Contributed by Info Guru Aurora LaJambre
Socially awkward moments happen to us all.
The best thing you can do is laugh at yourself and pay off any witnesses with fudgy brownies. Then scoot down to the comments and share your awkward moments with us!
Here are the top ten socially awkward moments. Have any of these happened to you?
10. No one laughs at your hilarity
That joke was hilarious, so why is nobody laughing? You have two choices: quickly pretend as if you didn’t make a hilarious joke at all, or spell out why your joke was funny. The latter can only be met with polite smiles at best. Clearly they don’t appreciate brilliance.
9. The get-out-of-my-way dance
This socially awkward moment can strike in any public setting, but is especially prone in schools and offices. You’re walking along minding your own business when someone else comes from the other direction and is directly in your path. Cool-ly, you step to the right, then to the left, but they stay right in front of you. Suddenly you’re in a quick-step with a stranger. All you can do is bow and thank them for the dance.
8. You commit an inappropriate act of affection
Hugging your boss is inappropriate. Too bad you didn’t realize that until after you hugged her. Really too bad it was a squeeze hug. Did your cheek rest on her shoulder? Stop that. Teachers, co-workers, coaches and anyone else you have a professional or non-familiar relationship with is not to be hugged or kissed. If you fear the urge coming on, keep a teddy bear nearby.
7. Forgetting to mention a diet restriction
Going to a friend or boyfriend’s house can be nerve-wrecking enough. Then you went and forgot to mention a few diet restrictions so of course the beautiful table is filled with meat and dairy and gluten. Sure it’s your fault, but that doesn’t change the fact that you can’t eat a single item on the table. You can apologize and see about making yourself a salad, or fake an emergency call home, but that will surely escalate the situation into another visit.
6. ‘Hi, nameless. I remember you.’
There are a million ways to get around forgetting someone’s name if you see this situation coming, but many times we’re caught off guard. The worst of it is they always seem to remember yours. Men and women of all ages are vulnerable to this socially awkward moment. It’s best just to apologize and say, “What was your name again?”
5. Tripping over invisible furniture
Tripping over invisible furniture is always followed by: How’d that get there? This only draws more attention to your klutziness, but some people don’t stop there. Some will continue to look around, hunting for the culprit who for some reason tripped you and then mysteriously ran away.
4. The unintentional undies show
Has any female ever tucked her undies in her skirt on purpose? We doubt it. So why is it so hard for someone to inform a girl when the entire world can see her Betty Boop panties? It’s one thing to check the mail in your super cute loungewear, quite another to stroll into a meeting with your airy organza skirt suddenly feeling a little too airy.
3. Asking about an ex
People never send a memo around when they divorce or break up. Subtle signs like pictures removed from a desk may inform the most observant, but the rest of us are left to stumble onto yet another socially awkward moment. You’ll know you’re there when you ask the neighbor about his wife and his face freezes. They broke up last year, oops.
2. Spitting on someone you’re talking to
Something happens the instant a substance leaves you mouth and lands on the face of the person you’re talking to. You go from a woman/man of action who has it all together to a slobbering fool. There’s no way to control how your companion will react, but they probably don’t want you to clean them off, especially not with greasy pizza fingers. ‘Sorry, I spit’ is the quickest way to acknowledge the bad and move on.
1. Asking when the baby’s due
Never ask a woman when her baby is due. Unless you know for absolute certain that a woman is pregnant, as in because she told you herself, never ever ask this question. Not even if she is wearing loose, flowing clothes or seems to have gained weight quickly. Never. Never. Never. You will be embarrassed when she tells you that she’s not. There will be nothing you can say to take it back. This socially awkward moment will haunt you.