Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Some days, when we’re strutting down the street, we feel like we’re Marilyn Monroe in The Seven Year Itch… even if to everyone else we look like Bully Maguire in Spider-Man 3. It’s particularly painful when the scales fall from our eyes and we realize that maybe we weren’t being a fashion beauty after all, but more of a fashion beast.
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That’s exactly the embarrassing, yet hysterical for the rest of us, experience that befell TikTok user @bellabellahull on what started out as such a good day. Bella explains in her video that she just wore a new top for the first time today — one that’s notable for its particularly poofy shoulders. However, while out and about, she ended up putting a jumper on over her spiffy new shirt, as it got a bit cold. And thus went her fatal mistake.
“For the whole day, people have been looking at me,” Bella admits. “And doing double takes. And every time it’s happened I’ve just been like ‘yeah, I’m having a great day today.’” Unfortunately, the ego trip ended with a tumble over the waterfall of humiliation when Bella got home and glimpsed herself in the mirror…
Yup, Bella had tragically miscalculated how her sweater would fit over her fulsome-shouldered top, and the result was it looked like she’d had her head shrunk down two sizes, like that dude from Beetlejuice. It seems those civilians craning their necks at Bella as she walked by weren’t so much captivated by her sartorial style as they were wondering why she was dressed like a Sontaran from Doctor Who or Dana Carvey’s Turtle Man.
As you’d imagine, the good people of TikTok — as compassionate as ever — were on hand to rub salt into Bella’s wound by roasting her to kingdom come. “Joost Klein is that u????” joked one, referencing the Dutch singer’s thing for elaborate shoulder pads. “Cressida Cowper energy,” quipped another, mentioning Bridgerton‘s queen of floofy-shouldered flocks. “Good luck in the Super Bowl,” said some well-wisher. But, hey, we have to hand it to Bella, as one comment said, she’s “ready to tackle the day.”
Both her day and her self-esteem may have taken a beating, but Bella can perhaps take some small solace from the fact she’s brought so much joy to others by sharing her embarrassing fashion faux pas on TikTok. As one commenter promised: “When im sad ill think abt this.”
If you want to get technical, that thing you’re feeling as you cackle away while watching this video is called Schadenfreude (a combination of the German words for “harm” and “joy”). Our instinct to laugh at someone else’s expense is a totally natural one that’s hardwired into our brains from our “everyone for themselves!” caveman days. So, don’t worry, you’re not an asshole. Well, you are, but it’s fine because we all are. To misquote Jessica Rabbit, we’re not bad, we’re just made that way.
But, as for Bella, hopefully she’s going to bounce back from this belly laugh-inducing blow and strut that street with as much confidence tomorrow. Just shrug your (oversized) shoulders and own it, girl.
