Colleagues horrendous attention seeking baking

[WittysMrs]

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.

It is like (some of) the people that make stuff up on here to get into classics, which happens a lot. Some of them are just random trolls trying to get gullible people to reply, but others might be trying to get attention because they don't know any better ways to get it.

Yes it's obvious that (some of) it is made up or exaggerated to try to be funny, but I think some people do need/want that feeling of attention, feeling like they're funny, feeling like they belong, in whatever context, and it can be a sign of loneliness or low self-esteem that they need to do it.

It doesn't mean it's not obvious and it doesn't mean it can't be irritating, tiresome, or downright annoying. but sometimes it doesn't hurt to go along with it, either. Or trying to give them whatever bolstering or attention they crave, but in a more appropriate way.

I couldn’t stand her. I generally feel a bit icky about office baking let alone stuff that looks intentionally disgusting, and it’s just tedious to repeat the same joke over and over. But going viral on social media can be a hell of a drug.

Honestly, just unfollow her on Facebook and find yourself some other interests.

You are overinvested in what she does.

Are you feeling ok? You sound a bit jealous of your colleague

Just smile and nod and say something bland in response. It will stop once she no longer gets a reaction from anyone. It's just not worth getting irritated by it.

I used to work with someone who boasted constantly about how brilliant she was at baking elaborate birthday cakes. I never ordered one from her (didn't need one), but was never rude to her, and she eventually stopped talking about them. All good in the end.

Facebook is exactly though, for attention seekers . They come in many forms.

Sympathies OP, It would annoy me too.

But I probably wouldn't start a thread on MN about it.

I don’t understand why you haven’t unfollowed her on Facebook and bought some noise cancelling earphones? Why do you have stop working and sit and lister to her tell the story?

It seems that everyone is enjoying your co workers baking attempts apart from you, which leads me to believe that YOU are being unreasonable.

@KerryWeaver

Honestly, just unfollow her on Facebook and find yourself some other interests.

You are overinvested in what she does.

This. You don’t have to listen to the conversation either.

Lockdowns/Covid have had an absolutely horrible effect on the mental health/ability to connect socially of many people.

Maybe you have been lucky enough to escape it but I have noticed both a craving for social contact, combined with a clumsiness in social interaction and a tendency to tire quickly of others, in both myself and many others. I don't post pictures of competitively bad baking but I talk too much sometimes, don't always listen properly to others and seem to have lost the ability just to 'be' in the company of friends/colleagues who I haven't seen for a long time.

We all require a bit more support than we did before, while simultaneously many of us have less to give to others. How long did you wfh? Does your colleague live alone? There are a scary number of people who went months without physically interacting with another person. One person very dear to me has been diagnosed with severe anxiety and depression brought on by social isolation and health anxiety. I didn't realise what they were going though as we don't live nearby and I was focused on my work and my DC so no time for anything else.

This sounds like her way of seeking support/connection. You don't have to give it but it would be kind to let others give it if they have the emotional bandwidth.

A year of this would send me over the edge as well. 4 attempts and diminishing returns thereafter.

It does sound annoying, tbh. The attention-seeking aspect, particularly. However, it's no wonder she continues to do it, since everyone else is encouraging it. It's meeting a need she has for attention, apparently, however annoying you find it.

I don't think you should've said anything to her about it, as it's only made things awkward between the two of you. The best thing to do is to ignore it. Put in earbuds when someone settles in to discuss her baking, if you can.

Do you find her irritating, generally? That may be part of the reason you're struggling with this while other colleagues are entertained. Acknowledge privately to yourself that she's being annoying, then do your best to block it out and remind yourself that it doesn't really matter. She's attention-seeking. Well, so what? Be as polite as you can without engaging.

She is attention-seeking. You can't stop her.

You are attention-giving. You can stop it right now.

Take back control over your own life and stop giving other people so much power over you.

Is she a bit lonely do you think? I have a colleague who does a lot of performance tea making for the blokes in the office… big elaborate trays with nice china and plates of biscuits. Serving them too… I think it’s a bit OTT and I certainly wouldn’t go there myself. I wonder if she’s a little bit lost ( I would never say this to her) The whole baking thing sounds like someone enjoying the spotlight and has become sucked in a bit to the attention.. but really I can see how it can get old.

I would probably completely think this but would never ever say so! The vacuous hoards will fall on you about it I'm sure (in the office not on here I mean). Just keep your gob shut until it blows over.

I think you do sound a bit mean. It's a bit of harmless office fun for her and your other colleagues. You just need to not join in and leave them to it.

I'm not much of a baker. I'm not really creative at all in the kitchen. Some people are, some aren't. Others are somewhere in the middle and still enjoy trying.

To be honest, I don't really much care what a cake looks like as it will usually taste good anyway. My DD used to have a school friend who would make small brown cupcakes with chocolate chips in them to bring to school for her friends. She called them poo cakes and the kids and staff all loved them.

I'm on various WhatsApp groups and there's a lot of this kind of 'banter'. I don't join in because I don't find it funny but plenty of others do so fair play to them - I'm a bit of a miserable git!

Blimey. OK the cakes are crap and the Facebook frenzy is wearying but it'll blow over won't it.

This is a bit like the St Johns Ambulance rage from last week. Such a tiny issue in the big scheme. At least you haven't done any screaming about it.

@Topseyt

I think you do sound a bit mean. It's a bit of harmless office fun for her and your other colleagues. You just need to not join in and leave them to it.

I'm not much of a baker. I'm not really creative at all in the kitchen. Some people are, some aren't. Others are somewhere in the middle and still enjoy trying.

To be honest, I don't really much care what a cake looks like as it will usually taste good anyway. My DD used to have a school friend who would make small brown cupcakes with chocolate chips in them to bring to school for her friends. She called them poo cakes and the kids and staff all loved them.

Poo cakes! Well done that young lady, you are the best of us.

Just a hunch , but have you considered you might be a bit jealous about your colleague’s jokey interactions with others?

It’s like the ‘elf on a shelf’ that one of my FB friends posts about ‘their mischief’ every single day, with photos of the extravagant activities and notes ‘they’ write….

I cringe with embarrassment for her. No one gives a stuff. People likely scroll right past her updates with 🙄

It was a thing a couple of years ago and I’m
Sure people still do it for their kids now (sometimes I do) but to plaster your social media with it every single day for 24 days is just embarrassing.

It’s funny the first couple of times, but then it becomes tedious

Irritating woman is irritating. Irritating woman is deliberately ruining her cooking to try and gain likes on social media. Irritating woman steers all conversation at work to her, her deliberate mess of cooking, and her social media. Irritating woman is doing this orchestrated performance, daily, for over a year.

"OP, are you jealous?"

Yeah, that's it. OP is jealous

She sound very irritating 5o be honest. Not much you can do though until everyone else tires of it

YANBU. I hate attention seekers. Especially when what they talk about gets old. And when it's fake.

I'd just constantly go on about how you can't believe she still makes cock ups given its pretty easy to follow a recipe. Your 5 yr old does better. Straight face.