Queer girls are tweeting their ‘coming-out glo-ups’ and homophobes are shaking

High school is an awkward time. Universal truth.

Everyone has braces and bad skin, and nobody knows how to overshare online in a funny way instead of a sad one. But for queer girls, there's an added layer of discomfort and self-discovery that straight girls never have to grapple with.

Twitter user @caitlincrowley_ summed that specific breed of awkward up perfectly when she posted two pictures of herself, from freshman to senior year of high school, apparently before and after she came out.

Okay, Caitlin — it obviously counts, but I see the coy vibe you're going for. Get those sweet, sweet RTs, sis.

It definitely helps that the first picture is like, viscerally awkward. They're standing so far apart from each other. Plus, peep the closed fist on her shoulder.

Yikes. Really brings me back to a time in my life when I straightened my bangs and only my bangs every single day.

Other queer girls started tweeting their own B&A shots at Caitlin in response. All of the "before" pictures are cringeworthy gems that perfectly demonstrate how hand placement makes or breaks a photo, and all of the "after" shots are cute as hell.

Maybe the true secret to the glo-up is more than just discovering argan oil. Maybe it's embracing your identity and having the freedom to express it on social media?

Probably both.

@k80way