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About UsAdvertiseInvestor RelationsJobsNewslettersEditionUSUKAustraliaBrasilCanadaDeutschlandIndiaJapanLatamCalifornia residents can opt out of "sales" of personal data.Do Not Sell My Personal Information © 2022 BuzzFeed, Inc PressRSSPrivacyConsent PreferencesUser TermsAccessibility StatementAd ChoicesHelpContactSitemapBuzzFeed NewsReporting on what you care about. We hold major institutions accountable and expose wrongdoing.BuzzFeed TastySearch, watch, and cook every single Tasty recipe and video ever - all in one place!BuzzFeed GoodfulSelf care and ideas to help you live a healthier, happier life.BuzzFeed Bring MeObsessed with travel? Discover unique things to do, places to eat, and sights to see in the best destinations around the world with Bring Me!BuzzFeed As IsSomething for everyone interested in hair, makeup, style, and body positivity.Celebrity·Posted 20 minutes ago48 Pictures Celebrities Posted On Instagram 10 Years Ago That Feel Surreal To Look Back On Now, Like It Was A Completely Different World
2012 was the glory age of celebrity Instagram. I miss all the terrible pictures of foods, extremely filtered selfies, and even a firework pic or two.
by Matt StoperaBuzzFeed Staff
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The year was 2012.
Thomas Coex / AFP via Getty Images
Instagram was a COMPLETELY different place, like nobody cared about what they posted AT ALL. It was a chaotic but enjoyable mess.
South China Morning Post / South China Morning Post via Getty Images
1. Harry Styles joined in 2012, and his first post was this filtered picture of some random deer in a random field.
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@harrystyles/ Instagram: @harrystyles
2. It was totally acceptable to post the most arbitrary things, like how he posted a picture of his phone with 69% battery life.
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@harrystyles/ Instagram: @harrystyles
3. I also love how every picture in 2012 HAD to have a border. We were all artists!
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@harrystyles/ Instagram: @harrystyles
4. In 2012, Beyoncé was still posting literal mirror-with-flash camera selfies.
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@beyonce/ Instagram: @beyonce
5. Jessica Alba's photos were covered with a weird haze.
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@jessicaalba/ Instagram: @jessicaalba
6. It's like she didn't even know how to fit three people in a photograph.
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@jessicaalba/ Instagram: @jessicaalba
7. Gigi Hadid's photos were practically red.
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@gigihadid/Instagram: @gigihadid
8. And Chris Pratt's were practically orange.
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@prattprattpratt/ Instagram: @prattprattpratt
9. Kim Kardashian joined IG in 2012 with this blurry picture:
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Instagram: @kimkardashian
10. It was back when people posted pictures with their friends where everyone looked kinda sweaty.
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@kimkardashian/ Instagram: @kimkardashian
11. Back then, Kim would also post pixelated pictures of memes.
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Instagram: @kimkardashian
12. She posted feet pics.
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@kimkardashian/Instagram: @kimkardashian
13. A very 2012 picture with Psy.
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@kimkardashian/ Instagram: @kimkardashian
14. And this disgusting picture some old bread. People LOVED posting unintentionally gross pictures of things they were eating.
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@kimkardashian/ Instagram: @kimkardashian
15. She also did the very 2012 thing of posting pictures of blurry, off-center quotes about how big of bitches they were.
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@kimkardashian/ Instagram: @kimkardashian
16. Shawn Mendes was but a mere fetus, and honestly probably wasn't even allowed on Instagram. This was his first post:
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@shawnmendes/Instagram: @shawnmendes
17. He posted pictures of his cat.
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@shawnmendes/ Instagram: @shawnmendes
18. Lady Gaga joined Instagram in 2012.
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@ladygaga/ Instagram: @ladygaga
19. She was really into the angsty, extremely low quality selfie.
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@ladygaga/ Instagram: @ladygaga
20. In 2012, Zendaya posted a classic "waiting in the car listening to music" selfie.
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@zendaya/ Instagram: @zendaya
21. She posted the iconic "this is my Starbucks" pic.
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@zendaya/ Instagram: @zendaya
22. And also this extremely appetizing picture of funnel cake. Again, we LOVED posting pictures of our food.
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@zendaya/ Instagram: @zendaya
23. In 2012, Justin Bieber posted the very common "I gotta poop" selfie.
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@justinbieber/ Instagram: @justinbieber
24. He basically posted every selfie he took, like there was no filter to what made the grid.
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@justinbieber/ Instagram: @justinbieber
25. And his pictures were captioned with things like, "Uh oh swag time."
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@justinbieber/ Instagram: @justinbieber
26. I'm pretty sure this picture was taken with a potato.
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@justinbieber/ Instagram: @justinbieber
27. Ariana Grande was big on Instagram in 2012.
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@arianagrande/ Instagram: @arianagrande
28. She cranked that contrast waaaay up.
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@arianagrande/ Instagram: @arianagrande
29. She also took crooked pictures of highways.
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@arianagrande/ Instagram: @arianagrande
30. A classíque circle of feet pic.
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@arianagrande/ Instagram: @arianagrande
31. And, of course, mirror selfies where the lens appeared to be covered in butter.
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@arianagrande/Instagram: @arianagrande
32. The year was 2012. We posted EVERYTHING.
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@arianagrande/Instagram: @arianagrande
33. In 2012, Rob Lowe posted pictures with a random monkey. I feel like posting pictures with random animals was huge then.
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@roblowe/ Instagram: @roblowe
34. Oprah's first post was of some random friends.
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@oprah/ Instagram: @oprah
35. Vanessa Hudgens went the hipster route.
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@vanessahudgens/Instagram: @vanessahudgens
36. Camila Cabello posted quite possibly the worst concert pictures of all time.
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Instagram: @camila_cabello
37. Shakira was into the artsy landscape pic.
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@shakira/ Instagram: @shakira
38. Zac Efron posted an encounter with "up-and-coming" actor Rebel Wilson.
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@zacefron/ Instagram: @zacefron
39. Priyanka Chopra joined Instagram with this grainy pic.
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@priyankachopra/ Instagram: @priyankachopra
40. And Paris Hilton posted a double-frame picture of her dogs in the back seat of a car.
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Instagram: @parishilton
41. In 2012 we were still very into using flash for every pic.
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@teddysphotos/ Instagram: @teddysphotos
42. No selfie was too boring or bad to be posted to the grid.
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@teddysphotos/ Instagram: @teddysphotos
43. And people LOVED posting pictures of people with their flashlights on at concerts.
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@teddysphotos/ Instagram: @teddysphotos
44. In 2012, Rihanna edited her pics in Picasa.
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@badgalriri/ Instagram: @badgalriri
45. She took dramatic-ass pictures showing how tired she was.
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@badgalriri/ Instagram: @badgalriri
46. She posted pictures of the sausage section at Whole Foods.
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@badgalriri/ Instagram: @badgalriri
47. She loved a good meme.
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@badgalriri/ Instagram: @badgalriri
48. And she re-posted this pic of her friend's broken toe.
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@jennnrosales/ Instagram: @badgalriri
It doesn't get anymore 2012 than that!
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