Embarrassment Squick
Over the years, I've seen quite a few people on LJ bring up their "embarrassment squick" from time to time. There have been lots of posts on the subject, and recently I've been wondering just how common it really is.
"Having an embarrassment squick means being squicked by having to watch characters in humiliating, embarrassing or awkward situations, or making fools of themselves. Trigger boundaries for this squick vary widely, but common triggers are certain types of comedy (slapstick in particular), plots built around misunderstandings, and some story tropes such as bodyswitch or bodysharing."
- Fanlore article
Personally? I have a major embarrassment squick, one that's apparently hereditary since my mom's the exact same way (though mine's a little worse). There are lots of times when I'm watching a TV show or movie and I literally can't get through a scene. I have to get up and leave the room until it's finished, fast-forward through it, or at the very least cover my eyes (and usually my ears) if there's absolutely no way that I can get up and leave.
For example, Life on Mars is a brilliant show. I adore it, and I've recommended it to tons of people over the past few years. Despite my love for it, though, I've probably missed a good five to ten minutes of every episode even though I've watched them all multiple times. Why? Because I literally can't sit through the scenes where Sam's actions make everyone around him think he's insane.
Let's switch over to Stargate Atlantis. When most people in fandom list their favorite episodes, "Duet" tends to be on it. Me? There's, maybe, ten minutes of that episode that I can actually manage to watch. I have to basically skim through the rest of it, because I literally cannot watch McKay's actions when Cadman's in control of his body. I know that it's acting, I know that David Hewlett probably had a ball filming it . . . but that doesn't change anything.
Psych, which I love and adore, is a show that I usually have to fast-forward through at least three or four scenes every episode if I'm going to be able to make it through it. And while most of fandom seems to adore the Psych-Outs at the end (outtakes, bloopers, etc.), I can't watch hardly any of them. It doesn't matter than they're basically the cast having fun and they're not even in character (for the most part) - it still hits my squick.
When it comes to movies, Spider-Man 3 is a prime example. There are tons of scenes throughout it that I couldn't watch, and it was especially difficult to get through since the first time I saw it was in the theater. That's a large part of why I've only watched it once or twice. The rest has to do with my disappointment in the plot, which is a post for another day.
Most shows have at least a few scenes in them that hit my embarrassment squick. There are a few that seem to hit it more often than others: due South, Stargate Atlantis, certain interviews and skits done on The Daily Show and The Colbert Report, pretty much anything featuring Adam Sandler/Will Ferrell/Jim Carrey/etc., and the like. Despite that, I usually don't have any trouble with reading the same scenes in text, whether it's in a published novel, fanfiction, or a TV/movie script (which, in the case of Life on Mars, has saved me many times so I still knew what was going on when I couldn't make it through the scenes).
So... what about you guys? Does anyone else have an embarrassment squick? Are there any episodes/shows/movies/books/etc. that you can't get through? Curious minds want to know.
"Having an embarrassment squick means being squicked by having to watch characters in humiliating, embarrassing or awkward situations, or making fools of themselves. Trigger boundaries for this squick vary widely, but common triggers are certain types of comedy (slapstick in particular), plots built around misunderstandings, and some story tropes such as bodyswitch or bodysharing."
- Fanlore article
Personally? I have a major embarrassment squick, one that's apparently hereditary since my mom's the exact same way (though mine's a little worse). There are lots of times when I'm watching a TV show or movie and I literally can't get through a scene. I have to get up and leave the room until it's finished, fast-forward through it, or at the very least cover my eyes (and usually my ears) if there's absolutely no way that I can get up and leave.
For example, Life on Mars is a brilliant show. I adore it, and I've recommended it to tons of people over the past few years. Despite my love for it, though, I've probably missed a good five to ten minutes of every episode even though I've watched them all multiple times. Why? Because I literally can't sit through the scenes where Sam's actions make everyone around him think he's insane.
Let's switch over to Stargate Atlantis. When most people in fandom list their favorite episodes, "Duet" tends to be on it. Me? There's, maybe, ten minutes of that episode that I can actually manage to watch. I have to basically skim through the rest of it, because I literally cannot watch McKay's actions when Cadman's in control of his body. I know that it's acting, I know that David Hewlett probably had a ball filming it . . . but that doesn't change anything.
Psych, which I love and adore, is a show that I usually have to fast-forward through at least three or four scenes every episode if I'm going to be able to make it through it. And while most of fandom seems to adore the Psych-Outs at the end (outtakes, bloopers, etc.), I can't watch hardly any of them. It doesn't matter than they're basically the cast having fun and they're not even in character (for the most part) - it still hits my squick.
When it comes to movies, Spider-Man 3 is a prime example. There are tons of scenes throughout it that I couldn't watch, and it was especially difficult to get through since the first time I saw it was in the theater. That's a large part of why I've only watched it once or twice. The rest has to do with my disappointment in the plot, which is a post for another day.
Most shows have at least a few scenes in them that hit my embarrassment squick. There are a few that seem to hit it more often than others: due South, Stargate Atlantis, certain interviews and skits done on The Daily Show and The Colbert Report, pretty much anything featuring Adam Sandler/Will Ferrell/Jim Carrey/etc., and the like. Despite that, I usually don't have any trouble with reading the same scenes in text, whether it's in a published novel, fanfiction, or a TV/movie script (which, in the case of Life on Mars, has saved me many times so I still knew what was going on when I couldn't make it through the scenes).
So... what about you guys? Does anyone else have an embarrassment squick? Are there any episodes/shows/movies/books/etc. that you can't get through? Curious minds want to know.