What ever became of the ‘popular’ kids at your school?

[Bigchoice]

I was talking to DD and she said she wasn’t ‘popular’. She’s 14, got a good group of friends, does sport and generally seems happy. From what she means by ‘popular’ I assume she refers to those who are conventionally very good looking, vape/smoke, engage in precocious behaviour, are generally considered cool. I won’t pretend I didn’t understand what she means by it and to be honest I’m absolutely delighted DD isn’t popular- by that definition. To me as long as she has friends, does well in school and is happy that’s really all I care about. But it got me thinking, whatever became of the popular kids from your school days, were you a popular kid? How did their life turn out?

Who is HC?

Helen Catt, she’s a political reporter and always seems like she’s be a laugh irl. I dunno, I watch a lot of politics 😂

I don't know and I don't care!

I think popular is much more likely to mean the girls that the boys fancy and the girls want to be friends with rather than anything to do with vaping and promiscuity.

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Only one I know of:
Works in an ice-making plant
missing teeth
parties with the same group

I'm glad to say I have no idea, because after I left school I never saw anyone from there, except my best friend, again. Most of the kids in my year were rough as bags and bullying shits.

Girl's grammar, all very academic. There wasn't a hugely popular set, it was actually a nice year group and school, didn't appreciate it then, compared to the not very good education that my kids had. I was very ordinary, had a few health issues, butt had a good small group of friends.

But, one fairly popular girl is on TV now and again in a profession that I would in no way have guessed. She's good at it too, fair play to her. Another, who was going to have a big career, married a dairy farmer, had a bunch of kids and seems super happy. The brightest girl has written a novel or two.

What is surprising is how many of us ended up as mainly SAHMs, although often with a sideline. We were groomed for big careers, but quite a lot of mental health issues (me included).

hung around with older 'boys' (actually young men who would collect them in cars at lunchtime, huge safeguarding concern these days!)

This was such a thing at our school too. Very middle class school, aspirational parents. All bright girls, but it was a thing from about 14 to have an older boy (although they were men, really) pick you up at lunchtime in his car. I've never heard anyone else mention this (outside of Bob, Sue and Rita too - and it wasn't that type of area).

A fair few of mine are doing very well for themselves. Ones a doctor, one is a radio talk host, another founded a drama/actors group. All from middle class backgrounds with supportive and well heeled parents.

Dd is 14 invited to every party in town and has a huge friendship group from all the schools in town. She doesn’t vape and is not promiscuous! Some teens are just more sociable snd confident than others no need to be horrid and bitter about that.

The most popular girl in our school got pregnant just after a-levels, didn’t take up her place at uni and is still waiting tables at TGIs 20 years later. She’s very much the exception though. Most of the girls from our year have done alright whether popular or not. The other one who got pregnant in year 13 had her kids then went to uni and works as a senior midwife.

The most popular girl in my year went on to win the lottery in the late 90s. Not an immense sum of money, but potentially life changing. She blew the lot! (On what I've no idea, but seemingly not on anything that would set her up financially for the future). She's still living in my home town and has
an ordinary, quiet life.

One very popular girl was unpleasant and snobbish towards anyone she didn't see as her social equal (including me). Went to university and was set for career success until serious illness struck. Ended up being unable to work due to ongoing health issues. Has changed a great deal over the years and is now a very pleasant, kind person. She apologised many years later for her behaviour and attitude towards me back in the day.

I don't know them well at all now. I didn't go to a very academic school. Some have done quite well in jobs working up, particularly the boys as I'm from an industrial area and there have always been good vocational opportunities on industry. Some do office type jobs where confidence is useful. Some have gone down the several kids young route (I suppose the rebellious popular ones).

I think we were just a few years too old for the boom in reality TV and Instagram influencing as one or two have tried their hand at more glam stuff but to no particular avail. This was signing up to modelling agencies in the early 2000s (nice looking girls but not model material if I'm being honest). A few MLM attempts.

I'm glad to see people doing fine and the ones I knew seem ok, plodding on normally. No billionaires. Some a bit downtrodden, some a bit messy in their younger lives but nothing drastic that I know of.

Generally the popular crowd seem to have stayed quite close to home and not studied at university (as I say there wasn't a huge expectation of that) whereas those who didn't fit in quite so well have gone searching a bit more. I suppose if a place and lifestyle is working for you why try and fix it?

Prison for one of them, I am related to this person so it’s a definite known outcome. I have cut that entire branch out of my life as have the rest of my family.

I saw the popular but she was also a bully girl I went to school with when we were in our late forties pushing her grandchildren in a buggy. I’m pleased to report she looked like shit and still lives in the small slightly crap town we grew up in.

A popular girl who was really nice actually contacted me through friends reunited, so that was a long time ago. She was working as quite a successful artist. I was very pleased about that as she was just a really lovely person.

My MIL goes to an annual school reunion, she is 81!

The popular ones at my school (O levels on 1982) have all become grandparents much sooner than me :(

Seriously tho - they were in the lots-of-boyfriends-at-a-you g-age category. And curiously we're Al sporty net ballers. Anyway - they stayed in the home town and had children young. And didn't keep their sportiness up, so aren't in best of health.

Those (like me) who were always the last to be picked are now sporty 50 somethings and have done lots of stuff. But don't have grandchildren. So, swings and roundabouts!

My next door neighbour was one of the popular girls at Uni. They were like the plastics in Mean girls, all pretty rich kids with nice clothes and walked around with their noses in the air. Only hung out with the private school cool boys. Funny thing is, I knew her for years as everyone knew them, but she didn't recognise me at all. No surprise there. She is a very nice woman now, lifestyle much the same as mine - ordinary house in nice enough area - but she does have a nervous manner socially which surprised me.

DH works with a man who was in Uni with me but far too snooty to even say hello, hung out with the cool rich kids and the pretty rich girls (knows my neighbour unsurprisingly!). Funnily enough when I first met him with DH and we recognised each other he called me to the side and said that he is forever embarrassed by what a dickhead he had been when he was young, and could I conveniently forget that and take him at face value going forwards. I thought it was incredibly brave of him. He was a dickhead, but not a bad guy and it never bothered me much that he didn't talk to me. I have a lot of respect for him now.

That's one more than I am @Libre2 . The only one I know anything about is dead and I only know that because it was in a plane crash and made the TV news. What the rest of the kids I was at school with, popular or not, are doing, I have absolutely no idea.

Most of them had kids in their teens

The most popular girl in my year is now a very wealthy widow and a businesswoman.
the most popular boy is what he was back in the day- a Don Juan 😂 He has a small business, too.