Have you ever done something that made you cringe so hard it made you wonder if you’d ever be able to un-cringe?
Of course you have. We all have. Some of us are still experiencing the aftereffects of such a severe cringe.
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Since misery, err, cringe, loves company, let’s rejoice in some embarrassing stories that the participants will never live down.
This tweet kicked things off.
As we’ll soon see, mistaken identity is a big theme with these stories. Poor Sophie innocently tried to grab a free sample, only to realize, too late, that she was pilfering some guy’s lunch.
It didn’t go well for poor Sophie.
Props to her for sharing her story on Twitter. When I do something like this, I resolve to tell no one, hang my head, and don’t lift it back up for a few weeks, and replay it in my head while trying to get to sleep for the rest of my life.
Cause of death? Terminal cringe.
Thankfully, Sophie is still alive after her brush with extinction-level cringe. But when you do experience something like this, it really does feel like you’ll never recover.
Others shared their stories.
Sometimes it’s cathartic to go public with the cringe, and that’s what the folks who responded to Sophie’s tweet did.
What did this guy kiss? Why can’t he just spell it out?
A likely story.
Have you ever had someone walk in at exactly the wrong moment? It’s bad enough if you’re doing something embarrassing, but somehow it’s even worse if you’re doing something innocent that just looks embarrassing.
Air travel is hard enough already.
Throughout these stories, I’m noticing a theme of extreme politeness. Even when someone is doing something weird and disruptive, it seems like most people would rather deal with it than say something.
“I’m sorry, I’ve used this washroom before though…”
Going into a building, thinking it’s one thing and realizing it’s now something else entirely, must be how ghosts feel all the time.
He was just trying to help.
I don’t understand how a bald man’s head could be confused for a melon under any circumstances, but we’ll just have to take this guy’s word for it.
Unintentional carjacking.
Out in the parking lot, it’s the old ladies you really have to watch out for. So this guy may have carjacked them, but his heart was in the right place.
Tough break for that guy.
Imagine trying to eat a muffin, only to have a stranger decide it’s actually their muffin, reducing you to picking up scraps.
Hand in mouth disease.
We’ve all put our foot in our mouth at one time or another, but it takes an impressive level of cringe to put your hand in someone else’s mouth.
It just gets worse and worse!
There’s no feeling worse than the slow cascade of dread that comes with trying to fix a mistake, only to find that your attempts to remedy the situation are just making things worse and worse.
At least he was willing to drive her.
This is maybe the least cringey, and most heartwarming, story on this list. At least laughs were enjoyed all around.
Trying out for the bag shotput event.
I love how the guy in this story thought he was being an absolute hero, except it turns out he was being a rather ambitious thief.
What a weirdo!
Your shopping cart is a personal place. I don’t understand how I could confuse my cart with someone else’s, but maybe someday I’ll run into a doppelganger at the supermarket.
Read between the lines.
It’s embarrassing for her, and the likelihood of her students ever forgetting the time the Spanish teacher sliced her shirt up seems pretty remote.
A toilet’s a toilet.
To be fair, maybe this was the cafe toilet. They just put the toothbrushes in there as amenities to apologize for how far away it is.
I would leave immediately.
As a non-parent, there’s nothing more terrifying than being out in public and having some random kid latch onto you. Having a random kid grab your butt? Even worse, I’d imagine.
A worthy adversary.
I was in a lineup at a bar one time and something kind of similar happened. I didn’t even have eye surgery to blame.
Waste not, want not.
People don’t usually make sumptuous platters for their babysitters, but I guess this person was a very optimistic babysitter.
