hat and wine colored ruffled shirt that the guy in the back is wearing. His entire soap opera bad guy vibe supersedes the guy who's been caught off guard on the side. At least the gals look gussied up and ready to have a good time. If only they didn't have to hang out with ol' top hat guy back there.
End of the line
A random field in South Dakota? Check. A wacky looking Welcome to South Dakota sign? Also check? Everyone clearly fresh out of sitting in a car for five hours and lined up in a row according to height? Triple check! Now this family knows how to take an awkward vacation photo.
Cool dad, or really cool dad?
You can always count on dads for a couple of things: driving for an insane amount of time on a road trip, and doing anything they can to embarrass their kids. Just get a load of this dad in his Michael Jackson shirt and plaid shorts (and black socks, don't forget those). There's no way that he actually wants to look this uncool, but he knows that he has to do it for the sake of his children.
Get in there
Oof. This kid definitely has some sass but his placement is all wrong. Kudos to his big brother for working his way through the embarrassment to try and make the most out of this family photo. This awkward, happy family is giving us waves of nostalgia for going on a trip with our family and looking totally goofy in all the photos.
No pants, no problem
It's a shame that this kid is the shortest out of everyone in the photo because they could have hung out in the back and no one would be the wiser of their wardrobe malfunction. Hopefully they're just wearing short-shorts and didn't actually forget to pack any bottoms in their luggage. Aside from the no pants of it all, can you think of a more beautiful place to take a snapshot than in front of a trash can?
When you're over vacation
Everything about this photo makes us cringe. This family just wanted to have a nice snapshot in front of their very cool Volkswagen Beetle but it's clear that this girl is done with vacation in a major way. She's so over it that she left her mom hanging at the last moment before their self timer went off. That girl has definitely never stopped hearing the end of this one.
Photobomb, literally
You know when you stop to take a nice snapshot and someone runs in and throws up bunny ears or something goofy like that? How would you handle it if instead they blew up a massive section of the desert behind you? If you're anything like these kids you're pretty chill because you know that mom wants one good photo of you on vacation. This is one awkward moment no one forgot.
Is the TV going to prom?
Not only do these kids look great, but the Kodachrome photo looks fantastic too. Once again we're seeing a couple of kids whose pre-prom photos are hamstrung by a photographer who just has to show off their wonderful house. A note to any parent out there who are getting ready to snap a shot of their prom ready kids - focus on the young people, not your exciting new appliances.
It's not Africa but it'll do
Once again the dad is the real MVP of this photo, he's really trying to make it happen with all of the pointing and face work but his family just can't get into it. Well, the two girls on the right are giving it the old college try but how excited can you be in a room full of taxidermy animals? It's a wild life whenever you're on vacation with dad this goofy.
Don't turn around
Nature is one of the many wonderful places to visit on a family vacation, it's just that nature also comes jam packed with wild animals who'd really like to take a chomp out of you. This may be an incredibly awkward (and really well framed) snapshot, but when you think about it this is also a metaphor for life.
A magical evening
Prom photographers should really have someone on staff to make sure the couple's they're taking snapshots of have matching facial expressions. There's nothing worse than seeing a young guy who's thrilled to be at the prom, and a date who would rather be anywhere else (or with anyone else).
Up in smoke
Everything about this photo is setting off our awkward alarm. Not only is the smoke machine working overtime, but this guy's wide lapeled flannel jacket and bowtie is almost like his second date. This really was an era of interesting fashion choices. When else would someone decide to go full on Bay City Rollers to the most magical night of their young lives?
If nothing else, this guy can hold his head up high with the knowledge that he has one of the greatest mullets of the 1970s.
This guy really doesn't want to go to prom
There's a thing that teenage boys do in prom photos in every era that's absolutely maddening - they pretend that they're not incredibly excited to go to prom with their best gal. This guy is a great example. He has his hands folded in front of him like he's been grounded and he looks like someone just told him that his pet gecko escaped from its terrarium. Could someone let this guy know that he's going to prom, not the morgue?
A magical night to forget
We love how much fun everyone is having here, we're even on board with the flowy peasant dresses and ruffled shirts, but what's happening with the "paper moon" that the school has provided? If it weren't for the stars in the background in the background we would have thought that the gals were sitting on a giant banana. Now that we think about it, maybe that's the school's mascot. The fighting bananas. Is that a thing?
There's nothing like going to prom with your dad
The '70s were a special decade. Not only was fashion and music changing, but teenage boys looked like a bunch of dads forced to go back to school. This guy in particular is giving dad at a wedding vibes. Do you think they carded him when he went through the door? Or did they just offer him a job as a gym teacher immediately?
For the perfect prom photo make sure you leave the blinds open
There's nothing awkward about these teenage lovebirds (the patterned jacket is a little bit much), what we're focused on is the "artistic" photo taken by someone's mother. The kids should be the focal point of the photo, but for some reason whoever's behind the camera decided that the best thing to do would be to highlight the venetian blinds on the right. At least they look happy (the kids not the blinds).
Are you sure this is the shot you want to go with?
This is just painful. Neither of these kids look particularly excited about going to prom, but maybe that's just because their pre-dance picture looks like a last known photograph. We're crossing out fingers that the kids were allotted a second photo to remember the most fun night of their high school careers.
'Jungle Love' indeed
What was going on with prom themes in the Groovy era? Even without being in an overly PC era "Jungle Love" seems a little over the top for a dance with a bunch of high school students. Whatever happened to a theme like "A Night Under The Sea?" or "Racecar Madness?" Maybe that second one isn't so hot, but it's way less problematic than "Jungle Love."
Just happy to be here
These two look like they're having a perfectly fine, albeit awkward, time. As much fun as it was to go to prom there's something mortifying about having to get dressed up in a suit like an adult and have fun. Wouldn't it just be more fun to meet up in a basement and dance to music on the turntable? Honestly, prom is a once in a lifetime experience that has an unfortunate dress code that lends it self to being totally awkward.
The "happiest" place on Earth
Just because Disneyland is full of fun and adventure for the whole family that doesn't mean that you have to enjoy it. We're hoping that this is an end of day photo and that the snapshot that they had to have taken at the start of their time in the happiest place on Earth has at least a couple of smiles.
Feet in the clouds
It's not easy to decorate an entire prom, especially in the Groovy era when you couldn't just order a bunch of stuff off of Amazon and bingo bango have a prom theme in the box. It's still a little sad that someone just threw a bunch of cotton on the ground to try and make it look like the kids were walking on clouds. It's a great concept but there's no way that people weren't tripping over the "clouds" all night long while getting their disco on.
Once again, please leave your hats at home
Top hats were definitely a symptom of the Groovy era, when every guy was trying to look like a sleazy character from a Cheech and Chong movie. While they're not so much a thing now, it still hurts to see them pop up in prom photos from the '70s when we know that so many young men wore while trying to look cool. These hats never work, and if someone tells you that you look cool in one of them then you'd better believe that they work for big Top Hat.
Captain fun
If there's one rule for young men in prom photos from the Groovy era it's that they cannot look like they're having a good time. It's illegal, they'll get kicked off the JV football team, and they'll be ostracized forever if they even pretend like they're excited to go on a date with a pretty girl. We're sure this guy was doing jumping jacks on the inside. Or at the very least he high fived himself when no one was watching.
All '70s All The Time
If we had to show someone what the 1970s looked like in one picture this is what we'd show them. The high collar lace dress, the space heater built into the wall, and wow oh wow that backdrop is something else. Let's not forget the oversized glasses or all that woodgrain. Each piece of this photo on its own is no big deal, but when you put it all together things get very awkward, very fast.
Promouflage
Hold up, do they really let disembodied heads attend prom? Are tickets half price? We have so many questions.
Chicago, there's nothing like it
Are there plenty of iconic buildings and pieces of artwork to pose with in Chicago to let people know that you visited the Windy City on vacation? Of course. But this couple aren't your average tourists. These two risk life and limb to get on the side of the road to pose under the exit for the 65. That's dedication to the Second City.
He's going to be hearing from Mickey's lawyers
Okay, very funny everyone. Who pranked this guy so hard that it ruined his prom photos? Did he choose to pose between the two random dots on the wall to make it look like he has Mickey ears? What are the dots supposed to represent? The more we look at this photo the more it feels like some kind of experiment that we're not understanding.
Who needs to win prom king when you can sit on the iron throne?
You know that you've got it made when you pose for your prom photos sitting on a wooden throne while your fair maiden of a prom date stands next to you. This seems completely off but they look like they're having a good time so who are we to judge? All we can hope for is that they took another photo where she got to take a load off for a bit. Remember, shoes in the Groovy era were meant to be seen, not worn.
End of the line
This great awkward family photo is the perfect encapsulation of going on a summer rip with your family. Everything is fun at the beginning, but before you know it you're sitting on the side of the road in the summer heat. Once again dad has come to the rescue, proving that he's the most integral part to a family photo whether it's awkward or not.
