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We might like some good, entertaining cringe on the screen (just think of The Office, The Rehearsal, and Borat), but we don't really like experiencing it in real life. In fact, 50% of Americans say they don't like being present for awkward situations, and 15% say they outright hate it.
Secondhand embarrassment is much more tolerable when we're far away from the situation. That's why here we have a compilation of people doing embarrassing and cringeworthy things so that you can scroll without having to feel like a turtle who wants to retract back into its shell. Laugh, wince, and cringe at these people's antics and be glad you don't have to experience them IRL.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
I'm I Related To My Ancestors
RELATED:
#2
This Is What Nightmares Are Made Of
#3
“No Inheritance No Handouts”
There are few things worse than embarrassment when you're a teenager. Wearing the clothes that grown-ups are wearing is cringe. Not knowing what "gyat" or "rizz" means is, like, so cringe. Listening to old dude rock 'n' roll is beyond cringe and embarrassing. All we want as teenagers is to fit in, to be like everyone else. And anything outside of that is, unfortunately, cringe.
As we age, we're less likely to think about whether how we act, how we dress, and what things we like are cringy or not. Research shows that older adults (at least 30 years and older, according to this study) are less likely to experience events that make them feel self-conscious. The older we get, it seems, the less we care about what others think of us.
#4
When You Accidentally Make Two Big Announcements In One Photo
#5
Saying Something Like “Bloody Hell Or Hey Mate” It’s Simply Cringed And Forced
#6
Thomas Sanders Writes Himself A Compliment On His Food Delivery Instructions
Perhaps sometimes it's better to embrace the cringe and not think so much about what other people will think. Chanté Joseph writes for Vice that the fear of being cringy can even stop us from doing serious things that can be detrimental to our health. People are too embarrassed to go to the gynecologist to get tested, to attend prostate exams, and even buy condoms.
At the heart of the problem is our confidence. The less self-assured we are and the less self-esteem we have, the easier it is for us to feel embarrassed by almost anything. A person might do cringy things, but if they're confident in what they're saying or doing, we might not immediately label them as cringy. Fake it 'til you make it, essentially.
#7
Sure "Feel" For It
LauraDragonWench 10 months ago (edited)
"Hear" me out, ya númbnüts. 🙄 (Edit: seriously BP - númbnūts? 🤬)
#8
Posted A Photo Of Me And My Students On Facebook. "Old Friend" Texts Me After 2 Years To Ask About One Of Them
#9
Normal Guy Selfie
Clinical psychologist Dr. Martha Deiros Collado told Joseph that to free yourself from the torment of cringe you must accept yourself. "All of us can be cringe at some point – absurdity is just a part of what makes us human," she pointed out.
"If you can learn to appreciate the cringey sides of yourself, laugh at them with others and accept it's just a part of you – you're more likely to land in a place of joy and contentment than embarrassment and shame."
#10
Let’s Name Our Baby After How We Met
Fellfromthemoon 10 months ago
Another Tragedeigh. Seriously, what's wrong with a good ol'-fashioned 'Tinderella'?/jk
#11
This Is Not Satire
Found on Instagram this morning, was watching a video from an American creator titled "European fashion trends" I just knew I would find this comment. This is not satire; looking at her following comments, she genuinely believes this.
For All Pedernity 10 months ago
Isn't this just the average level of geography knowledge in the US?
#12
That Time When The Cb Is The Seller
Some experts say that with so much of our lives being online, we're more stressed about appearing cringy. Think to yourself: how many times have you not posted something out of fear of embarrassment? "This picture is too cringe" or "People will think this quote is too cliché and embarrassing," you might've thought to yourself.
#13
Sick Show
#14
Stop
LauraDragonWench 10 months ago
I threw up in my mouth a little bit. I've seen some of those "boy moms" on YouTube and it's disgusting.
#15
Jesus Christ What The Hell
Things on the Internet stay there (mostly) forever. That's what drives our fear the most. It's not that we'll feel embarrassed in the moment, but that we'll have to look back on it and feel the cringe every single time. Psychologist Dr. Tara Quinn-Cirillo explained to HuffPost that when we make an embarrassing mistake online, it keeps us tied to our past selves. "It may not allow us the previously 'natural' transition we go through in life," she said.
#16
A Friend Lost Her Daughter Around Two Years Ago And She Shared An Image Of Her. This Guy Responded
#17
"Pries Open Your Casket"
#18
Actual Post By A Congresswoman
When a person defends their "cringy" behavior earnestly, it's not really cringe. Long gone are the days when people were shamed for being a Star Wars nerd or playing Dungeons & Dragons. Nowadays, cringy behavior is more about people putting up a front, claiming they're cooler, better, or more intelligent than they actually are.
#19
Posts On Public Facebook From My Dad
These are his adventures with his Replica girlfriend. I thought he was joking at first but I think he believes it's his real girlfriend.
#20
Guilt Tripping Your 3 Yo Child Into Nursing Is Gross
Tams21 10 months ago
So he's still getting nursed at 3, she's guilt tripping him to continuing and hoping that he'll keep nursing for years. Somebody really needs to intervene here, she obviously has big issues and her son is will have too, if he hasn't already.
Tim Richards 10 months ago
Yeah, this guilt tripping will not stop and will only get worse.
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Goony 10 months ago
... yes you will need that insurance money for all the therapy he will need.
Rosemary . 10 months ago
Hell, I think I need therapy after reading that.
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Dragon mama 10 months ago
I don't support this choice but I do recall how sad I was when my last child was weaned. It was hard. Has to be done, for everyone's sake, but it was sad and I felt a little peirce in my heart knowing that was it. So I feel for her, a bit. But parenting means doing what's best for the child and what she is doing is the opposite of that.
Jamee 10 months ago
wow,why is he still nursing at 3 , that's really strange, hell probably still be nursing in h.s.before you go out on your date you gotta nurse my milkies hurt..
Mary Sutherland 10 months ago
It is quite common in some cultures to be still nursing at 3. But the guilting part is weird.
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Lynda Loyacono 10 months ago (edited)
I met a woman who allowed her 3 or 4-year-old to continue to nurse. The kid would throw a fit when he wanted to 'suckle' and I could see her distress, yet, she would give in. She was genuinely a very sweet lady and she honestly thought she was doing a good thing for her son. It creeped me out. The movie, Grown Ups, makes fun of this.
Lynda Loyacono 10 months ago (edited)
In 2016, I briefly moved in with this gal I had known for years in order to help her out. Her son was about 10 or so at the time. I can't get into all the dysfunction I witnessed as it was hard to believe. Mutual friends had stories about her, but I just shrugged them off as people talk sh-it about each other all the time. One afternoon, ol' gal screamed for her kid to come get in bed with her. Kid jumps in bed. snuggles right up, grabs her tit and began licking her armpit. Now, think about the rest of the world and what "parents' do with and to their kids, especially in other cultures and religion-based cultures.
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Beth Wheeler 10 months ago
The only reason you're nursing a freaking 3 yo is for YOU and NOT HIM. You need to let your milk dry up. He is gonna be talking to other little kids at some point and you're gonna have some explaining to do with the other parents so they can talk to their kids.
Royal Stray 10 months ago
I kind of hope he talks in front of his kindergarten teachers. Emotionally manipulating a 3yo like that isn't something you should do as a parent.
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VogueGal 10 months ago
Chose to leave her young toddler while she’s with her boyfriend for hours, he’s a grown man he can wait at the hospital himself. Then she had the nerves to guilt the child into nursing. The child deserves so much better, my heart breaks.
Royal Stray 10 months ago
I was so caught up at the nursing part that I missed this. Did she seriously leave a 3yo home alone?
Load More Replies... Ace macbeth 10 months ago
Poor kid. I'm all for breastfeeding but this situation should be considered child abuse. Cuz it is.
Sylvia Baker 10 months ago
FFS he's obviously ready to quit..... you gonna follow him to school??
Royal Stray 10 months ago
Eww wtf? Just no. What an absolutely awful person. This should count as some kind of child ab*se or assa*lt. There's no way this can be acceptable. The kid straight up told her that he didn't want to and wished that she would stop. So she manipulated him. Poor child, someone please get him away from there. She's 100% one of those parents who'd walk in when he was showering because "I've changed your diaper"
FranSinclair 10 months ago
No. I decided to quit breastfeeding at 2 when i felt independence was becoming priority over moms comfort. By 1 yr old i was counting down the days bc i was ready to be done. Breastfeeding is a great choice but your 3 yr old should not be nursing to the point that youre full when they dont. She's so lucky hes just like "done" weening isnt that much fun
Damned_Cat 10 months ago
Good Lord! Even animals wean their young when they develop teeth. How do these women stand it?
Sheena Leversedge Wood 8 months ago
I have zero problems with people breastfeeding a child at that age if they choose to continue later than is typical. but HE doesn't want to, so it's time to stop. she's not doing it for him anymore, she's doing it only for her. he's ready to leave it behind now.
Megalodon Meg 9 months ago
I don't mean this in a mom shaming way and obviously my experience isn't the same as I others but I never got the "sadness" weaning my boys. Like I'm still nourishing and nurturing them it's not like after weaning they ceased to need me anymore, just needed me in different ways and as they've grown older, I look forward to their independence because that means I did my job.
Jessica Daus-Warner 10 months ago
That is so grody. If they can talk, they shouldn't be fed like that.
#21
I'm Embarrassed
As Mellisa Dahl, author of Cringeworthy: How to Make the Most of Uncomfortable Situations, told Elle UK, it's about how we want to be perceived. "It's when you can sense that the version of yourself you're trying to present to the world isn't really you. When there's this gap between who you want to be and how the world actually perceives you. That is where the cringe comes in."
#22
She Did It Y’all
Hugging/sensually sniffing the tree while holding like a curtain or something saved the environment. Next time I make an apology I have my to do steps. Why not like.. idk, make a text post to remind people to be kind to earth. This. This is just cringe to me.
sofacushionfort 10 months ago
The tree would be better served if she’d pop a squat at its base
#23
A Guy Flirts And Fights With My Auto-Reply
My Facebook page has an auto reply on, but this guy is looking for…. Love? A fight? Not sure haha.
#24
How To Spot A Narcissist
Is there a good side to calling out cringe other than it being a form of self-discipline? Some say that yes, a healthy dose of shame is necessary for us all. In today's society that is over-individualistic, caring about what others think might take us back to the times when community mattered, Taya Cohen, associate professor of organizational behavior and business ethics at Carnegie Mellon University, believes.
#25
I Love When People Flirt By Excessively Complimenting Themselves
Snazzy Smurf 10 months ago
Nope, not full of themselves. This person's best friend is probably a mirror.
#26
No, I Think That's A One Man Boat
#27
This Pregnancy Announcement
"In the past, if you wanted to fit in within your local community, you had to act in a way most people thought was appropriate," Cohen told Vox. "On the internet, a person can behave in ways that the vast majority of people find completely unacceptable, but they're getting positive feedback in the form of people sharing it."
#28
I Accidentally Texted My 14yo Step Son Instead Of My Wife
#30
The Cringe Is Strong
As long as shaming for being cringe doesn't turn into bullying, we might just be okay. We shouldn't yuck other people's yums. But perhaps we also shouldn't normalize people squeezing pineapples between their thighs and drinking the juice for online attention.
There are heaps of examples of shame-worthy behavior in this list, too. Let us know which of these pics you deem to be the most cringeworthy and embarrassing by upvoting your favorites!
#31
Football/Soccer Fan Account With 11k Followers Plans A Meet Up For His "Fans"
#32
Did Not And Still Do Not Know Why A Random Guy Sent Me This And Then Tried To Flex With What Looks Like A Very Awkward Prom Photo
#34
Guy On Facebook Photoshops 2 Girls He Likes Into His Birthday Photo. They Then Block Him
#35
Dumb
Offbeat Quinoa 10 months ago (edited)
Cringe. My stepdad was like this. I never brought guys home or even talked to my parents about my dating life because I didn’t want to be humiliated by (or humiliate my date with) his creepy I’m-such-a-tough-guy boomer antics. I just wanted to tell him “grow up and act mature please, we don’t talk to people like we’re trying to be scary and intimidating because it just makes us look like pathetic dorks, okay kiddo?”
#36
As A Meat Eater, Am I The Only One Who Finds Anti-Vegetarian Humor Trite And Cringe Worthy?
RamiRudolph 10 months ago
I love meat as much as every carnivore, but c'mon, let people live their life however they want. No diet is a reason to show off.
#37
Asked A Guy If He Wanted To Hangout
#38
She Wants A Baby. He Doesn't. They Argue About It On Facebook
#39
Making Dad's Funeral All About Your Degeneracy
#40
Why Do People At This Age Type Like That
#41
Totally True... I Was The Water
#42
Don’t Let A Dead Parent Stop You From Trying Fire Pick-Up Lines
#43
This Made Me Cringe So Hard
#44
"In This House, We Do Disney"
LauraDragonWench 10 months ago
Wow, I didn't know I could vomit glitter and rainbows - Disney really IS magical! 🤮
#45
She Sounds Nice
#46
Girl At My School Can't Sing, Embarrassed Our School At Graduation, And Someone Decided To Try To Help Her Out
#47
Thought It Was A Joke Until I Saw The Picture
#48
Intellectual Made Cringe By A Reference He Doesn't Get, But He "Probably Wouldn't Understand"
Regina Holt 10 months ago
Let me help you understand. Woof, WOOF, WOOOF, woof, woowoof, woof, woof.
#49
After All That
#50
What Is Better Than Pet Rock? Pet Leech!
#51
Went To A Spongebob Themed Rave, But It Turns Out I Was One Of The Only People That Was There
#52
Some Pervert Left A Nice Big Tip
#54
Who Said Romance Is Dead?
#55
Cringe Officer
#56
A Friend Of Mine Posts Stuff Like This Regularly... It’s So Cringy
#57
Turkey Mediates Between Ukraine And Russia
#58
So Cool
#59
Man Gets Married To His Inflatable Wolf, Has Even The Inflatable Furry Community Weirded Out
#60
It’s My Birthday Today And My Best Friend’s S**mbag Dad Messaged Me This
#61
I'm Glad I Grew Up. Read This From Fb Memories And Cringed Hard
Dragon mama 10 months ago
I did and said so many foolish, embarrassing, angry, bizarre and other cringe-worthy things in my life, especially when young. We all do. I am just thankful every day that I grew up before the age of social media and have maintained the good sense not to constantly put my life and thoughts out there on the internet for posterity.
#63
I'm Not A Normie, I Drink Whole Milk And I'm In A Constant State Of Improvement
#64
Question Answered
#65
I Guess He Wants Salt For Christmas
#66
Mom And Dad Are Cringe, But The Sibling One? Ew
Susie Elle 10 months ago
Right cause mom didn't contribute anything else other than being the incubator? Aside from the shirts being cringe
#67
I Have No Words But Come Back Here Tomorrow Because We Have A Few Competitions This Week Leading Up To Colour Your Passion And Our Vouchers Will Buy The Whole Chicken And Salad A Whole Lettuce
#68
A Whole Chicken?
It's getting to where you can't even take a roast chicken on a long flight anymore.
#69
This Guy’s Response To Me Telling Him That I’ve Been Going Through A Difficult Time
Was going through old messages to clear up some space and came across this gem.
RamiRudolph 10 months ago
He lost me at "kissing until her lips fall off". Doesn't sound tempting at all. 😵
#70
Big Brick Store. I Felt It Was A Little Cringe
#72
A Man Looked At Her In The Gym
#73
Speaks For Itself
#74
My Coworker Texted Me
#75
My Ex's Mom: I Met Her Once For About An Hour Over 4 Years Ago. I Haven't Talked To Him Or Her Since
Dragons Exist 10 months ago
"I don't want to be friends with someone that doesn't want to be friends with me"???
#76
Wow, The Only Gen Z Kid To Ever Listen To Pink Floyd
David Morgan 10 months ago
Ah yes, you are truly a sophisticate. Naming only the most obscure and niche of artists and the highest-quality brands. Truly, we plebs cannot comprehend such refinement.
#77
Mlm Forgot To Change Her Recruiting Template While Messaging Strangers On Fb
#78
How Do People Not Get Embarrassed Doing This?
#79
You Had Me At “An Awkward St***r That Doesn’t Know When To Shut Up”
#80
Oh Yea This Happens To Me All The Time! So Embarrassing
#81
I Just Fumbled My Crush Trying To Make A Joke
#82
Dairy Queen Is Relatable
#83
This Is Horrible
#84
Took A Travel Job That Paid For Lodging. This Is The Room They Gave Me
#85
Cringe
Offbeat Quinoa 10 months ago
You ever feel really grateful that you didn’t turn out like some people’s kids? 😅
#86
She Has Less Than 500 Followers
#87
Emotionally Intelligent Toddler
#88
I Really Wouldn't Want To Be That Guy
#90
"I Am The Storm"
#91
Seems Like A Cool Guy
#92
Kate Upton Set Up A $200,000 Gofundme For Her Friend's Lake House
Justin Verlander (husband) is worth an estimated $150 million against Kate Upton's staggering $280 million.
RamiRudolph 10 months ago (edited)
Apparently she's not passionate enough to use her own dämn money to help a friend.
#93
Oh My Cringe
#94
I Would Think It Was A High-End UNO Set As Well
#95
Unfortunate Background
#96
Awful Instagram Bio I Found
#97
My Coworker Gatekeeping A Date Shake. He Does This Like This All The Time
Offbeat Quinoa 10 months ago
A date shake is apparently literally just a milkshake made with dates 😂 I thought it was some new slang I hadn’t heard of
#98
Cringe Novel
#99
What Is Wrong With These People
Offbeat Quinoa 10 months ago
“It’s so embarrassing when men and women don’t follow the strict and arbitrary gender roles society is imposing upon them! Don’t they know we should all be and act exactly the same?”
#100
This Car
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Rick Murray 10 months ago
Thanks BP. Whenever I feel like a bit of a jerk I can just scroll through a list like this and realise that I don't even wobble the jerkometer. 👍
Pink kitty 10 months ago
I wish the 'gallery mode' sign wasn't covering the writing in some of these posts. It makes it hard to read the writing underneath
Becky Samuel 10 months ago
Not even close! Crystalwitch60 has you beaten in every category. But it's okay because she's a self-proclaimed WHITE witch so she must be good, right?
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Rick Murray 10 months ago
Thanks BP. Whenever I feel like a bit of a jerk I can just scroll through a list like this and realise that I don't even wobble the jerkometer. 👍
Pink kitty 10 months ago
I wish the 'gallery mode' sign wasn't covering the writing in some of these posts. It makes it hard to read the writing underneath
Becky Samuel 10 months ago
Not even close! Crystalwitch60 has you beaten in every category. But it's okay because she's a self-proclaimed WHITE witch so she must be good, right?
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