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AIBU?

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Original poster

Colleagues horrendous attention seeking baking

168 replies

WittysMrs · 17/12/2021 07:41

Last year a colleague decided to try her hand at baking during lockdown. It went terribly wrong and she posted the results on social media. It was funny at the time and the post was shared and went pretty viral. When she came back into work everyone kept going on about the muffins she’d made (Peppa Pig that ended up looking like Mr Blobby) and laughing about it telling her to make some more.
The weekend after she made something else and posted it on social media. These ones looked like turds. Everyone laughed.

Since then she’s been doing it every few weeks and it’s got really tiresome. It’s not just Facebook, it’s the constant talk about it at work. It’s got boring. She’s been baking now for over a year and is still making the same mistakes that ruins whatever it is she’s trying to make. I suggested yesterday that she’s ruining stuff on purpose now for the laughs and likes. She got quite defensive over it and said I could always unfollow her on Facebook. I said that would be an option if it wasn’t for the constant talk about it at work!! The latest one is some elf muffins she’s made that look like piles of snot on a muffin. She’s “promised” everyone that she’ll bring them in to work today. I’m so tired of it now. I have to work closely with her all day so when everyone is coming over to talk “baking fails” i have to sit and listen to it too.
Enough now ffs. It’s wasting food for a start and it’s ridiculous attention seeking. It’s been over a year, she should know how to avoid creating messes by now.

OP posts:
SaltedCaramelHC · 17/12/2021 07:48

Maybe she needs some attention from people and doesn't know how to get it in other ways? It might make her feel involved in the group now, or like people are interested in her, when she might not have had that before.

OK, irritating for you, but every few weeks isn't too bad. Maybe people could try to be interested in other aspects of her life, and then she wouldn't need this as her "thing".

It can be hard if you're not a very socially skilled person, don't have much special about you to interest people. Then to suddenly find something that people associate with you and pay attention to you for, I'm not surprised she's tempted to play it up a bit, maybe trying to feel better?

Bagelsandbrie · 17/12/2021 08:03

You don’t sound very nice. Maybe it’s important to her? Maybe she’s a bit insecure or lonely and enjoys the attention? Just laugh and smile and be kind. It really doesn’t take much. Its hardly worth getting angry and upset about!

icedcoffees · 17/12/2021 08:05

Is it wasting food if they're still edible? Lots of cakes and biscuits don't look like what they should - it doesn't mean they don't taste nice!

I can't see the issue if it's only once every few weeks tbh.

Bubblty · 17/12/2021 08:06

Get her a cook book for Christmas?

MintJulia · 17/12/2021 08:10

Life is not exactly full of laughs at the moment. If she manages to get even one person to laugh, let her get on with it.

If you want the talking point to change, why don't you take something in for xmas week? Or organise something light hearted?

InkyPinkyParlezVous · 17/12/2021 08:10

Baking that kind of thing really isn't as easy as it looks.. So it's perfectly likely that she is genuinely mucking it up every time...and maybe it brightens her day a little bit that people are interacting with her about it.. You don't know where she is at mentally, or how lonely she might be. I hope you can find some grace to just let her, and the others (who do seem to be enjoying it) be

QuicklyNowThen · 17/12/2021 08:10

I. Agree with Bagels you don't sound nice op why is it such an issue just ignore it

Shedmistress · 17/12/2021 08:13

@Bagelsandbrie

You don’t sound very nice. Maybe it’s important to her? Maybe she’s a bit insecure or lonely and enjoys the attention? Just laugh and smile and be kind. It really doesn’t take much. Its hardly worth getting angry and upset about!
If all you listen to at work for months on end is this woman's food waste and how hilarious it all is, you bet it is worth getting angry about.

OP this is why I never went for office jobs. You need the constitution of an ox to cope with some of these office people. And that's before the mouldy food.

jetadore · 17/12/2021 08:13

This would piss me off too, it’s obviously on purpose and performative. But I’d probably try to ignore as best I could and let them get on with it. Contrived japes, it all sounds a bit David Brent, just raise your eyebrows and deadpan look straight at the camera.

ByFarByFar · 17/12/2021 08:20

The trouble is, once a joke has gone flat it's incredibly difficult to ever see the funny side again and it just gets more and more irritating. I feel your pain, OP, but sadly you just have to suck it up; eventually it will wear thin for everyone.

Choice4567 · 17/12/2021 08:23

When did it become ok to be an attention seeker and everyone should just indulge it? Attention seeking is the worst and I used to get ripped to shreds at school for even the merest suggestion that I was doing it

MarshmallowSwede · 17/12/2021 08:25

Are you ok? Some ppl are terribly at cooking and baking. It’s harmless fun.

Soubriquet · 17/12/2021 08:25

Certainly sounds like attention seeking

My cakes never look brilliant. But I don’t go on about how they are supposed to look like X but came out as Y

Haus1234 · 17/12/2021 08:26

It sounds like the rest of your colleagues enjoy it OP so really they are the problem for encouraging her. It does sound irritating but if she’s having fun just let it go.

AuntieStella · 17/12/2021 08:28

She's enjoying it, other people are enjoying it.

When you've said that you don't, she calmly (and appropriately) suggested that your stop watching.

I think she's right. You don't have to join in, and you don't have to spoil anyone's fun. Just concentrate on work at work, and look at different things online

AngelinaFibres · 17/12/2021 08:29

I can see why you are getting fed up with it. It is one of the things about working closely with a group of people that sometimes an initially funny thing becomes an 'in' joke that just won't die. I worked in a school as a newly qualified teacher. The deputy head and senior leadership women were bestest chums ever and every single staff 'do' they told the same 2 stories.Every single sodding time ConfusedGrin We were all expected to laugh uproariously even though we had heard them 20 times. I think it's one of those times Op when you just have to go to the happy place in your head until it has passed each time. Smile and zone it out is all you can probably do or you will start to look like the grumpy one in the office and that is not a good look either

SenseSphere · 17/12/2021 08:31

Sounds a bit tiresome, like an overwork joke that’s been told a million times. However, not sure it’d bother me to the point that I have actually said something to her. She and your other colleagues seem to get something out of it so hey ho.

Popopopo · 17/12/2021 08:32

Smile, nod and leave her be. It's not that hard to ignore, surely?

jetadore · 17/12/2021 08:35

@Choice4567

When did it become ok to be an attention seeker and everyone should just indulge it? Attention seeking is the worst and I used to get ripped to shreds at school for even the merest suggestion that I was doing it
I think that take might just be the usual aibu contrariness. The pps saying we should indulge the attention seeking in case the seeker is insecure or lonely; tying your happiness and ‘popularity’ to social media likes is not going to help in the long run.
Slowchimes · 17/12/2021 08:35

There are more serious things in the world to get riled up about op! Here, have a Brew

Yousexybugger · 17/12/2021 08:38

Sounds really boring, contrived 'silly me' nonsense. Just smile and nod or go off for a cuppa when she starts up, no point being the grouchy one about this, surely it can't go on forever. Agreed that it's hard to see the funny side once a joke has worn thin for you.

ChristmasRobins · 17/12/2021 08:40

Sounds very boring but people are allowed to be boring.

JuergenSchwarzwald · 17/12/2021 08:41

Put headphones on OP and ignore the "hilarity". I'd find it irritating as well. Old jokes are bad jokes (usually).

Fatgalslim · 17/12/2021 08:42

Maybe she is doing it purpose to cheer everyone up in these miserable times, can't blame her for that. And let's not forget, it's cake, it doesn't have to look amazing to be edible...it's still cake Cake

butterpuffed · 17/12/2021 08:42

'look like turds' . 'look like piles of snot'

You're being mean.