Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

The Stupidest Things People Have Done To Seem Cool

Rubber duckie with sunglasses in a pool
Alex Perez/Unsplash

Reddit user Beneficial_Form8563 asked: 'What is the stupidest thing you have ever done to try to be cool?'

People fighting with their own insecurities will go to great lengths to overcome them.

Unfortunately, some of those tactics come at a cost, especially if the endeavor to attain a desired status is a vanity project rather than an improvement of a person's well-being.


Curious to hear from strangers online who pursued a superficial achievement, Redditor Beneficial_Form8563 asked:

"What is the stupidest thing you have ever done to try to be cool?"

These people were more concerned about keeping up with appearances.

Showing Off Your Seat

"Wore my pants backwards during the 90s when kriss kross was popular, so glad we didn't have social media back then."

– Rocjames77

Undesired Contrast

"Tanning booths."

"Had a lady friend that was into those. I only did it like 5 times. I was so dark, the grey hair on my chest were literally glowing."

– mrxexon

Hot Gangsta

"In junior high I wore a hoodie all year because I thought it would make me look gangsta. This included those balmy 90+ degree Texas days."

– Old_Army90

Causing A Spectacle

"In 1st grade, I was very jealous of people with glasses. I wore an old pair of my mom's sunglasses and said they were prescription. So I was, what, 6ish, wearing GIANT 1970s woman's sunglasses and couldn't see sh*t."

"My teacher saw right through it, of course (something I couldn't do). She didnt call me out, just humored me, to a point."

"I kept taking them off to read the chalkboard and she told me to put them back on. She called my mom and explained the situation. Mom picked me up from school and all I remember is denying it, and then my mom expressed her disappointment that I'd lie to her and to a teacher."

"So I told kids I switched to contacts (which were barely a thing then, especially for kids)."

– ahhh_ennui

These Redditors didn't think about consequences.

Amateur Acrobat

"When I was 8 my sister had her friends over, all teenagers, and trying to be cool I jumped on the trampoline in front of them and told them I’d do a backflip. I’d never done a backflip so I landed on my neck, bounced off the trampoline and broke my wrist."

– Artemis64z

Painful Experiment

"Tried to strike a Zippo lighter on my 'stubble'. I was about fifteen; it was fluffy hair. Ripped a zit out of my face. Looked like I’d been shot. Still have an odd clump of scar tissue in my cheek."

– goodassjournalist

The Chugger

"Went to a party and chugged 6 Mike's Hard Lemonades and then threw up for several hours. Nobody else at the party was even a little drunk."

– AdamBombKelley

These people missed the mark when they were seeking to be cool.

The Rebel

"Got pulled over for playing my car stereo too loud. Took the ticket, turned it back up. Took another ticket, turned it back up. Took a third ticket, turned it back up. Spent the night in jail."

– anon

Hair Don't

"had my mullet cut off but left a rat tail, then had it braided."

– TrailerParkPrepper

Wet Disguise

"Spilled my drink to hide that I pissed my pants. Was too cool to say I needed a bathroom."

"EDIT: Before one more of you tell me that was actually smart, it was not: The problem was that it was November, we were outside drinking and smoking to hide from our parents. So when I did the quick thinking how to hide my wet pants I forgot that pee is warm.. and it was a cold night. So my pants were kind of.. steamy lol. I was 22 and a bit drunk 🤷♀️"

– SnicketyLemon875

Targeting The Teacher

"Not stupid just mean and regret it. Some of the popular kids were being my friend, or just pretending to be I don't know. I stole one of the nice teachers candy bars out of her cupboard. I didn't get caught, so I saw her take out the empty box, and look around the room disappointed. Felt like garbage."

– HooterEnthusiast

I was always the class clown in elementary school, and I loved making my classmates laugh.

One time, I tried pretending like I was walking into a closed-door classroom while intentionally not looking where I was going.

To make it look like my face slammed into the door, I planned to kick the door before my face actually hit it to simulate impact.

I misjudged the distance and my mouth slammed into the door.

My adult teeth that had just grown in didn't fall out, but they did get knocked out of alignment and my gums gushed blood.

Well, at least I still got the laughs I was seeking...at a painful cost.

What was your dumbest move to appear cool?

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

Jasmine Crockett Calls Out Trump's Hypocrisy By Pointing Out How Melania Got Her Visa
Leigh Vogel/Getty Images for SiriusXM; Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images

Jasmine Crockett Calls Out Trump's Hypocrisy By Pointing Out How Melania Got Her Visa

Texas Democratic Representative Jasmine Crockett pointed out President Donald Trump's hypocrisy on immigration considering how First Lady Melania Trump's pathway to citizenship was possible because she received an "Einstein visa," which is usually reserved for an individual with "some sort of significant achievement."

Speaking during a House Judiciary Committee hearing titled “Restoring Integrity and Security to the Visa Process,” Crockett noted that “the idea that Trump and my Republican colleagues want to restore integrity and security in the visa process is actually a joke," and harshly criticized the Trump administration's immigration crackdown and visa restrictions.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots of Jennifer Griffin and Pete Hegseth
The Hill

Fox Host Comes To Reporter's Defense After Pete Hegseth Berates Her At Pentagon Briefing

Fox News' chief political analyst Brit Hume came to the defense of Fox national security reporter Jennifer Griffin after their former colleague, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, criticized Griffin as the reporter "who misrepresents the most intentionally what the president says” in a Pentagon news conference.

Hegseth, a former Fox News anchor, had criticized media outlets—including his former network—for what he described as unpatriotic reporting. Hegseth took particular aim at early intelligence assessments suggesting that President Donald Trump's bombing of Iran may not have significantly crippled Iran’s nuclear capabilities.

Keep ReadingShow less

Teachers Share The Questions Students Asked In Class That Broke Their Hearts

Being a teacher is a calling.

It is not for the meek or weak of heart.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Emily Compagno
Fox News

Fox Host Slams Dem For Dropping An F-Bomb After Praising Trump For The Same Thing Just Minutes Earlier

Fox News host Emily Compagno was criticized after she praised Donald Trump's use of the "f-bomb" earlier this week before condemning Texas Democratic Representative Jasmine Crockett's use of the same word—on the same episode of her show, no less.

Trump made headlines this week after admonishing Israel and Iran for violating a ceasefire agreement he'd announced on Truth Social. Although he claimed the ceasefire had been "agreed upon," Iran fired at least six missile barrages at Israel after it was supposed to take effect.

Keep ReadingShow less
Ken Jennings; Emily Croke
@Jeopardy/Instagram

Champ's Wild Final Jeopardy Connection

In a dramatic conclusion on last Monday’s Jeopardy!, a contestant revealed a surprising relationship to the final clue's answer. Hailing from Denver, Emily Croke made it to the final write-in portion of the game show with $12,200 in earnings.

In the category of “Collections,” host Ken Jennings read the clue:

Keep ReadingShow less