They’re Just Like Us! Leading Ladies Share Mistakes From Their 20s

Even though we can't all live like the characters on Girls (and, frankly, we're not sure we want to), we all make terrible, terrible mistakes in our 20s. Yes, all of us. Whether it's thinking we can still party like we're 19 years old and somehow make it to a spin class the next morning (guilty!), dating that unemployed a-hole who will "totally change this time, you guys," or wearing that heinous bandage dress for a completely inappropriate occasion, no one gets through the decade scot-free.

Luckily, at least we know we're not alone. In the newest story from Paper mag, the editors convinced dozens of successful, put-together ladies to confess their biggest mistakes from their formative years. They gathered renowned writers, editors, designers, and artists to share stories about that one time they stole a loaf of bread and puked in a parking lot (true story). Some are heartwarming life lessons — Erin Fetherston even recounts her biggest mistake was not knowing how to cut her loses and abandon a "dead-end road" for a new, more promising path. Then, there's the shocking truth about style icon Lynn Yaeger, who says in her 20s, she actually worried about what other people thought and constantly measured herself against others — something we have a very hard time believing from one of the most individualistic, unique women on the planet!

The stories are embarrassing, thought-provoking, and hilarious, and best of all, they make us feel a whole lot better about the time we puked in a parking lot. (Just kidding, we've definitely never done that).

Click over to see what Cynthia Rowley, Jane Pratt, Christina Tosi, and the like have to say about what they've learned, and pat yourself on the back for having never rented a bullet-ridden apartment from a mafioso. (Paper)