Strangest thing you have found embarrassing

[ElliotGoss]

I was waiting for a friend with a bunch of flowers for her. I found this so embarrassing for some reason! Something about standing on a street with a bunch of flowers. I also find having a baby bump cringe!

• A pelican crossing. All the embarrassment of a zebra crossing with added beeping.

• People mispronouncing my name.

When the window cleaner is at the windows. I end up hiding in the front bedroom when he does the back then dash through when he's at the side.

I was on a work call and he appeared at the second floor window. I screamed.

@FatOaf

Also standing at a bus stop, always feel like a loser 😣 Blame the inbetweeners for that

Margaret Thatcher once said something along the lines of "A man who, at the age of forty, finds himself on a bus may consider himself a failure." This is why I feel enormous pride every time I get on a bus. Similarly, everything I do that Mumsnet considers "common" is something I'm proud of.

That wasn't Thatcher: it was popularised, though probably not coined, by the Duchess of Westminster.

When hotel staff offer to carry your bags to your room at check in. The feeling that if I say no they must think I'm really tight, particularly when I then struggle off up the stairs with my big case. But the alternative is saying yes, and then having the ghastly 'do I tip and if so when and how much?' moment.

Luckily I am not rich enough for this to be a frequent problem .

Myself on video or sound recording is the worst. Supposedly a grown-up middle aged professional, but point a video camera/recording decide at me and I die of shame and my voice turns into a weird anxious squeak.

Also hearing my name, I think because school bullies used to call it out at me, and the way teachers say your whole name when they tell you off. So if I hear my whole name called out like in a waiting room, I just want he ground to swallow me.

Oh and yes opening presents! Because my face can’t lie. So it’s always terrifying and I hate people watching me. Urgh.

Eating a packed lunch at work

@Sueaxlbrick

Opening presents in front of the people who bought them for me. I fix a massive smile on my face and thank them loads of times to show how much I love the gift because I'm so worried I'll hate it and my face will betray me. I actually would rather have nothing at all.

This!!

I didn’t always find this excruciating but over the years I’ve realised I hate it for the same reason! What if my face gives me away?! 🤣🤣

Watching stand up comedians. Watching them live particularly. It’s awful and i absolutely hate it

Offering someone a seat on a bus/train and they refuse 😣 so you have to have the back and forth of why you/they should have the seat. Just take the fucking seat Granny before I chuck myself out the window

Going to the hairdresser. The whole thing. Hate making small talk. Loathe head massages and find them really painful. The shower thingy is always way too hot and the sinks hurt my neck. Then I’m as blind as a bat without my glasses, and have to sit and stare into a mirror I can’t see, pretending I know what they’re doing. And then pay and work out what to tip, followed my walking out of the shop into the high street with hair that is either plastered to my neck as if I’ve just got out of the shower, or else crazily bouffant and strangely wavy if I’ve let them dry it.

Buying lube/condoms ect.

The whole Happy Birthday thing.
Being sung to and not knowing what to do with my face.
Also singing Happy Birthday to other people. I feel like I want to mime it.

A line-up at a funeral or a wedding. Not sure if this is a Scottish thing since I have only been to two weddings elsewhere and this didn't happen. I hid in the loo at a wedding once.

Being seen in public when I’ve just had my hair cut. I feel like I’m “presenting” myself to the world.

Hate the minutes silence if we're in work - I go and hide in the stationery cupboard til it's over.

I cringe when approaching a zebra crossing if the cars have already been stopped for a bit for other people - I'll walk past it and then pretend I've changed my mind about which direction I'm going and go back and cross, what a berk.

Really don't see what's embarrassing about waiting for a bus though!

@LouLou789

Wow, what a lot of things embarrass people! Really interesting. Mine is the dread of meeting a celebrity. I can’t think of anything so cringey as one of those “Meet and Greet” events. A few years ago, I was at a Chris de Burgh concert. Fantastic music, lovely man. He walked across the theatre at one point, saying hello and shaking people’s hands. I was horrified, and so very relieved that he stopped just before he got to me. I must have been giving off evil vibes.

I’ve met a few celebs and I cringe at how the people around me react to them. No one introduces themselves. For the few I’ve met I’m stupidly proud that I’ve introduced myself. They don’t care do they?

So many, I'm embarrassed a lot of the time...

• people being overly emotional at weddings. My friend sobbed all the way through her vows and could barely speak - I wanted out! After the wedding, we had a video of highlights. The groom and bride staring into each others' eyes, wandering hand in hand through a nearby grove with romantic background music. Excruciating!
• opening a present in front of the giver. I start planning my words of gratitude before I've even seen it and get my wow! smile ready. It's awkward.
• dancing when I haven't even had a drink. That feeling of moving woodenly around the dance floor and trying to look like I'm loving it.
• childbirth... I thought this might be the moment when all inhibitions finally flew out the window, but no, even in the throes of agony, I couldn't bellow ... the odd polite moan at best...

Leaving voicemail. It's like I completely forget why I called the person or how to speak in general so end up waffling nonsensically.

Oh and also (on a roll now) when you come out of your appointment clutching a prescription- that always makes me feel embarrassed when I have to walk back through the waiting room.

Ahh, see, I feel validated by that! Especially if I get called in soon after arriving while other people are still waiting. (like if I'm seeing the nurse while they wait for the Dr)

That green piece of paper is sort of 'see, I did have a reason to be here! I am actually ill!'
Same for the plaster over a blood test!

I get embarrassed by switching the lights on on the car, if I'm already driving.

Like if it's starting to get dark during the journey, or the weather changes.

I feel like other drivers will think I forgot to put them on, and only just realised, and will judge me. So I wait until I'm not visible to anyone.

I'm fully aware that's bizarre

Listening to my own voice on recordings. I don't sound how I imagine I sound.

Child singers in shows like BGT.

Bra shopping with my 16yr daughter !.

Oh, I also hate saying my name aloud. To the point that when I had a job where I had to answer the phone with my name, I gave myself a new, really short, nickname.

Like if I was Thomas, always known as Tommy, I answered the phone with 'this is Tom, how can I help?'

Going somewhere overdressed like the petrol station or ATM en route to a wedding. Bonus cringe going out my front door for my own wedding, plus the car journey there

Also switching lanes in bumper to bumper traffic. Internally I'm like "sorry. Sorry. Thank you. Sorrythankssomuchsorry"

Clapping along in time to music. Cringe.

I went to see my aunt, and because I hadn’t seen her for some time I took a bunch of flowers. When I got there I found a note on the door ‘I’m in the WI in the village hall’ (it’s a small village) so picture the scene, a room full of age 70 plus women and in walks this guy clutching a big bunch of flowers. The only thing missing was the theme from an Officer and A Gentleman. I wanted the ground to open up