15+ People Who Were Caught in Awkward Situations

We’ve all had moments that make us want to hide forever. But as bad as they feel at the time, those moments are a part of life. They remind us that everyone messes up now and then. Over time, those embarrassing memories lose their sting and might even make us smile. So, instead of holding onto the embarrassment, it’s better to let it go and move on.

• I was still in high school, and a girl texted me to come over on Valentine’s Day, thinking that she was texting one of her lady friends. Excited, I showed up with a box of chocolates. She gave me a look and invited me into her house. Inside, I saw her other friends in PJs, and I was really confused. © TheStarfruit / Reddit
• I was meeting my girlfriend’s parents for dinner, and her dad was cracking dry jokes. I laughed a little too loudly at one of them, trying to be polite, but her dad glared at me. He seemed genuinely offended, and my girlfriend looked horrified.
  In the car, she told me, “You made it seem like you were mocking him!” I was mortified, as I hadn’t meant to offend anyone. Her reaction, though, was what stung me the most—she sided with her parents without asking me what had happened. That moment made me realize she was more concerned about appearances than understanding me.
• I was meeting my boyfriend’s parents for the first time. They were lovely, and we got along well. After lunch, I went to the toilet, but when I returned, their attitudes shifted. My boyfriend quickly suggested we leave.
  Once in the car, he said, “You could’ve at least warned me!” Shocked, I realized that there was a big brown stain on the back of my pants. Since I had been in the bathroom for a while, they must have assumed I had some kind of stomach issue. Embarrassed, I quickly explained to him, “It’s not what you think! They offered me chocolate earlier, and I put it in my back pocket—it must have melted.”
  It was an incredibly embarrassing moment—every girl’s worst nightmare, especially on such an important day. But after a few days, I began to see things differently. My boyfriend’s reaction stood out to me. Instead of supporting me through the awkward situation, he blamed me for making me uncomfortable in front of his parents. That moment was a turning point, and I ended the relationship not long after.
• I’m currently pregnant with a noticeable belly. I was walking with my 4-year-old, and an older man with a huge belly walked past us. My son points and exclaims rather loudly, “Look mama, that man has a baby in his belly too!” loubric / Reddit

• During my English class, one girl forgot to mute herself on Zoom. As our teacher was speaking, she nearly deafened all of us by answering her mother’s questions.
  Her mother (from a distance): “What class are you in?”
  Her (yelling): English!
  Her mother: Oh, the hot teacher?
  Her: Yeah, that guy.
  Now, even I’ll admit my teacher is fairly attractive, but it takes it to another level when you involve your mother. Fortunately, our teacher is a chill guy and found the whole situation amusing. He just gave a general reminder to the class to keep their microphones muted. The girl didn’t say anything for the rest of the class. © townie0114 / Reddit
• In 3rd grade, a classmate brought in a frog for show and tell, and people were allowed to hold it if they wanted to. I thought I was so impressive for being the only girl willing to do so. I got the frog in my hands, then said, “Aww, how cu-” and that’s when the frog jumped into my mouth. It was humiliation incarnate. © skylake00 / Reddit
• My IT teacher forgot to turn off his microphone and camera, and he ended up getting into a very heated argument on the phone with his ex-girlfriend, who happens to be a teacher at our school and with whom he shares a child. It was the most awkward five minutes of my life before he finally realized his mistake. © Odd_Camera_9588 / Reddit
• I fainted in a high school psych class while watching a video of brain surgery. I just fell out of my desk like a sack of bricks. Woke up on the floor, and everyone was freaking out and staring at me. © Trlckery / Reddit

• A good lady friend of mine and I had been spending a lot of time together, even as far as her inviting me to her grandparents’ house for a weekend. I thought she was into me by then, so I figured it was a good time to ask her out.
  I went to her apartment with some hot Cheetos as a gift (her favorite snack) and told her how I felt about her right there on her doorstep. She told me she saw me as a friend, almost like a brother. I was so nervous; my entire mouth was dry, and I could hardly speak. I didn’t see her for a long time after that. © foxtrottits / Reddit
• While sitting at my desk I tend to cross my feet in a weird, one foot over the other way. Once, someone came over to speak to me at my cubical and as I was rotating my chair to look at them, I forgot to uncross my feet and tripped over myself, falling face-first to the ground. So yeah, I tripped on my own two feet while sitting down. shazman / Reddit
• I started talking to this girl and I like her. She and I are big runners and we were starting to run with each other, in the morning, once a week.
  One week I told her it looked like we were going to have to cancel since the weather said it was going to rain. She was bummed but understood how miserable running in the rain is.
  Well the next morning, the skies are as clear as ever and even warm for Colorado in November. I go to check the weather only to find I looked up the weather in Washington D.C. I have no family there, haven’t been there, basically no reason to look up the weather there. We haven’t run since. bushalmighty / Reddit
• I had set a first date through a dating app at this nice coffee shop. I get there, and I know the barista from college. I’m the only person in the shop at the time, so we talk a little, awkwardly.
  It gets to the point where my date is 20 minutes late and hasn’t been responding to my messages. I’m sweating. Profusely. I’m so embarrassed that I’m probably being stood up in front of someone who knows most of my friends. I feel so humiliated.
  Then my date walks in. Stands there for a moment and walks right back out of the door.
  Barista: “Wait, was that her?”
  Me: “Yup.”
  Barista: “What an idiot.”
  That comment made things slightly better. © Danbu42 / Reddit

• When I was 11, I was in a play, and I was having trouble saying a line, repeatedly messing it up. Frustrated, the director yelled my line out. Instead of gracefully acknowledging it, I got flustered and started yelling, “Yes! That’s my line! That’s my line!” Now, 17 years later, I still cringe at the memory. © Bkbee / Reddit
• A male nail technician was working at the nail salon. It was quite hot outside, so I was wearing a tank top, despite having a large chest. I was there for a mani/pedi, and as soon as I sat down in the pedicure chair, I didn’t realize at the time that my chest was shaking a lot because I had turned on the massage feature. I noticed this poor guy watching, and he seemed completely embarrassed when our eyes met. © catlady7667 / Reddit
• I was on an airplane years ago with my girlfriend and her parents. My girlfriend couldn’t get a seat next to me and sat directly behind me. During the flight, I thought I would surprise her and reached my hand back onto her knee. Slowly I kept extending it up her thigh until I heard giggling.
  Looked behind through the seats and saw that my hand was on the leg of the guy next to her. He saw my face and said, “I just wanted to see how far you’d go.” Of course, my girlfriend was in on it and started laughing along with the rest of the row. Was so embarrassed.
  © nocturnalplur / Reddit
• I went on a date to a movie. Mid-movie, I had to get up and use the restroom. When I came back into the dark theater, I sat down next to the wrong guy. Without realizing it, I put my arm around him, took a sip of his drink, and reached my hand into his popcorn before I finally realized it was the wrong person. Oh man, I was mortified. © GadgetQueen / Reddit

Exes can be so strange. One day, it’s over; years later, they’re texting, surprised you’ve moved on. Or they take everything from the apartment—even the toilet paper. These people found themselves living a real-life soap opera thanks to their exes.