What makes you cringe? Is it witnessing someone try to flirt in the most awkward way? Or maybe looking at photos of yourself from middle school does it? Contrary to what your parents told you, that combination of bangs and braces did not look amazing! We’re all capable of engaging in some cringey behavior, whether it’s forgetting to mute yourself in a Zoom meeting with all of your colleagues or participating in TikTok trends that should probably be left to teenagers. But there’s something about the internet that seems to make individuals even more prone to engaging in full-on cringe.
And no one knows that better than the followers of Cringetopia on Twitter. Below, we’ve gathered some of the most painful tweets from this account dedicated to documenting “the worst of the worst on the internet”, so you’ve been warned: you might be cringing incredibly hard by the end.
Keep reading to also find an interview with an expert on the topic: host of the Watch Cringe podcast, Brendan, and try to enjoy this list (despite the fact that it might end up causing you physical pain). Be sure to upvote all of the pics that you couldn’t help but get a kick out of, and then, if you can somehow handle even more second-hand embarrassment, you can find another Bored Panda article featuring similar content right here!
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The Cringetopia Twitter account has only been around since January 2021, but it has already amassed an impressive 105k followers. Despite the pain that it must cause those individuals, apparently, they can’t get enough of this embarrassing content. So we decided to do some investigating into what exactly “cringe” is and why the internet so obsessed with it. According to Wiktionary, the word “cringe” is derived from a combination of the Middle English word ‘crengen’, which means “to bend in a haughty manner” or to condescend, the Proto-Germanic word ‘krangijaną’, which means “to cause to fall” or “to cause to turn”, and several other Danish, Dutch, Scottish and West Frisian words essentially all meaning to turn away.
The way that we use cringe today, however, is an almost inexplicable experience or feeling, according to Saumya Kalia, a writer at The Swaddle. She describes cringing as “a curled upper lip, a wrinkle on the nose, a weighted sneer, a shake of the head from side to side. To the assault on grammar, excessive displays of human emotions, fashion that was meant to die, any and every behavior that forgets social norms.” She explains that we’re all prone to experiencing and feeling cringe, so perhaps, it’s best to just embrace it.
Only put it in a blender & press the purée button instead. He shouldn’t get it back. He’s a cannibal AND a pervert.
Load More Replies... I volunteer to help him with a good talking to and a baseball bat. Maybe the baseball bat first.
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His next line was "and eat your liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti." Jesus Christ what a f*****g creep...
A, that's not how omelettes are made. B, Human eggs aren't big enough for that. C, Report. D. Stock up on Unsee. E, b r u h
I know the whole thing is disgusting, but I find it so odd that he uses the word honkers. I didn’t know anybody actually called breasts “honkers” unless they’re about nine years old.
Also, it's kind of weird how many men think women just produce milk at all times.
Is it weird that I think the worst part of that is he called them “honkers?”
I sort of prefer them over someone calling them “badonkers” lol
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Just when you thought that the Internet had unearthed everything, here we have it - cannibal stalkers.
Omg so people actually think that works as anything but l lady repellent ?
He seems entirely unaware that’s he’s announcing he failed Biology class by posting this. 😕
Oh dear! I can't even begin to understand why he thinks this is in any way ok?!?!?!?
Besides my initial reaction of disgust at the comment, what makes him so sure she has milk in her breasts? Does she have a baby she's breastfeeding right now or does he think it's always just there?
Just revolting. They call themselves incels but really they’re just immature perverts. Yuk.
Are there people who actually think this is a good pick up line? Gag.
So he thought that up in his head, decided it was OK to say out loud, and somewhere in his brain also thought that would be a turn on?
Every part of this is nauseating. But I'd like to especially highlight the assumption that woman in question HAS any milk for omelette-making. The milk doesn't just hang out in your breasts waiting to be useful; it's usually only produced if there's a baby on the way. That and the use of the word "honkers" implies that this man has never been close enough to any woman to properly know all the parts and their functioning.
At this point I just hope it was very terrible joke.. like this person didn't try to be ehm cute..
Today I discovered a new way to name something in a foreign language. But I'm nit sure if I'm happy about it...
How to make a woman move to a deserted island and sew her vagina shut in 3 seconds.
Eeew soooo creepy. Why WHY would anyone this is sexy or flattering? Omg
So, I’m a nurse that just started a new job and happened to observe a day of egg extractions just yesterday. I cannot tell you how nope this is.
why r why??????? i agree i just threw up and then tried to pounch his picture
Some things are only funny when you say them to friends you know are okay with it..
At least the man has a goal for his life; Not a GOOD goal, mind you, but hey...baby steps
He has a goal for his life, I have a baseball bat for his groin and face.
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What kind of insensitive nosy pig would post this about a complete stranger??
“The history of cringe is rooted in social submission,” Kalia writes for The Swaddle. “What reached its peak through the internet culture first originated in the Old English; cringan was the word to describe ‘to fall, to yield in battle, to give way, to become bent, to curl up.’ Cringan became cringe sometime in the 16th century when it introduced the feelings of fear and embarrassment to ‘bending’ or ‘crouching.’ Finally, by the 19th century, the meaning had cemented itself; cringe meant to ‘recoil in embarrassment, shame, or fear’.”
And over the past couple decades, cringe content has become increasingly popular, with hit shows like The Office, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and Nathan For You gaining massive popularity. We watch these programs and laugh, partially from discomfort and partially because the situations the characters put themselves in are just too hilarious. But as Kalia explains in her article discussing the cultural history of cringe, “Watching train wrecks in fictionalized worlds spilled into a desire to mock those in real life.” Today, there are countless accounts like Cringetopia on Instagram, Reddit and TikTok calling out the lack of self-awareness so many people seem to exhibit in real life and online. There is certainly no shortage of cringe content to be found.
To learn even more about the painful and elusive topic of cringe, we reached out to Brendan, host of the podcast Watch Cringe, and he was kind enough to have a chat with us. First, we wanted to know what inspired Brendan, and his co-host Jay, to start a show dedicated to this topic. “We started the podcast because it’s highly entertaining and has a few lessons to teach the audience,” he told Bored Panda. “We want to normalize the cringe, so people can realize to not take life too seriously, but also to learn how to be better.”
Oh my ! I was wondering why this was a "bad" one, I didn't realize the bottom was before and the top is now, I thought it was the opposite way around
Cringe can be a subjective topic, so we were curious how Brendan likes to define it. “Cringe equals ‘shared embarrassment’. When someone does something ‘cringe’, it usually highlights that person's inability to be socially appropriate,” he explained. “Meaning it’s usually when someone [messes] up or is just really uncool. For example, uncool dad jokes make you cringe because you feel embarrassed for the dad and everyone in the room. Or let’s say a dude is showing off a Venus fist (feminist) tattoo at a bar to pick up babes. That’s cringe because it’s obvious he didn’t get that tattoo out of sincerity; he’s basically acting like a tool bag.”
It's not just $3k or $2k though, it's holiday time at work, it's child care, it's that amount per person, it's all the extra costs on top like insurance, spending money, vaccinations for Thailand etc (including an expensive registry by the sounds of it!) Most people can only have one holiday a year and don't want to spend it at your wedding, especially as you sound insufferable
Brendan was also willing to share one of his own personal moments of cringe with us. “On one of my first dates with a girl, I asked her if she was on the spectrum because I thought she was like me,” he told Bored Panda. “She didn’t like that line of questioning, but guess what: she’s my fiancé now! This type of cringe is because the cringer is unaware of how their words can affect other people’s feelings.” That may have been cringey in the moment, but I’m glad to hear the story had a happy ending!
Show of hands; Who would bet he "kissed" a man posing as a girl on Reddit?
And lucky for all of us (or unlucky, depending on how you look at it), Brendan says no one is immune to being cringey. “The cringe is unavoidable,” he told Bored Panda. “It’s a part of human ancestry. Look to our past, present, and future, and you will find that entire countries are cringe. France stole a 3,000 year old obelisk from Egypt, shipped it to France on a boat, and set it up in the middle of a traffic circle!” It’s true. It’s called the Luxor Obelisk, and you can read about it right here.
So he's not your husband, he's not in the armed forces and he never went to that school... wow!
Finally, Brendan left us with some wise words about our cringey behavior. “The world needs to highlight it and embrace it,” he shared. “It’s like having a big pimple on your face. It’s worse if you try to hide it. Just own it, and be better next time.”
If you’d like to hear some painfully cringey stories, accompanied by hilarious commentary, be sure to check out Brendan’s podcast Watch Cringe right here or follow the show on Instagram right here!
According to Melissa Dahl, a senior editor at The Cut and author of Cringeworthy: A Theory of Awkwardness, indulging in cringe content for fun is actually similar to experiencing nightmares, as far as our brains are concerned. “It’s our brains giving us a dose of exposure therapy,” she told Vox. “Maybe the same thing is happening for people who are drawn to cringey content, [maybe they’re] people whose deepest fear is being ostracized or made to look like a fool.”
“I think [cringe content] is a controlled way of facing this really deep fear. It’s funny to talk about being embarrassed during the year 2020 when there’s such scary things going on,” Dahl continued, referring to the COVID-19 pandemic. “But, like, there’s nothing scarier than being cast out on your own and laughed out of the group!”
One of the beauties of the written word is you can elucidate your thoughts far more effectively than with speech. I don’t understand why anyone would give up that advantage.
Are you feeling a little better about all of the cringey things you’ve ever done? Because clearly, it can always get worse! We hope you’re getting a kick out of these photos pandas, but remember, none of us are immune to the cringe. So don't get too cocky... Keep upvoting your favorite photos, and then if you want to experience even more second-hand embarrassment, you can find another Bored Panda article featuring painfully cringey content right here!
Ew... that's just weird, I hope he at least asked the kids first if this was ok
I feel like I know exactly what this guy looks like and everything he owns is probably sticky and there's a lot of axe bodyspray everywhere.
Note: this post originally had 37 images. It’s been shortened to the top 35 images based on user votes.
Fun fact, the actual Cringetopia subreddit went private (aka got shut down) because it eventually devolved into a racist, homophobic cesspool.
Didn't someone hack it and make it so you couldn't type? Just use emojis?
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most of these people should suffer from their shame! except nikado he needs therapy and a salad
Someone commented that it's watching slow motion self (unalived). That's hauntingly accurate 😖
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I have been stuck on the highway for the past 2 hours because of 2 accidents literally 1 car ahead of me. Semi on fire, and another in pieces. On the plus side, the city of Beloit, WI firefighters are very nice. They have come and checked on me 5 times. I think this is the only time it is okay to be on your phone on the highway lol.
***How's it going now, Zephyr? Just looked at the news. You're in the middle of that mess? Can you walk to exit and have family bring blankets and food?
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Fun fact, the actual Cringetopia subreddit went private (aka got shut down) because it eventually devolved into a racist, homophobic cesspool.
Didn't someone hack it and make it so you couldn't type? Just use emojis?
Load More Replies... most of these people should suffer from their shame! except nikado he needs therapy and a salad
Someone commented that it's watching slow motion self (unalived). That's hauntingly accurate 😖
Load More Replies... I have been stuck on the highway for the past 2 hours because of 2 accidents literally 1 car ahead of me. Semi on fire, and another in pieces. On the plus side, the city of Beloit, WI firefighters are very nice. They have come and checked on me 5 times. I think this is the only time it is okay to be on your phone on the highway lol.
***How's it going now, Zephyr? Just looked at the news. You're in the middle of that mess? Can you walk to exit and have family bring blankets and food?
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