Being embarrassed is a prerequisite of the human condition, yet each of us finds different things embarrassing. For example, one poll found that most Americans consider forgetting someone’s name the most embarrassing blunder. 22% disagree and say that the most embarrassing thing a person can do is forget their partner’s birthday.
If we’re lucky, our embarrassing blunders don’t get posted online. These folks weren’t so lucky; their cringy fails became the subject of online ridicule. Still, Bored Panda invites you to have a chuckle or two at their expense, as you scroll through the moments that had the rest of the Internet facepalming repeatedly.
#1 Cultural Appropriation
Image source: x7plain
#2 *facepalm Intensifies*
Image source: CV3C20
#3 So My Girlfriend Didn’t Want To Lose The Keys To Her Lock
Image source: xAIRGUITARISTx
It’s hard to meet someone nowadays who isn’t familiar with the facepalm phenomenon. Online, it often relates to secondhand embarrassment and self-deprecation and is common in meme culture. Merriam-Webster added the word to its dictionary in 2017, while the Macmillan dictionary introduced it in 2006.
People use it as a verb and a noun, and the gesture itself is thousands of years old. However, according to Merriam-Webster, the written word only started making rounds about 30 years ago. Its first documented appearance was back in 1996 on a Google Groups message board: “Christie facepalmed. ‘Well, her hair was red this morning, right? It’s blonde now. You figure it out.’”
#4 Using A Calculator
Image source: SamsungKnight59
#5 And Passports Too
Image source: SuperSlimySalamander
#6 How
Image source: gimme-socks
In meme culture, the facepalm is strongly associated with a screengrab of the actor Patrick Stewart as Jean-Luc Picard from Star Trek: The Next Generation. For many, it’s the go-to meme for conveying facepalming and embarrassment. The moment is from season 3, episode 13, but a few episodes later, in episode 16, Picard does a double facepalm, putting both of his hands on his face in exasperation and frustration.
Nowadays, it’s the quintessential image for the facepalm reaction. Another notable reaction image is a scene from Naked Gun: a “group facepalm,” where a crowd makes the gesture. It’s often used for ultimate facepalm moments, when one wants to convey enormous disbelief. On YouTube, the clip is even titled “Epic Facepalm.”
#7 Would You Tell Him, Or Would You Pop A Bag Of Corn And Wait?
Image source: Crash_86
#8 Always Good Time For Some Twain Sass
Image source: johnsmithoncemore
#9 To Provide Front, Side, And Rear Photos For The Car Insurance Rep
Image source: anon
The facepalm gesture itself isn’t much of a novelty. An ancient Roman sculpture on Trajan’s column depicted something akin to a facepalm. Among the many figures in the artwork, one man covers his face with his palm, and experts usually interpret his expression as sadness, not frustration or disbelief as we would now, especially in the context of memes.
#10 Is There An Explanation?
Image source: redditer1148
#11 Seems Legit?
Image source: anon
#12 Burn Victim
Image source: AristonD
Similarly, a 1896 statue by Henri Vidal, titled “Cain,” depicts the biblical character Cain after committing the mortal sin against his brother Abel, with his face in his hand. Vidal’s Cain is not facepalming in the contemporary sense, either. His expression is about regret, remorse, and heartbreak.
#13 Exactly!!! Thanks For Proving The Point
Image source: KingKush8
#14 It’s Al-Gebra, Not Al-Qaeda
Image source: KappaccinoNation
#15 Hmmmmmmm
Image source: Classic-CJ
Interestingly, humans aren’t the only species on Earth that facepalm. English mandrill monkeys do it too. Alas, again — not because they’ve just seen something stupid on the internet. Their facepalms sometimes last as long as 17 minutes, and, as evolutionary biologist Mark Laidre told National Geographic, they do it to avoid social interactions. The mandrills would cover their eyes when they were alone and were more likely to be left alone as long as they kept their eyes covered.
#16 It’s Hell To Find Those Special Items!
Image source: TensionSame3568
#17 Reaction To “Gay Ads” On Facebook
Image source: tellman1257
#18 Like The Clown
Image source: GauntletInMyPussPuss
The peak of facepalm memes and reactions was around 2012, at least according to Google Trends search interest. Search interest for “facepalm” has only decreased since then and is now only 6%. Nevertheless, lexicographer Susie Dent has faith in the longevity of “facepalm” as a word and as a phenomenon.
“One of the reasons I think it is so successful – and this is always a key indicator of linguistic survival or success – is that the phrase can move about in different ways and you can put it into different parts of speech,” she told The Guardian back in 2011. “So it is being used as a verb or a noun.”
#19 Look At This
Image source: Aggravating-Lake-849
#20 Book Entitled “No. More. Plastic.” Is Ironically Wrapped In Plastic
Image source: Lepke2011
#21 Communicating With Blind People
Image source: GimmeThatKarma
When was the last time you used an image, a GIF, or a clip that featured a facepalm, Pandas? Is the gesture a staple of your everyday non-verbal communication? Let us know your preferences in the comments! And if you’d like to see more people doing and saying embarrassing things, check out these stories about the times people felt the worst second-hand embarrassment and the times people hit peak levels of cringe.
#22 Thanks, I Hate It
Image source: anon
#23 Did My Job Boss
Barber Shaves Triangle Into Man’s Hair After He Pauses Video Of A Model He Wanted To Look Like
Image source: __Dawn__Amber__
#24 Sir, Do You Know How Wrong Numbers Work
Image source: anon
#25 This AI Generated Stuff Gets Worse The Longer You Look
Image source: rockytheboxer
#26 We Told Him That Everyone Would Dress Up… He Wasn’t Amused
Image source: 2High2Figh
#27 Do You Consider This A Human Being?
Image source: ckgjfxfcgb
#28 My Girlfriend’s Rejection Email. You Can’t Make This Up
Image source: Rhododactylus
#29 Yeah, Sounds About Right
Image source: anon
#30 Bee Warning!
Image source: ZombieGombie
#31
Image source: noahboi12
#32 Experts Bad
Image source: despisesunrise
#33 To Be Fair, It Is Family Guy
Image source: Anon
#34 Stupid People
Image source: Fantastic-Style-999
#35 You Had One Job
Image source: Bulzij
#36 Snakes: 0 | Panic: 1 Finger
Image source: SillyMountain3147
#37 Super Defensive
Image source: BlueTides2
#38 Wow, Thanks
Image source: foofighters69
#39 I’m Never Trying Dating Apps Again
Image source: Recent-Sorbet
#40 My Mother-In-Law Was Complaining That She Couldn’t Get The Coffee Grinder To Work. This Is A Pencil Sharpener
Image source: YabbaDabbaDoofus
#41 Congratulations Tucker!
Image source: anon
#42 Carrying Anything Is A Feminine Trait?
Image source: GreatWhiteNorthExtra
#43 The State Of The World
Image source: esberat
#44 Hint Hint
Image source: __Dawn__Amber__
#45 What’s The Problem?
Image source: StrokeRN18
#46 How Can People Break-Up For Such Stupid Reasons!
Image source: kaushrah
#47 Nashville, Tennessee Christian School Refused To Allow A Female Student To Enter Prom Because She Was Wearing A Suit
Image source: abbiebe89
#48 Why Do You Even Exist Tony
Image source: tonyhawk
#49 I Don’t Think My Mom Understands How Her Rice Cooker Works
Image source: Uedn
#50 Are They Though?
Image source: killHACKS
#51 Wait A Minute
Image source: gutta-miyagi
#52 I Can’t Find My Match On This Chart. Am I In Trouble?
Image source: puffyyn
#53 Locked Out
Image source: iam_nobody
#54 Hypocrisy
Image source: not-feeling-alive
#55 This Correct Math That Absolutely No One Should Question!!!!!!!
Image source: Elitetimeline7
#56 Handwritten Note, Still AI Apparently (Its Not)
My boss posted this first picture and got this message later on. He wrote this with pen and paper himself and apparently its still AI
Image source: just_a_stoner_b
#57 This Fake Hundred Dollar Bill My Coworker Accepted. (Real Bill For Comparison.)
Image source: Kaylie_kitten
#58 The Audience Is Dumb. The Answer Is Obviously “Llamathrust”
Image source: WHARRGARBLLL
#59 Congratulations… You Played Yourself
Image source: anon
#60 Men Who Don’t Like Taylor Swift Are Prime Examples Of Toxic Masculinity
Image source: mystery002
#61 1+2 = 12
Image source: angel_of_tnt
#62 Some People Have Zero Financial Literacy
Image source: thenewyorkgod
#63 Apparently Satan Loves It When You Call Your Children “Kids”
Image source: 055F00
#64 But Math Is..? Or What’s Your Theory Reddit?
Image source: IamTherily
#65 Once You Go Black
Image source: Pitboss2k
#66 I Wonder Why America Is So Unhappy?
Image source: MisterT12
#67 Why Is She Taking Pictures Of People In A Restaurant Tho
Image source: Northern_Gamer2
#68 Uber Eats Super Bowl Ad For “Eat Local” Does More Harm Than Good
Image source: tdomer80
#69 Doesn’t Make The Slightest Bit Of Sense
Image source: MisterT12
#70 High IQ Destruction
Image source: ShubhamG77
#71 Karen Decides That Children’s Fun Isn’t Enough Of A Reason To Have A Tree House
Image source: anon
#72 Integrity Will Remain A Pipe Dream
Image source: theguywhosteals
#73 One Person Still Counts As “Somebody”
Image source: ral365
#74 Absolutely Unreal
Image source: 0riginal_Poster
#75 Sueing Son Because He Stopped Paying Daily Parenting Fees
Image source: flyingcatwithhorns
#76 4-Year-Old Girl Was Denied School Enrollment Because “She Had Poor In English Language”
Image source: Rakoor_11037
#77 His Daughter Got A Short Haircut And He Loses His Mind
Image source: BeffasRS
#78 I Will Not Success!!
Image source: John_1992_funny
#79 Absolute Unit Of A Drill
Image source: maik-heuf
#80 Friend In College Asked Me To Review Her Job Application
Image source: Ethany523
#81 She Didn’t Deserve It
Image source: Bmchris44
#82 Woah What Observation
Image source: d3333p7
#83 I Don’t Think 50 Shades Is A Movie Your Very Young Daughter Should Be Watching
Image source: MsDemacia
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