30 Things People Are Proud Of But They Could Be Considered A Weird Flex, Shared In This Online Group
It's very human to be proud of something. That something, though, does have weird social criteria that determine it to be worthy of other people's praise.
But what if it's not? What if it's weird? Well, at the very least, these Redditors will appreciate (and crack jokes about) it. In a recent AskReddit thread, folks were sharing some of the weirdest flexes they were proud of. In weird, unorthodox ways, but, hey, it counts.
Scroll down to check out the best ones, and why not share some of your weird flexes in the comment section below!
More Info: Reddit
This post may include affiliate links.
So I (white woman) was a preschool teacher and every morning my female students would want me to do their hair "like Elsa" (braids). I had a black student, let's call her Virtue, that saw this one day and would ask me to do hers like Elsa too. Virtue's hair was never up and always a bit of a mess.
Well, I looked up tutorials and learned how to do a simple style on black/4C hair. Virtue was so happy to have her hair up like the other girls.
Her mom runs over to me after the second day of this and demands to know how on earth I got Virtue to sit still without her killing me. Apparently Virtue had sensory issues with her head being touched and would essentially start kicking and biting and screaming at anyone who touched it... except me, apparently. She begged me to help with Virtue's hair again.
So I, whitest girl in town, became her stylist. Her mom brought in all these products and I essentially dematted her hair over the course of an hour and would do it up. Virtue was totally chill the whole time.
Eventually she grew out of the murder phase and her mom was able to do it herself again. But for a time, my weird flex was that this precious little girl only wanted me to do her hair. I wonder if she'll remember when she gets older how much we adults all cracked up about "Miss Classic does my hair right".
I'm not an addict and my kids 8 and has never been in foster care or involved with child protective services. I come from a long line of addicts and unruly white trash, and though I don't have a high paying job, I do work and provide above and beyond what my parents ever did, without government aid.
Also 9 years sober from hard [illegal substances].
I broke the cycle.
Good for you!! Keep it up! I'm 3+ years sober myself. Wouldn't trade it for the world.
When my daughter was 3 years old I found out she wasn't biologically mine. I left her mom but took her to court.
She just turned 9 and we split custody 50/50. We've been in this scenario for 6 years and counting. It's the best decision I've ever made as she's an amazing kiddo.
She needed a dad... And I was already dad. So why wouldn't it be that way? I taught her how to swim, how to ride a bike, how to ice skate... To read. I've never missed a day with her. I've been to every single parent teacher conference. I take her to all her doctors appointments.
Very few people in my life know about the biology issue... Because honestly it's not really a big deal and I don't advertise it. But I'm proud of myself. She's turning into a wonderful, confident, caring and competent young lady. And I don't think that would have been the case without me.
When she looks at me it's obvious that her eyes don't look like mine. But all the parts of her that really matter... And the thoughts behind those eyes... Are because if me. When things are going to s**t around me... Or I'm stressed or scared. I look at her and know for a fact I got this one thing right.
And I'm proud of that... Even if I'll never be recognized for it or get any credit for what I've done... I'm proud.
interstellar-lumens said:
A zebra bit me in my left arm.
Weyman16 replied:
Just be glad it didn’t bite you in or around ze bra region.
interstellar-lumens replied:
I don't have boobs, so that is irrelephant.
Weyman16 replied:
You better not be lion to me.
interstellar-lumens replied:
Well, I am not a cheetah.
USAneedsAJohnson replied:
Stop making me laugh or I'll puma pants.
Flying_Penguin28 said:
I can resemble the "moo" of a cow rather accurately with my voice.
original_evanator replied:
I was over 40 when I learned this sound has a name and it’s called “lowing”.
fireballx777 replied:
The [hell] it is. The sound has a name, and it's called "mooing."
If you’re on the internet, you’re probably well aware of what flexing is—it’s bragging, in simple terms. But bragging as a concept and phenomenon is anything but simple. Because people.
And so because people are complex beings, it should come as no surprise that bragging is nuanced. There’s boasting, there’s being proud, there’s humble-bragging, there’s flexing, and then there’s just straight up bragging.
Interestingly enough, not every kind of bragging falls into the same general category of “annoying as all heck” and “avoid it like the plague”, though it’s all essentially on the same continuum depending on the intentions.
SnooMaps3253 said:
At 62, I lost 400lbs in 2 1/2 years.
UncleGrako replied
I lost 800 pounds in about 4 hours. Of course, I was at a casino in England... but still.
Nmac101 replied:
Best way to lose weight (pocket edition).
zlmxtd said:
I'm CURED (not just remission) of what could be considered the most 'aggressive' type cancer known to man (most aggressive is not to be confused with most deadly). Either way, I'm still alive bishes!
CryptoNarco replied:
Congratulations! I have metastatic colon cancer. They were able to remove most of the tumors but there are metastases that are not operable. after a huge surgery, terrible chemo and 3 hospitalizations, a few weeks ago they told me that the disease is stable, so for now I'm still here. I'm doing sports again, and I can eat and drink normally 😁👌
DroppedDonut said:
I can squeeze my butt cheeks so tight it cracks my tailbone like cracking your knuckles.
Dat_Boi_Aint_Right replied:
You can also apparently make many redditors flex their butt cheeks with just a sentence.
Entrepreneur-Upper replied:
I did and still laughing.
Lennep replied:
I did and still crying because I hurt myself.
patronizingperv replied:
Still cracking.
Tira13e said:
Opening beer bottles with my belly button.
randynumbergenerator replied:
Finally, an actual weird flex.
FantasticMrRobb replied:
Did you miss the guy who pops his tailbone by squeezing his [butt] cheeks?
Bollocks! I'm not having that! Opening beer bottles with your belly button? F**k off!
Flailing_Aimlessly said:
I have survived a murder attempt and a run in with a literal serial killer.
[from a follow-up comment:]
Summer of 2002.
My girlfriend calls me in hysterics. "There's a white truck that's been following me for more than 10 minutes. Ever since I left Wal-Mart, it's been right behind me. I've driven all over and even gone in circles - I think it's the killer."
At the time, in Baton Rouge - a serial killer had been at large for a while. The FBI had said be on the lookout for a white male driving a large pick-up truck. A lot of his victims were brunettes that trended toward wealthier neighborhoods. My GF at the time was brunette but wasn't wealthy - but this week she was house sitting for her aunt who was a literal millionaire and was driving her aunt's Lexus.
"Okay..." I say, "...we're on our way." Her aunt lived in a huge house on the LSU lakes. I don't think much of it, it's LSU and stupid stuff happens all the time, this is a prank of some kind, I am sure of it.
A few minutes later and we're at the interstate exit, I call her to say where we are and before she picks up - I see her aunt's car pass by with a white truck right behind. "Go to the house, we're right behind them." She pulls into her aunt's driveway but the car stops and pulls over immediately once she does - parking across the street from her aunt's next-door neighbor, right on the edge of the lake. We pull in right behind her and she's VERY upset - recounts everything she said on the phone and I assure her it'll be okay.
My roommate gives me an assuring nod. "I'm going to hide in the shadows, if he tries anything lead him this way and I'll hit him."
I make myself seen to the truck's cab and approach slowly with my hands visible. There's an African American man in the cab, NOT a white guy - this is NOT the killer we're worried about.
"Hey man..." I announce, and he won't look directly at me - he's just looking at me side-eyed. "...I think there's a mix up or something. You've been following my girlfriend a while here, you're freaking her out and you're going to have to go." Finally turns on the truck and turns to give me a look - he's bothered, or [angry].
And he drives off, and I will not see his face again until next year. When he's on the cover of the local paper, the Advocate, and he's been arrested for multiple murders.
I ran into Derrick Todd Lee.
Why wouldn't you call the police?!?! If someone I thought was a serial killer was following me, my boyfriend would be my second call after 911 and I'd drive to a police station, not home.
On the positive side, for instance, being proud of something is actually a display of self-respect and personal worth. Psychotherapist Richard Joelson pointed out that pride is a feeling of satisfaction in one’s own, or maybe another’s, achievements. It’s a very normal (in fact, inherent) part of what it means to have a healthy level of self-esteem and understanding of what they’re worth as people.
Though being proud can be misinterpreted as bragging, especially if it’s the being proud of oneself part. Or at the very least, it can come off as humble-bragging, which is a form of actual bragging that draws attention to something the person is excessively proud of, though they’re trying to play it down in a fake modesty way.
No, the ultimate goal of pride is, as previously stated, celebrating a thing to keep up healthy self-esteem and boosting confidence and self-worth. But you are now beginning to see how much intentions are at play here.
Getinthedamneva said:
My youtube account is blessed. I have not received an ad in over a decade, and I do not pay for premium. I don't use ad blockers, and I've tested it by adding my account to my friends t.v's and other devices. They get ads on their account, but I do not.
recidivx replied:
This is a real thing. It's a statistical control to test things like how many viewers they lose due to ads.
Getinthedamneva replied:
Then I have been chosen! Worry not friends, for I shall make youtube my most used app! I will show them that ads suck.
Tyrigoth said:
This month I am going to be paying off my house...after 12 years of a 30 year mortgage.
BigGrinJesus replied:
What's your secret?
Souperdoopa replied:
Having money.
asshat123 replied:
Damn.
nine16 replied:
what the hell is 'money'?
Lepthesr replied:
"Banks don't want you to know this one simple trick!"
FlannyCake said:
35 and my socks never came out unpaired out of the washing machine! 💪🏻😎
SosseV replied:
You are either making stuff up or are cheating by having only one foot.
FlannyCake replied:
I light up a candle for the socks gods every time I load the washing machine.
shelasher replied:
I have a sock orphanage drawer.
I've heard that socks can escape the drum and live a secluded life between the drum and the floor. Since I heard that, I've been afraid to check. There must be a huge colony of socks under there.
I can mimic the sounds of birds, get all the birds in the area to start singing, and even get them to seek out the "big bird". It's kinda funny to have them completely change their song when they realize I am not a bird, almost screeching at me sometimes (especially cat birds).
I can do this! It's hilarious and sweet, but I do get a lot of weird looks.
I can go out on my porch with my binoculars to birdwatch and the birds all disappear when I put them up to my eyes. They think I'm a big-eyed predator that's gonna eat them.
I can only do mourning dove and the chickadee warning call
My mom does this, too! It's so cool :) It's also fun to watch a diminutive, quirky 80-year-old "having conversations" with the birds in her backyard!
UndeadCollegeStudent said:
Everyone ate and finished the food I brought to potluck.
Villa-Strangiato replied:
For the longest time I was the one tasked with bringing plates and chips to family gatherings, you know, because they thought I couldn't cook. I even asked if they wanted me to bring food, but they said it was handled, so I let it go, less work for me anyway. Last year my uncle made fun of me for it, and took over "manning grill" because he thought I didn't know how to cook burgers. This same uncle brags A LOT about his dry a*s, bland pulled pork, and I thought, Alright fucker, you wanna play this game? Let me show you something.
Next family outing I pulled out all the stops; brought MY pulled pork, 2 bbq sauces I made, pineapple salsa the wife makes, and homemade blood orange lemonade. There wasn't much of any of it left at the end of the day. A lot of them were surprised to learn that I f*****g love to cook, let alone that I'm actually good at it. I dunno where this "Villa can't cook haha" s**t came from the last decade, but I put it to rest.
I am no longer the plates and chips guy, and my uncle gets the privilege of taking home 3/4 of his dry pork that he still brings. I'm making hibachi steak stir fry on HIS flat top next week at the campground, and I can't wait to serve him some more humble pie. 😁
My pierogi lasagna is always raved about. It's layers of ziti, mashed potatoes, caramelized onions, and Mornay sauce, topped with buttery bread crumbs and baked.
Flexing, on the other hand, is nearly always done for a number of reasons, all of which essentially boil down to self-promotion. A Harvard study from 2012 that utilized five different brain imaging experiments found out that most people have a very strong urge to share about themselves. So strong, in fact, that the level of sensation that it triggers is instinctually akin to eating food or even partaking in sexual activity.
What is more, participants of the study were even offered money to respond to questions about other people, but many passed on the opportunity and preferred to answer questions about themselves instead.
“Looking at areas of the brain that were activated in their study, the Harvard neuroscientists discovered why 40 percent of what we say relates to telling other people about the things we think or feel: ‘Self-disclosure is extra rewarding.’ Not unlike eating food and having sex,” concluded Susan Newman, Ph.D., on the topic.
Happy_Improvement_96 said:
I swam the gap between Sicily and mainland Italy.
dandroid126 replied
I just climbed the stairs from the ground level to floor 3, and I only got a little bit winded. I'm probably ready for this.
OhSillyDays replied
I just got off the toilet and only one leg is asleep. We're going to crush it.
AMiniMinotaur replied:
I got off the couch without making “dad noises” We got this!
Alternative-Cash8411 replied:
So, I'm a Fitness Trainer and class instructor at a retirement community in Texas. In one of the Strength classes I do I actually have my clients do what I call "get ups." I have them just sit on a chair with a pair of dumbells in their hands and get up and raise the dB's over their heads. Have em do it maybe two sets of 10-12. I tell them this is a good example of a "functional fitness" exercise that has real world benefits, such as being able to impress others while out in public, by quickly and smoothly rising without making those involuntary grunts that most seniors or out of shape folks make.
lolopolo404 said:
I'm a legally blind person, so I have residual vision.
I can still walk around my apartment and find my stuff when there's a power outage using muscle memory.
ange1147 replied:
How did you scroll through Reddit? No offense, just honestly curious! Hope you have a nice day.
lolopolo404 replied:
I can read it on my phone! I put it real close to my face tho.
shortwave_radio replied:
I'd say that's really bad for your eyes, but um...
Chewies-merkin replied:
Didn’t see that one coming.
LevelDrawers replied:
Blindsided, you might say.
BluLemonGaming replied:
Bombastic blindside eye.
ferocious_coug said:
I’ve finished three chapsticks in a row without losing them.
PianistCheap4405 replied:
How did they taste I can't seem to get the good flavored ones to chew.
nipponnuck replied:
Chewing them isn’t the problem for me, it’s the indigestion they cause.
Joygernaut said:
My cursive handwriting is beautiful. Like some thing that came out of an old legal document from the 19 century I get compliments about it all the time even though many young people can’t read it.😂. Literally, nobody cares, but it’s certainly something I’m proud of, and I like it when people notice it. My mother had beautiful penmanship and actually worked as a calligraphist to make extra pocket money when she was in college so I guess that’s where I get it from.
CaptainLollygag replied:
Do you write in Spencerian Script? I've been learning that for a few years, after having initially been taught the rounder Palmer Script, because the cursive style from the 1800s is absolutely lovely, It's been hard to retrain my natural hand in a completely different style, but it's worth it to me.
I'm so envious, my handwriting is like from a doctor with Parkinsons... No offence to doctors with Parkinsons
I went viral and got a million+ views on YouTube in 2007 for a silly rap about the Nintendo Wii I made out of boredom, before that was a common thing, and before there were ads on YouTube. My video was featured on the front page of YT, on Attack of the Show, and at Nintendo's E3 press conference that year, and was one of the first hundred videos available on the iPhone (since iOS didn't support Flash video at the time)...and while I felt like the coolest kid in town and at my campus for a period, I made exactly $0 for it.
There’s also a kind of conditioning whereby social media provide a slew of opportunities for flexing. These inevitably tickle a number of very human reactions, including things like the desire for attention and competition.
What’s more, when you compare bragging on social media as opposed to “in real life”, the paradigm of why we brag stays the same, but the means seems to provide a bigger reward and more motivation to do so in the first place.
“It’s not technology that amplifies bragging in itself—it’s the fact that digital platforms mean your bragging has a potentially global audience,” elaborated digital sociologist Mark Carrigan in an interview with Bored Panda.
“The underlying mechanism is the same in that people enjoy being recognized and celebrated by a group for their capabilities, it’s just on social media that celebration can spread far beyond a group of friends or acquaintances.”
codeandchips said:
I was in Barry Manilow's backing choir for a few Wembley arena dates.
DoctorCaptainSpacey replied:
As a Fanilow, I love this. 👍
Earguy replied:
In the late 1970s, Manilow recruited my high school choir's pop group (12 of the best kids) for the local concert. Apparently he's been doing it for decades. Just a few years ago he did this for another high school, recruited the high school band, then donated a bunch of instruments to the school. A real lowkey, no attention help to aspiring musicians. Manilow is a good dude.
My sister in law was named after his song, Mandy. Her parents were huge fans.
Lovingnature412 said:
I can lose a remote that I had just searched for and found in under 30 seconds.
medicff replied:
I’ve lost a wrench and tore apart the work area looking for it, with that wrench in my hand.
Ridry replied:
So anytime I leave anywhere I tap my belt holster to make sure my phone is there. The amount of times I had the "oh no" second when my phone wasn't there because it was IN MY HAND is too many to count.
tripleBBxD replied:
A friend of mine once searched his phone and turned on the flashlight of his phone to look under their couch without noticing.
thelastwilson replied:
Have you ever been speaking on the phone to someone and said "oh [crud], I lost my phone" to them?
...
I have.
I once won gold at the Games Workshop "Golden Demon" painting competition, in the 90s.
Quit straight away and never entered again. Go out on top.
I'm a 32yo female and never had a pregnancy scare.
Covering up some other comments. How's y'all's day been so far? I personally feel a bit tired but I'm getting through
One of my favourite composers responded to an email I sent him asking for feedback on a cover I did of one of his tracks. It was a lengthy and insightful response and it really did make the 6 month of working on it all worthwhile.
EDIT: for those asking, it was Chris Christodoulou's 'The Rain Formerly Known As Purple' which you can check out my cover of here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKjnfpOzGvo
Carrigan continues: “It also injects a competitive element into this, with only the most remarkable or surprising flexes being likely to win the interest of a large audience. It taps into something profoundly human which preexisted social media but it draws it out and turbo charges it in a way which can be destructive and off-putting.”
For context, competition and competitiveness aren’t inherently bad or good. At least from a biological and psychological point of view. It’s how evolution works. It does become a problem if the scales get tipped and a person becomes hypercompetitive.
In the long run, this can become a huge burden as the constant need to compare oneself to others might lead to feelings of inadequacy, perfectionism and eventual burnout. Besides that, there’s also the fact that being braggadocious is often viewed as annoying and arrogant, hence it might also lead to isolation.
[deleted] said:
After 30 years of being a couch potato I started running in my fifties. 11 months later did a half marathon in a decent time for someone half my age.
saugoof replied:
I'm almost the same. I started running in my late-forties after a lifetime of zero exercise and an absolute hatred of running. It took a lot longer before I decided to try a marathon but at 57 I ran my first marathon and a half-marathon and finished in the top third in my age group.
The thing is, I still hate running. I have never enjoyed one minute of it. But I also never regretted going for a run. I love "having been" for a run. But mostly what keeps me going is that I can just tell what a massively positive change this has made to my life.
I run and I absolutely love it. It feels like I'm faster than all the s**t going on in my brain, which I probably am because I'm very fast. Unfortunately I can only run for like 5 minute bursts, I'm working on stamina
HistoryTurd said:
Not that weird but I moved to the other side of the world on my own when I turned 18.
taint_temptress replied
Same here! Chicago suburbs to Australia, not a huge culture shock at all but it led me to more travel and haven't lived in the States since - I'm 29 now. Lived in south Korea, Cambodia, went to university in The Netherlands, first 'adult' job in London, now traveling in southeast Asia again and writing this from Chiang Mai.
I worked my way through all of it. A life experience I'd recommend to anyone who is able and willing to go for it.
SpaceGhostBurp said:
I was Time Magazine's person of the year in 2006. 💪
fies76 replied:
Dam it, YOU got me...
jakoto0 replied:
Now check the winner in 2007...
KapnKrumpin replied:
Oof. Thats aged about as as well as their 1938 pick.
Vladimir Putin in 2007, and Adolph Hitler in 1938 so you don't have to Google it. :)
National_Buddy_7542 said:
I made a leather shoe a few days ago. It's rather tiny but kinda cool and wearable for gnomes.
smoothiefruit replied:
Are you making a second one?
im_not_u_im_cat replied:
Asking the important questions.
ExternalCommon8854 said:
My class was working on a short film together with professionals, and I was an editor.
I got to work with the original editor of Lego Ninjago season 1-3 on my class shortfilm.
i_the-FilipinoYokaii replied:
Okay, THIS ONE made me gasp out loud! What was it like to work with them?
ExternalCommon8854 replied:
Well you could clearly tell she was very professional and good at her job.
The way she pointed out the small things like the direction people looked and the extras in the background behaved so we could make sure it all made sense was really cool.
My weird flex is that I can remember completely random things that sometimes aren’t even important. I can remember so many memories from my childhood which aren’t even worth remembering but I can’t remember that I have homework
I remember being around 2- 3, sitting on the toilet only to lean forward and fall head first into a trashcan.
Load More Replies...I have never been stung by a bee. Also, a spiritual guru offered me a job when I was nine based on my aura. Weird, I know.
Me neither, though I was stung by a sandfly. Good thing too, as my siblings are all allergic so I probably am too. I have also never had a blood nose or broken a bone.
Load More Replies...My weird flex? When I was four, my parents and I got lost looking for a Bob Evans restaurant. When Dad found it, he turned to me and said..."Remember, Janet, it's on Roosevelt Road." He was teasing, but damn if I don't remember that 40 yrs later!
My weird flex would probably be that im by far the fastest runner on my ultimate team which has lost every single game in two years. I'm the best of the worst
My weird flex, I can twist my little toe on my left foot around so the bottom is on the top. Can't do it to any other toe, just that one.
my weird flex is that i can push my thumb into my hand without using my other hand.
My weird flex is that I can remember completely random things that sometimes aren’t even important. I can remember so many memories from my childhood which aren’t even worth remembering but I can’t remember that I have homework
I remember being around 2- 3, sitting on the toilet only to lean forward and fall head first into a trashcan.
Load More Replies...I have never been stung by a bee. Also, a spiritual guru offered me a job when I was nine based on my aura. Weird, I know.
Me neither, though I was stung by a sandfly. Good thing too, as my siblings are all allergic so I probably am too. I have also never had a blood nose or broken a bone.
Load More Replies...My weird flex? When I was four, my parents and I got lost looking for a Bob Evans restaurant. When Dad found it, he turned to me and said..."Remember, Janet, it's on Roosevelt Road." He was teasing, but damn if I don't remember that 40 yrs later!
My weird flex would probably be that im by far the fastest runner on my ultimate team which has lost every single game in two years. I'm the best of the worst
My weird flex, I can twist my little toe on my left foot around so the bottom is on the top. Can't do it to any other toe, just that one.
my weird flex is that i can push my thumb into my hand without using my other hand.