I’ve made a couple mentions of finding an old Hanscom family photo on the new Awkward Family Photos weblog, then watching in amusement as the AFP site and our photo gained popularity and popped up in more places around the web.
Well, here’s one more for the list! Yesterday I was interviewed by a reporter for ABC News who was working on an article about AFP and the reactions from people who’ve stumbled across their photos on the site, and the article went live this morning! It features both of the shots of our family that are on AFP, and my part of the article comprises a fair chunk of the last third or so.
The Alaska Hanscoms are famous!
…many of those who are surprised to find themselves on the site end up happy to “share in the awkwardness.”
Michael Hanscom, one of the young stars of the “Osh Kosh” photo, said at first he was shocked to find himself and his family online.
He was clicking through the pages of one of his favorite blogs when he ended up at AwkwardFamilyPhotos.com, staring at a decades-old photograph of his own family.
“It was totally random happenstance. But I thought it was funny,” he said, adding that he had a minor internal debate over whether he should be upset with the site for posting a private photo.
Ultimately, he chose humor over umbrage.
“What I like about the site is that he seems to be doing a good job of not mocking all the photos that he posts in a mean way,” said the 36-year-old Seattle resident. “I’ve seen similar sites that are very mean-spirited. I didn’t get that feeling from this one.”
In fact, he was so easygoing about the site, he said he decided to send it another even more embarrassing family photo for good measure.
Now called “OshKosh: The Prequel” by the blog, the image shows the Hanscom family in another classic Sears portrait.
“Mom is yawning and I’m in the striped shirt [looking away from the camera],” Hanscom said.
When it comes to the source of the photos, he and his family are stumped. And though they never thought they’d be candidates for a site like this, they understand why they’re there now.
“As a family, we certainly don’t think of [the photos] as awkward. But it’s that, through time, that it gets the humor value,” he said, adding that the fashion changes and childhood braces are what draw the laughs. “It’s just the realities of being kids — you look goofy.”