Cringe culture is something a lot of people are familiar with. Cringe culture, simply put, is an online culture of making fun of and/or harassing groups of people for their interests. Teenagers, adults, and even kids aren’t excluded. Years ago, me and my best friends were talking about hyper fixations. I told them I had one, and of course, they asked me what it was on. A wave of dread washed over me in that moment. I was hyper fixated on a character labeled as cringe, and I was afraid they would think I was cringe because of it. Thankfully, they were fine with it. They’ve never supported cringe culture.
Even now, that fear of being cringe still lurks. (Heck, even writing this I’m worried about it sounding cheesy.) I don’t see many people outright call something cringe anymore, but the judgement and toxicity is still rampant. I won’t lie, fans can be horrendous, but that’s being horrendous. There’s fans who will send death threats to people who like a character they’re crushing on, but people who support cringe culture will be out there tormenting someone who harmlessly ships themselves with a character. It’s so stupid- if nobody is getting hurt, physically or mentally, there shouldn’t be a problem. If it makes you happy, do what you want! Make fan characters, write that lovey-dovey fanfiction, design those brightly colored anthropomorphic characters, ramble about Undertale! These things make people so happy, and that’s okay. I cannot express my absolute joy when someone is fine with me watching kids cartoons, or when they listen to me go on a tangent about a comfort ship. It feels as bright as the sun.
Cringe culture looks at all of what I just described (and more) and seethes. It tears people down, it makes people feel like garbage, it makes people hide their hyper fixations, hobbies, art, music, and writing. Cringe culture destroys creativity and joy, and acknowledging how stupid it is incredibly freeing. My stories and characters have never been as vibrant since I’ve kicked away the cringe monster, even though it still lurks at times. Here’s some things that helped me build my confidence! I hope they help you, too.
- Legit just throw the word cringe into the trash when thinking about yourself and other people.
- Hold the word ‘weird’ in a positive light! Weird things are great.
- Try and look at yourself without bias. When reflecting, use neutral wording.
- Congratulate yourself for the small steps. A step is still a step; look at you go!
- Fake it till you make it. Of course, don’t ignore your emotions, but telling yourself “I’m going to do great!” When you feel anxious can do wonders.
(Do keep in mind this is not professional advice or anything. This is just stuff that’s helped me.)
And with that, this blog comes to a close! Cringe culture isn’t dead, unfortunately, but together people can stomp it into its grave! Do what you love and have a nice day!
I can agree. Some fanbases can be extremely toxic.
Although I don’t think I’ve been involved with any fan bases.
Maybe with a few games but that’s about it.
Yeah, cringe culture sucks!! It makes fun of joy and creativity!! Screw cringe culture!!!
The points you make here are so valid. Cringe culture can be suffocating — it’s just a bunch of insecure people trying to make others match their insecurities. Love the things you love! Enjoy the things you enjoy! I love your advice at the end — it’s very helpful and relatable. Once again, another immaculate post 🙂
I can’t stand cringe culture, especially when it’s usually people just enjoying themselves or being a fan of things. I think the fear or being perceived as cringe can cause a lot of people to limit the amount of fun, they could be having for example for the longest time I wouldn’t dance at dances because I didn’t want to look cringey, but when I finally let go, I had an infinite amount of more fun. I’m really glad you spoke about this.
Cringe Culture is unfortunately real, so it was awesome that you discussed why it’s horrible. Also, thanks for the advice, I’m one of the people that will definitely use it so other people don’t make me feel bad about my passions.