Some things are just socially unacceptable- But why?
Just about everyone has had a perfect set of clothing, accessories, or a pair of shoes that they’ve thrown out for just about no apparent reason. For isolated strangers that shy from society, this common practice may seem strange and questionable. The reason lies in social changes; when one accessory, clothing item, game, or sport becomes socially unacceptable the majority is quick to abandon it. Even though there should be and truly is nothing wrong with wearing or doing anything considered cringey, users who don’t adapt in time or don’t adapt to new social taboos at all somehow face an array of insults. This “phenomenon” of social acceptance has gone through an array of names over the years, but many reading this will know the modern term. Cringey. So how have some of the most practical and useful clothing items, and some of the most intriguing and indulging games come under such heavy criticism? Even worse, The answer is a bit more complex than one might think.
When looking at what clothing is considered cringey and what’s not, it can tend to puzzle one’s mind, so to understand we must first look at what’s cringey. The most practical and comfortable items have been deemed cringey and users face a firing squad of social criticism. No aspect of teen’s life carries more pressure on cringey items then the clothing world. Certain styles of shirts, pants, hats, and shoes rise to the most popular items on the market them suddenly become the most cringey. One of the biggest examples of these popular and useful items turned to bullying magnets are Crocs. Crocs are a popular shoe brand in the United States, most likely because of the shoes convenience. Yet these shoes are notorious for their cringey reputation and will be avoided by most at all costs. When asked how she felt about Crocs, sophomore Katie Durante said, “To me they are hard rubber feet gloves and they don’t even look good!”
While clothing and shoes might make up most of the cringey world, games, sports, and hobbies make up a majority too. The sports, hobbies, and games teens play or participate in are often used as points for criticism and jokes, and these activities make up a big part of today’s teen stereotypes. There is no example of a socially unacceptable activity more notoriously cringey then Minecraft. Once the most popular game in the world, it’s now quite the opposite in today’s teen world. It’s no wonder the game rose to success with the young generation at the time, as the game was original and allowed the player to be original and interact with friends. But at some point in the following years, the players of Minecraft became a stereotype and followed the same downfall of Crocs and other cringey things. Now Minecraft is just about the most cringey thing to do on this planet. Teens will avoid even mentioning Minecraft for a joke or insult so they are not stereotyped with minecraft-playing kids. When asked if she would play Minecraft, Freshman Ellie Toreihi answered “No, that’s such a stupid game! It’s totally irrelevant now.”
When observing which items are the most cringey and socially acceptable, a pattern can be identified. When an item or activity suddenly rises to popularity, now often commonplace in our globalizing culture, it becomes unpopular just as fast. When an item becomes unpopular, it becomes cringey. Why it becomes cringey is often the same reason it plummets from popularity. Stereotypes. So when this popular item or trait is so popular that it’s used by or creates its own negative stereotype, downfall quickly follows. The item or product becomes known only as another thing used or done by this stereotype. That is why cringey items are targets of criticism and are often associated with negative and racist stereotypes. It would also explain why people would avoid it, because they do not want to be stereotyped. This cruel cycle can be seen occurring countless times with music, games, sports, hobbies, clothes, and accessories.
So through this age of globalization, it is the short trends of popular culture and the continuous formation stereotypes that can be attributed to why some of the most practical items becoming the most cringey.