To be Cringe is to be Free: Why Embarrassment is Embarrassing

Miri Levin '26 Managing Editor

Growing up, especially as a kid in the arts (I prefer that term to theatre-kid because it has negative connotations these days), I was always aware of the fact that I was taking up space. Physically, I was a pretty small kid, but I had a personality the size of half my second grade class. I knew that when I talked, people laughed, but when I talked at the wrong times, I would get sent to “the office,” which was where the principal told you to behave and asked you not to get your parents involved. As I have grown older, however, my perspective on taking up space has shifted. It has taken countless hours of overthinking, years of embarrassing myself for a good laugh, and many periods of being the only person talking in my English class to make me realize that there is one thing that makes people sacrifice the space they should be taking up: Embarrassment. I have felt an abundance of embarrassment in my life, but I am now coming to you, as a person who is a pro at making a fool of themselves, to say that, in the big 26, being embarrassed is embarrassing.

Entering high school, fresh out of 8th grade, having watched High School Musical fifteen times, there was one thing in particular that made me finally feel like I was growing up: high school dances. I remember walking into my first Hopkins dance, feeling like the world was my oyster. I was wearing a dress that my mom deemed appropriate for my fifteen years of age, even though it was nothing like what Vanessa Hudgens was wearing in the movies, and I was ready to take on the squeaky upper heath floor.

As the night went on, I asked my friends why no one was dancing, and we chalked it up to the fact that the night was still young. However, no one ever came to the floor. Then, finally, I watched a circle form. “There’s going to be a crazy dance battle right now,” I thought. Spoiler alert: That didn’t happen but how sick would that be. @Ripleychance, lets get cracking on that idea please. One boy went in and did the worm, the crowd went crazy. Another two guys came and did the classic “I’ll reel you in like a fish” bit. But, after that, the circle was empty. Although everyone was waiting for the next person to go in the middle, the only thing even close were the people getting shoved in by their friends and screaming “NO! AH! I DON’T WANT TO!” This was when I first realized that taking up space, even in a dance circle, was no longer considered a “cool” thing to do.

It has been four years since that dance circle, and nothing has changed. Elon named a kid X Æ A-Xii, yet the only dance move in the circle is still the worm. But this is going to be different: This will be the year we reclaim our space (“hold space” as the Wicked cast would say) and drop the embarrassment act. In 2026, embarrassment is out, and making yourself look like an idiot is in.

“Why?” you may ask. Here are a few reasons:

Embarrassing yourself is honestly a great time. Not only does it provide a good laugh, but letting go of any fear of judgement is a feeling that makes you feel like completely yourself. When you find people around you that join in, it creates some of the best jokes and bonds.

Some examples of embarrassing things to do in order to take up space are: Go film a stupid video in public with your friends, start a conversation in your oddly quiet English classroom and embrace it even if it feels awkward, or make a joke you’re not sure will land.

With taking up space comes embracing awkwardness, and the awkward can be so uncomfortable, but it can also be so fun, and bring you new experiences, friends, and memories.

Speaking of memories, my second reason is that regardless of what point in your life you’re in, you will always be looking back and saying “ew, what was I doing?” So if that cringe is inevitable, why not embrace it now?

The other day, I was minding my own business, when my phone decided to punch me in the face with a “five years ago today” memory. I was standing in the middle of a restaurant (In my prime VSCO girl era, for context,) doing some sort of dance while the poor group of people next to me were trying to enjoy their dinner. Sure, I got some weird looks, and yes, I put my palm to my forehead when I saw the video. Still, at the end of the day the only thing I remember about that moment is laughing with my friends.

As we grow up, we always think that we are so much cooler than we were; it’s a never ending cycle. So, if you’re going to pass judgement on yourself regardless of how cool you think you are now, you might as well look back and say “I was 100% myself, and was unashamed of who I wanted to be.”

Now that we agree that embarrassing yourself is in, we can also agree that judgement is out. Someone is standing in a corner giving sideyes while someone else is living their life authentically, having fun, and laughing while being completely themselves. Who’s the real winner in that situation?

The moral of the story is: don’t be a loser and pass judgement on people, it's not cool anymore.

I don’t write this from a place of complete acceptance of who I am. It’s taken a while — and a lot of work on self love — to get to the point where I feel comfortable taking up as much space as I did in second grade. However, I think that as we grow, and we become so much more embarrassed and worried about what other people think, we are subconsciously living life unauthentically.

I encourage everyone in the new year to be less worried about the judgement of others, and embarrass yourself just a little bit more.

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To be Cringe is to be Free: Why Embarrassment is Embarrassing