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They say that taste is all a matter of opinion, and we mostly agree with this. But let’s get real here for a moment—there are some specific things that objectively look truly awful, on a multiversal, multi-timeline scale. However, despite how tasteless the thing might look, we can still marvel at the amazing craftsmanship that went into making it.

Enter, the ‘Awful Taste But Great Execution’ subreddit. The ATBGE community is made up of over 1.6 million members and is dedicated to displaying “quality craftsmanship in the least elegant way possible.” From the merely tacky to the overwhelmingly gaudy, it has a little bit of everything, proving once and for all that a sense for aesthetics doesn’t necessarily have to overlap with the person’s creativity or skills. And the moderators are very proud of keeping a high bar for the type of content that gets posted on the subreddit.

Scroll down to check out some of the best recent ATBGE posts and upvote the pics which impressed you with the craftsmanship. Do you think some of these images don’t deserve the hate they get and you think the creators actually have amazing taste? Let us know in the comments.

Bored Panda was interested to learn more about taste and skill and the overlap between the two, so we reached out to talented pie artist Jessica Leigh Clark-Bojin, who recently published her new book, 'Pies Are Awesome: The Definitive Pie Art Book.' Jessica, who is both very skilled and has a great sense for aesthetics, told us how we can motivate ourselves to continue developing a new skill when we can't see the results that we want.

"One of my favorite Bart Simpson lines is, 'I wasn’t good at it right away, so I quit,'" she said referring to his very brief interest in playing guitar. "I always think about this when I struggle with something and I’m trying to motivate myself to continue. It is incredibly rare to be instantly talented when trying your hand at a new skill." Scroll down for our full interview with Jessica.

And if you’re in the mood for some more ATBGE ups and downs that’ll make your inner aesthete wince and your inner crafter smile, you can check out Bored Panda’s previous articles about the awesome subreddit here: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4.

Pie artist Jessica went into detail about how we can tell whether or not a certain skill is worth learning for us personally. "Sometimes, you find you 'have a bit of a knack' for something new, and even though you still have to work hard, you are able to find enjoyment, or that 'flow' state, a little more easily than others. This is usually an indication to me that the skill is worth investing the time and effort in, even if you don’t see professional-level results right away," she told Bored Panda.

"If it comes 'a little bit easier' to you than others, you'll probably be able to get to where you want to be if you keep at it. If, on the other hand, the work feels like banging your head against a board from day one, and you're just not having any fun at all, you may want to consider picking a different skill to cultivate!"

According to Jessica, how much taste and skill overlap depends a lot on the context, as well as the community that's actually judging whether something's tasteful or tasteless. The larger the community, the less subjective and niche the group's interpretations are likely to be.

#2

Gingerbread Crack House

Gingerbread Crack House

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#3

Was Told I Should Post My Drag Grinch Look Here

Was Told I Should Post My Drag Grinch Look Here

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Mistralok
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

You're as cuddly as a cactus, you're as charming as an eel, Mrs. Grinch

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"In a small community with a narrow definition of 'taste,' the bar may be lower for the quality of 'tasteful content.' But if you are looking at the internet at large as your audience, for a group that size to predominantly agree something is 'tasteful' it is generally a pretty good indicator that the creator is at the top of their game," she explained to Bored Panda.

"And it makes sense—if you as a creator are exposed to a broader selection of content that is informing your sense of taste and your work, you are probably also exposed to a broader selection of skills and techniques executed at a high level."

The artist also added her insights about the type of content that gets posted on the 'Awful Taste But Great Execution' subreddit. "In the case of many of these posts, the creators are intentionally making a controversial, subversive statement, and likely don't intend their work to be taken as an expression of their refinement and taste!" she shared her opinion.

#4

This Water-Like Epoxy Floor

This Water-Like Epoxy Floor

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Samantha Lomb
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It bothers me they didn't tape off the baseboards but this is cool and would be great for like a pool house.

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#6

Slowly Bleeding Candle Hand

Slowly Bleeding Candle Hand

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Sleazy Weaver
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

this is cool! perfect for halloween, though i must admit i would use it year-round... as long as it isn't flesh scented!

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A while back, Bored Panda spoke to Jonas Nyffenegger and Sébastien Mathys of the Ugly Design project on Instagram about aesthetics. They explained that beauty, in their opinion, is boring. Ugliness, meanwhile, is exciting, fresh, and captivating. And it definitely stands out in your social media feeds.

"As our love for ugliness keeps growing, the line between ugly and beauty is getting a bit blurred. It appears more and more of our followers have completely lost their taste. That’s a good thing. It means they’ll have to find it again. It will most likely be forever changed," they shared with us.

“When seeing an ugly design rather than perfect aesthetics (as defined in the 21st century)—scrollers takes notice," they told Bored Panda that the key to getting attention is not being predictable. That way, content doesn't go stale.

#7

Sigh... *unzips*

Sigh... *unzips*

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Caro Caro
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Isn't the one on the right a carnivorous plant? Haahaha. I'm pretty sure a man wouln't put his dingus anywhere near it. It's a mantrap!

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#8

This Stained Glass Car Sunroof

This Stained Glass Car Sunroof

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#9

Shrek Car

Shrek Car

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Alexia
Community Member
2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I actually like this. I'd love to drive it to work, in intense traffic :))) I hope it has a matching honk

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Previously, Bored Panda spoke to the ‘Awful Taste But Great Execution’ moderator team to learn more about the online community.

The founder of the entire subreddit explained that r/ATBGE was created as a spin-off of another subreddit. The mods of that particular subreddit kept rejecting ATBGE posts, so the moderator was inspired to create a separate community, a niche entirely for their vision of what the content should be like.

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“In the beginning, /r/ATBGE focused heavily on automotive-related posts, but we knew doing this would potentially limit our user base. To make /r/ATBGE more appealing to the masses, we opened up the subreddit to include things beyond autos (tattoos, fashion, décor, etc.),” the moderator told Bored Panda.

#11

Pretzels Dipped In White Chocolate And Laid On Poppy Seeds Make Up This Delightfully Smoky Charcuterie Board

Pretzels Dipped In White Chocolate And Laid On Poppy Seeds Make Up This Delightfully Smoky Charcuterie Board

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Troux
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It would be worth it to redo this with finely crushed Oreos instead of poppy seeds.

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#12

CVS Receipt Scarf

CVS Receipt Scarf

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“As we grew, moderators were added and subreddit rules were further refined. Now we are here and things are still looking good. We continue to add new subscribers each day, which is a good thing (considering we all do this for free),” the mod said.

The subreddit has amassed a whopping 1.6 million members since August 2016. And it seems like its growth isn’t stopping any time soon.

If you’re planning on being an awesome member of the community, you’ve got to keep r/ATBGE’s rules in mind. They’re nothing too fancy, but everyone needs to be reminded of the rules from time to time, whatever subreddit they might be a fan of.

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#13

A Microscopic Toilet Created For A Micrograph Competiton And Yeah Won It

A Microscopic Toilet Created For A Micrograph Competiton And Yeah Won It

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In the case of ‘Awful Taste But Great Execution,’ naturally, the focus of the posts has to be on awful taste and great execution. When one of these crucial factors is missing, the entire point of the image is gone.

“All posts must be of something exhibiting awful taste but great execution. If it does not display great execution it does not belong here. Great execution is defined as a work of quality craftsmanship,” the moderators write, adding that they will always remove any posts that are related to music videos and car wraps.

#17

This Plushie My Friend Brought To School Today

This Plushie My Friend Brought To School Today

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Rijkærd
Community Member
2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Needs to see a dentist for braces and an exorcist thereafter...

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“Posts that are cute, funny, unique, or otherwise tasteful will be removed. Taste is highly subjective, so use your best judgment. Just because it is a tattoo does not mean it is awful taste. Do not post something you made or own,” the mod team explains, regarding the taste aspect of the pics.

What’s more, the sub actually tries to minimize any hateful or overly critical comments that reach the creators of all of these tasteless projects. That’s why they ask people not to post any direct links to the creators and artists. That way, the subreddit can still have its fun while the creators don’t suffer backlash because some redditors simply couldn’t hold their tongues behind their teeth.

#21

Beer Can That Turns Into A Christmas Tree Onrnament

Beer Can That Turns Into A Christmas Tree Onrnament

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And speaking of (literally) tasteless things, sometimes it infects even food. For instance, in an interview with Bored Panda, writer Geraldine DeRuiter, who founded the Everywhereist blog, shared her thoughts about a horrible experience she had at a Michelin-starred restaurant in Italy. Some chefs forget that they're actually making food, so they hyperfocus on the aesthetics of the meals. The dishes might look impressive, but they're difficult to eat.

"It’s honestly hard to pick the worst thing about this meal. It was a symphony of mistakes made by the kitchen. But honestly, the worst part? It was that the food didn’t even taste good and it was so, so expensive compared to other, wonderful meals we’ve had in Lecce," Geraldine shared with Bored Panda.

#23

Might Be Hard To Get The Vacuum Into All The Nooks And Crannies

Might Be Hard To Get The Vacuum Into All The Nooks And Crannies

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#24

Custom Limousines By Jay Ohrberg

Custom Limousines By Jay Ohrberg

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“I guess they’ve forgotten what it means to actually be a chef. They’ve let ego overtake everything else,” Geraldine shared her opinion on why some chefs sacrifice everything for the sake of aesthetics.

“I think that food can be so overworked and so far removed from its original source as to become pretentious, but when that happens fault obviously lies with the chef."

#25

Everything About This Bathroom Says; "I'm Rich & Morbidly Disturbed."

Everything About This Bathroom Says; "I'm Rich & Morbidly Disturbed."

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Mama Panda
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If my knees, toes and boobs can be under the water at the same time, who cares what it looks like!

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#26

I See Your Denim Boots And Raise You Hiking Stilettos

I See Your Denim Boots And Raise You Hiking Stilettos

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#27

This Armchair With A "Touch" Of Ussr

This Armchair With A "Touch" Of Ussr

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#30

One Sec, Let Me Grab My Laptop

One Sec, Let Me Grab My Laptop

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#33

I Have A Skull. I Have A Pineapple. Huh Pineapple-Skull

I Have A Skull. I Have A Pineapple. Huh Pineapple-Skull

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#38

My Friend Has This Ring With An Actual Used Glass Eye In It...

My Friend Has This Ring With An Actual Used Glass Eye In It...

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#39

TV Cover

TV Cover

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#40

Creepy Hybrid Hand/Face Sculpture From Wellington, New Zealand

Creepy Hybrid Hand/Face Sculpture From Wellington, New Zealand

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#41

These Roasted Mackerels As A Groom And Wife

These Roasted Mackerels As A Groom And Wife

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#42

All Her Art It Beautiful But This One Makes Me Laugh

All Her Art It Beautiful But This One Makes Me Laugh

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#43

I Don't Know How To Feel About This

I Don't Know How To Feel About This

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#47

"What Would You Like Grandma To Make You For Christmas? " Not This!

"What Would You Like Grandma To Make You For Christmas? " Not This!

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BusLady
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

No, you're confused. This is what Grandma asked for for Christmas.

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#48

Worst Cross Over Ever!

Worst Cross Over Ever!

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Gelato Cat
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Well the another god called Thor might have slightly disagreed with you jesus

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#49

This Is Exactly The Lifesize Starving Beggar Lamp I Was Looking For.

This Is Exactly The Lifesize Starving Beggar Lamp I Was Looking For.

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#50

9/11 Tribute Float

9/11 Tribute Float

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Note: this post originally had 120 images. It’s been shortened to the top 50 images based on user votes.