We’ve all been there—we’ve just said or done something incredibly embarrassing, we’re blushing redder than a stop sign, and we wish we could just disappear. Failure and embarrassment are natural parts of being a human being, and how we behave when we make a (very public) mistake says a lot about who we are. But some moments are so painful, we can’t help but relive them year after year. Sharing them with strangers online can help.
One redditor sparked a very open and honest discussion on the r/AskReddit community, as folks started spilling the tea about the most embarrassing things they’ve ever said to someone they were trying to impress. Get ready for a heavy dose of secondhand embarrassment and check out their stories below!
Bored Panda wanted to find out what to do if we keep remembering our extremely embarrassing moments all the time, so we reached out to Andrea Bonior, Ph.D., the host of the mental health advice podcast 'Baggage Check' and the bestselling author of 'Detox Your Thoughts.' You'll find the advice she shared, including when to seek a therapist's help, as you read on.
Went to Warped Tour, they had a contest to submit a photo and the winner got to meet one of the bands. Took a sick shot with my blackberry, submitted it in its low resolution glory and won somehow. Honestly had no idea who the band was, but I met them, got a signed poster, shook all their hands. Then I said “you guys were awesome, great show”. Singer said “well, we haven’t played yet so…” Edit: did some digging, it was Warped Tour ‘06 and the band was The Academy Is…
I did once (truthfully) tell a girl from Austria that I didn't know what the capital of Austria was - which wouldn't be too embarrassing, except that I was wearing a t-shirt which said 'Vienna Rocks" on it at the time. She thought I was joking.
One day I went to my boss's chamber and saw his arm in a cast. I wanted to say something sympathetic and score some brownie points but what I said was "sir, your arm is broken". He looked at me and said "I know".
I told everyone I knew about my plan to go on a trip to Europe. I had planned to tour different countries by train with a special visit to… Amsterdam. My intention was to visit a marijuana cafe, but in my ignorance I thought that these were all located in the red lights district. I would tell people I was going to the the red light district and they would understandably pause and ask me… why? Trying to be sly I would say something like “to do what the locals do of course,” believing that this meant smoking marijuana in a cafe…
I was actually telling everyone I knew, friends, teachers, relatives, coworkers, that I was going to cross the Atlantic so I could hire a prostitute…
First girlfriend, 6th grade, went to the movies.
Wanted to hold her hand, terrified, wasn’t sure what to do. Started giving her a sales pitch on how awesome my hands were.
“They’re really good at holding stuff, like boxes…or jugs”
Was truly thinking of milk jugs (god knows why) but accidentally suggested I could just hold her boobs.
It’s been more than 20 years and I still think of it regularly
Not me, my husband.
In the beginning of our relationship he was soo bad at complimenting but he felt the need to do it anyway.
So once when we traveled by bus together he just kept staring at me with loving eyes and said
'You are so different than anyone I ever meet... you... you.. i think... you degenerate from society.'
I said 'Oh, wow! NOW I feel so special.'
His face went white and started to stutter but I laughed it off.
Some times later we were at a bus stop full of people and he blurted out loud.
'Your hair is so pretty! How did you do it? Like did you wash it or what?'
'Yeah, I never do that before but I like to shake things up sometimes.'
He got a cold and a running nose, but he never had any handkerchief at hand. I thought out some romantic gesture (i was 17 at the time) I brought some tissue paper with me, but on one, I write a loving note to him.
He saw the note... Read the note... and blew his nose in it. -.-
I gave up on romantic then.
He is my husband, best friend for many years now and the father of my children. 😊🤣
Crush in HS worked at an ice cream store. When she asked for toppings I said “I’ll have Reese’s penises please”. The store laughed.
When I started dating this guy I met at Warped Tour the summer before starting college, his dad wanted to meet me because apparently it was a red flag for his son to have met a girl at a concert. I went over to his house to meet his father and when he asked what I would be majoring in I said “I will be majoring in minoring”… I turned bright red and tried to correct myself. A few minutes in and his dad busted up laughing. He thankfully instantly liked me after that and now here I am 13 years later married to the guy I met at Warped Tour.
Your eyes are like Mushroom.
She laughed so hard that we dated for 7 years.
I was getting to know a girl once. She said “I’m a librarian”. I said “I’m a Capricorn”.
Server trying to get a tip: I went to clear a shared dessert dish from a table of 4 - mom, dad and 2 sons. One son jokingly pointed at his mom and said "She ate most of it". I, braindead server who was/is terrible at banter, but trying to get a tip said the first reply that came to mind: "I can tell"
No idea why. Terrible reaction, as expected. No tip
Said to me, with full confidence and eye contact whilst they were holding a guitar, "I'm going to marinate you now"
I was, eventually when we both stopped laughing, serenaded.
Dating my now fiance for a few weeks, we go away for a weekend
Me: ask my anything, I'll prove I pay attention to everything you've said or done
Her: what tattoo have I got on my back?
Me: a flower? It's got a green stalk
Her: its a lizard
Me: to be fair, I've not seen it much, you're always on your back
“You’ve got beautiful eyes”
“Thank you - I grew them myself”
It was this cute guy working at the bank trying to help me with my account. I heard this somewhere and for some reason this was the only thing I could think of because I was incredibly shy back then, especially when it came to any male attention.
I still remember his face dropping 😂🤦🏻♀️
I once attempted to impress someone with my extensive knowledge of ancient civilizations, but accidentally referred to the Aztecs as the 'Avocados.'
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