One of my most ‘controversial’ opinions is that this idea of cringe especially since the rise of Tik Tok is really just bullying. When the idea of being nonchalant became popular I knew I was doomed, because I cannot be “normal” about anything. From interest to future careers when I have an aspiration or interest my whole life completely revolves around it.

One of the biggest trends on Tik Tok is glow up trends and some of the most popular versions of the trends is seeing someone go from a more alternative style to the polar opposite. Most of the comments are filled with praise for the person for moving on from their ‘weird’ phase of their teenage years. A reoccurring theme is that the more you scroll the more you see and that many people remember these times as the happiest they’ve ever been. So is being normal and excepted better than being happy? To some yes.

I have faced the cannon events of all stages of the pandemic. I have been in weird fandoms, a really big discord group and gone through every awkward phase I possibly could, and yes looking back on these times and how obsessed I used to be with living life the way I did. I cringe and hope that my friends don’t remember that time.

I also think about how happy I was, the fact that I really didn’t care what others thought of me. Going back to school made me worry what other people would think of me and whether or not I would be seen as cringe. Not that I’m not happy with how I am now but I lost a lot of confidence in what I wore and how I dressed.

The idea of cringe has been taken to far, when you are on scrolling on Tik Tok and see a bunch of pre-teens having fun you can smell the mean jealously rooted comments from a mile away. Honestly, this idea of what’s cringe and what’s has not been taken way too far. People fear being loud and speaking their minds because are afraid of being called cringe. Showing interest, laughing too loud with your friends, sharing a genuine opinion, being a little different from the people around you, speaking differently, and literally anything can be named cringe.

This whole article would be called cringe by people.

Honestly, I don’t care anymore and probably never will, I have seen some of the nicest most real people I’ve ever met be called cringe because they happen to like a certain show or get a little to involved in class and instead of people just ignoring it or saying, “good for them”, they get mean and they call it cringe.

If you’re scared of being cringe don’t be, because after a while you realise the most cringe thing you can do is care that much about what other people are doing or thinking.