One in three Brits recoils at old photos of themselves decked out in shell suits or low-rise jeans. A survey of 2,000 adults found these outfits, along with peplum tops, overly distressed jeans, multi-pocket cargo trousers and velour tracksuits, top the regrets.

Participants scroll back to 2016 on average before hitting a style they want to forget. Three in 10 delete the images outright. Overall, 34% wish they could wipe away one specific fashion mistake, while 32% feel outright pain from the reminders.

Gen Z adults under 24 suffer the most from these blasts from the past. Those aged 35 to 44, older Millennials, rank second. Seventeen percent have trashed photos over bad hair or makeup. Fifteen percent ditch shots where they aren’t looking at the camera. Fourteen percent blame the clothes.

The poll, commissioned by Samsung, ties into the company’s Galaxy AI and Photo Assist’s Generative Edit features. Comedian and former model Michelle de Swarte partnered with the tech giant to demonstrate how people can tweak old images.

De Swarte modeled in outfits she now calls questionable. “There’s a lot of photographic evidence of me taking fashion very seriously while wearing things I absolutely shouldn’t have trusted,” she said. Shoots gone wrong meant living with bad bags, loud logos or blinked eyes forever, she added.

“Fashion should be playful, not something that jumps out of your camera roll and humbles you years later,” de Swarte said. “Being able to keep the memory and quietly fix the bits that didn’t age well is a welcome evolution.”

More than half of social media users, 55%, said they would post with more confidence if they could erase fashion errors without scrapping whole photos. Thirty-seven percent want AI to slip modern items into vintage snaps.

Samsung launched the research alongside its Galaxy S25 Ultra smartphone. Annika Bizon, a company spokesperson, said trends shift fast, but old photos feel stuck. “Our research clearly shows that photos of our past style decisions can feel permanent,” Bizon said.

De Swarte’s modeling days exposed her to trends that bombed with time. The poll captures a wider unease. Adults rummage through digital archives and wince. Deleting solves part of the problem. AI promises more.

Younger crowds lead in regret. Under-24s haunt their own feeds most. Millennials in their late 30s and early 40s trail them. Everyone unites on shell suits as public enemy No. 1.