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83 Spectacular Facepalm Moments People Were Unlucky Enough To Have Documented On The Internet
Being embarrassed is a prerequisite of the human condition, yet each of us finds different things embarrassing. For example, one poll found that most Americans consider forgetting someone’s name the most embarrassing blunder. 22% disagree and say that the most embarrassing thing a person can do is forget their partner’s birthday.
If we’re lucky, our embarrassing blunders don’t get posted online. These folks weren’t so lucky; their cringy fails became the subject of online ridicule. Still, Bored Panda invites you to have a chuckle or two at their expense, as you scroll through the moments that had the rest of the Internet facepalming repeatedly.
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#2
Burn Victim
#3
Always Good Time For Some Twain Sass
It's hard to meet someone nowadays who isn't familiar with the facepalm phenomenon. Online, it often relates to secondhand embarrassment and self-deprecation and is common in meme culture. Merriam-Webster added the word to its dictionary in 2017, while the Macmillan dictionary introduced it in 2006.
People use it as a verb and a noun, and the gesture itself is thousands of years old. However, according to Merriam-Webster, the written word only started making rounds about 30 years ago. Its first documented appearance was back in 1996 on a Google Groups message board: “Christie facepalmed. ‘Well, her hair was red this morning, right? It's blonde now. You figure it out.’”
#4
I Wonder Why America Is So Unhappy?
#5
*facepalm Intensifies*
#6
Nashville, Tennessee Christian School Refused To Allow A Female Student To Enter Prom Because She Was Wearing A Suit
Michael Largey 3 days ago
There is nothing non-feminine about a suit. It has been a standard style of female apparel for decades.
In meme culture, the facepalm is strongly associated with a screengrab of the actor Patrick Stewart as Jean-Luc Picard from Star Trek: The Next Generation. For many, it’s the go-to meme for conveying facepalming and embarrassment. The moment is from season 3, episode 13, but a few episodes later, in episode 16, Picard does a double facepalm, putting both of his hands on his face in exasperation and frustration.
Nowadays, it’s the quintessential image for the facepalm reaction. Another notable reaction image is a scene from Naked Gun: a “group facepalm,” where a crowd makes the gesture. It’s often used for ultimate facepalm moments, when one wants to convey enormous disbelief. On YouTube, the clip is even titled “Epic Facepalm.”
#7
Reaction To "Gay Ads" On Facebook
Riley Quinn 3 days ago
Sure, loser, blame Obama for the algorithms showing your internet journeys. Homophobes, i.e. closeted gays, are as creepy as incels.
#8
Bee Warning!
Upstaged75 3 days ago (edited)
It can also sound like this: aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!
#9
Hint Hint
The facepalm gesture itself isn't much of a novelty. An ancient Roman sculpture on Trajan’s column depicted something akin to a facepalm. Among the many figures in the artwork, one man covers his face with his palm, and experts usually interpret his expression as sadness, not frustration or disbelief as we would now, especially in the context of memes.
#10
And Passports Too
#11
To Provide Front, Side, And Rear Photos For The Car Insurance Rep
#12
One Person Still Counts As "Somebody"
Similarly, a 1896 statue by Henri Vidal, titled “Cain,” depicts the biblical character Cain after committing the mortal sin against his brother Abel, with his face in his hand. Vidal’s Cain is not facepalming in the contemporary sense, either. His expression is about regret, remorse, and heartbreak.
#13
How Can People Break-Up For Such Stupid Reasons!
Upstaged75 3 days ago (edited)
Seriously? There are people who feel that strongly about hair color??
#14
Exactly!!! Thanks For Proving The Point
#15
She Didn't Deserve It
Interestingly, humans aren’t the only species on Earth that facepalm. English mandrill monkeys do it too. Alas, again — not because they’ve just seen something stupid on the internet. Their facepalms sometimes last as long as 17 minutes, and, as evolutionary biologist Mark Laidre told National Geographic, they do it to avoid social interactions. The mandrills would cover their eyes when they were alone and were more likely to be left alone as long as they kept their eyes covered.
#16
What’s The Problem?
Grape Walls of Ire 3 days ago (edited)
Hey! I already commented on this one. What did I say though? Súcks getting old.
#17
Cultural Appropriation
Upstaged75 3 days ago
Joke's on you! I'm so white I'm nearly transparent and I speak Spanish. 😁 At what point does your skin become white enough that the Spanish language becomes impossible to master?? 😂
#18
The State Of The World
The peak of facepalm memes and reactions was around 2012, at least according to Google Trends search interest. Search interest for “facepalm” has only decreased since then and is now only 6%. Nevertheless, lexicographer Susie Dent has faith in the longevity of “facepalm” as a word and as a phenomenon.
“One of the reasons I think it is so successful – and this is always a key indicator of linguistic survival or success – is that the phrase can move about in different ways and you can put it into different parts of speech,” she told The Guardian back in 2011. “So it is being used as a verb or a noun.”
#19
High IQ Destruction
#20
Would You Tell Him, Or Would You Pop A Bag Of Corn And Wait?
#21
Do You Consider This A Human Being?
When was the last time you used an image, a GIF, or a clip that featured a facepalm, Pandas? Is the gesture a staple of your everyday non-verbal communication? Let us know your preferences in the comments! And if you’d like to see more people doing and saying embarrassing things, check out these stories about the times people felt the worst second-hand embarrassment and the times people hit peak levels of cringe.
#22
Using A Calculator
#23
Why Is She Taking Pictures Of People In A Restaurant Tho
Sara Frazer 2 days ago
What's with all these lósers nowadays who feel like it's their business to take pictures of perfectly innocent strangers?
#24
It's Al-Gebra, Not Al-Qaeda
#25
Communicating With Blind People
Upstaged75 3 days ago
As least they realized it before they started clicking at blind people. 😂
#26
Why Do You Even Exist Tony
#27
Experts Bad
#28
My Mother-In-Law Was Complaining That She Couldn't Get The Coffee Grinder To Work. This Is A Pencil Sharpener
#29
Doesn’t Make The Slightest Bit Of Sense
Onan Hag All 3 days ago
The USA has NEVER been a democracy, the ele toral college denies democracy.
#30
Book Entitled "No. More. Plastic." Is Ironically Wrapped In Plastic
#31
To Be Fair, It Is Family Guy
#32
Is There An Explanation?
#33
So My Girlfriend Didn't Want To Lose The Keys To Her Lock
#34
Sir, Do You Know How Wrong Numbers Work
#35
Woah What Observation
#36
Locked Out
#37
Like The Clown
#39
Uber Eats Super Bowl Ad For “Eat Local” Does More Harm Than Good
#40
Yeah, Sounds About Right
Marnie 3 days ago (edited)
I get that having a good rental history should also increase your credit score. But nobody is paying $950 a month for their house payment. That might be the mortgage, but there are property taxes and insurance. My current monthly house payment on my $200K house is $2200/month: Principal: 600, Interest: 460, Escrow: 1140. My property taxes and insurance combined cost $1100 per month. (I just discovered went up $500 per month in July and I don't know why yet.)
#41
Snakes: 0 | Panic: 1 Finger
Upstaged75 3 days ago
At least wait to confirm before you start chopping off your own body parts! Even if it WAS venomous he probably would have kept his finger. 😂
#42
I Will Not Success!!
#43
It's Hell To Find Those Special Items!
#44
Thanks, I Hate It
#45
Look At This
Upstaged75 3 days ago (edited)
I have a storm door on my front door that swings outwards. I've gotten trapped a few times when packages got left right in front of it. I sometimes put a note when we're getting food delivered - if they put drinks on my doormat they get knocked over when I open the door.
#46
Seems Legit?
#48
Did My Job Boss
Barber Shaves Triangle Into Man's Hair After He Pauses Video Of A Model He Wanted To Look Like
#49
You Had One Job
#50
My Girlfriend's Rejection Email. You Can't Make This Up
#51
I'm Never Trying Dating Apps Again
#52
Karen Decides That Children’s Fun Isn’t Enough Of A Reason To Have A Tree House
Justin Case 3 days ago
Buying a house in an HOA and then complaining because other people are controlling you life is like stabbing yourself and then complaining because you are bleeding.
#53
Hypocrisy
#54
Congratulations Tucker!
#55
Are They Though?
#56
4-Year-Old Girl Was Denied School Enrollment Because "She Had Poor In English Language"
#57
1+2 = 12
#58
Sueing Son Because He Stopped Paying Daily Parenting Fees
Upstaged75 3 days ago
Seeing as how there's no such thing as "parenting fees" you should stick your lawsuit up your bunghole.
#59
Handwritten Note, Still AI Apparently (Its Not)
My boss posted this first picture and got this message later on. He wrote this with pen and paper himself and apparently its still AI
#60
This Fake Hundred Dollar Bill My Coworker Accepted. (Real Bill For Comparison.)
#61
I Don't Think My Mom Understands How Her Rice Cooker Works
#62
Congratulations... You Played Yourself
#63
Carrying Anything Is A Feminine Trait?
LakotaWolf (she/her) 3 days ago
So, I have a wallet (I don't use a purse) and I have a pocketknife always clipped to my pants pocket... does that make me a man, since apparently those are the only two things men should be carrying around? XD
#64
Wait A Minute
Frank Ropen 3 days ago
Different context. If you’re are about to say something sexist, homophobe or transphobe it’s better you’re quiet. But if you see something wrong like the Epstein a***e and you don’t speak up then silence is violence.
#65
I Can’t Find My Match On This Chart. Am I In Trouble?
#66
Absolute Unit Of A Drill
#67
The Audience Is Dumb. The Answer Is Obviously "Llamathrust"
Justin Case 3 days ago (edited)
I'm going to start measuring séxual performance in llamathrust units.
#69
Stupid People
#70
Super Defensive
#71
We Told Him That Everyone Would Dress Up... He Wasn't Amused
#72
His Daughter Got A Short Haircut And He Loses His Mind
#73
Men Who Don't Like Taylor Swift Are Prime Examples Of Toxic Masculinity
#74
Integrity Will Remain A Pipe Dream
LakotaWolf (she/her) 3 days ago
Good Samaritan laws will stop that lawsuit from actually becoming a reality. Even Alabama has Good Samaritan laws.
#75
But Math Is..? Or What's Your Theory Reddit?
#76
Friend In College Asked Me To Review Her Job Application
crashthegreenhat 3 days ago
#7: In the (80's I think) A&W had a deal on 1/3 pounder burgers to try and compete with McDonald's Quarterpounder sandwiches. The promotion bombed as most thought 1/4 was bigger than 1/3 since the denominator was a larger number (4>3)
#77
Apparently Satan Loves It When You Call Your Children “Kids”
#78
This Correct Math That Absolutely No One Should Question!!!!!!!
#79
This AI Generated Stuff Gets Worse The Longer You Look
#80
Once You Go Black
#81
Some People Have Zero Financial Literacy
Nay Wilson 3 days ago
$40,000 in interest for a car 😬 that’s insane. Just buy a cheap second hand car and spend the $40,000 on more important things
#83
I Don't Think 50 Shades Is A Movie Your Very Young Daughter Should Be Watching
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Nikki Sevven 3 days ago
Poll needs an additional option: "Become exceedingly depressed and weep for the future of humanity."
Kabuki Kitsune 5 hours ago
Years ago, I and a co-worker did the facepalm moment. Lady was buying an x-mas tree from Lowe's. I and a manager were tasked with tying it to the roof of her car, but the lady wouldn't get out. So, in a fit of inspiration, we told her to roll down her windows, and we'd just tie it around the door post of the passenger side, and then driver's side. With that annoyingly strong plastic rope. It wasn't until she was happily driving off with the tree, that something dawned on me, and I asked my Mgr. "How's she going to open the car doors when she gets home?" We'd basically tied it such that, there was no physical way for her to get out of her car, without cutting the rope.
Nikki Sevven 3 days ago
Poll needs an additional option: "Become exceedingly depressed and weep for the future of humanity."
Kabuki Kitsune 5 hours ago
Years ago, I and a co-worker did the facepalm moment. Lady was buying an x-mas tree from Lowe's. I and a manager were tasked with tying it to the roof of her car, but the lady wouldn't get out. So, in a fit of inspiration, we told her to roll down her windows, and we'd just tie it around the door post of the passenger side, and then driver's side. With that annoyingly strong plastic rope. It wasn't until she was happily driving off with the tree, that something dawned on me, and I asked my Mgr. "How's she going to open the car doors when she gets home?" We'd basically tied it such that, there was no physical way for her to get out of her car, without cutting the rope.
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