Text: Stephanie Chee
If you find yourself nodding to the majority of things in this list, you are in some ways socially awkward.
I feel awkward, I look awkward, I do awkward. And unlike Jenna Hamilton from TV series dubbed ‘Awkward’ and the endless list of endearingly-awkward personalities the likes of Jennifer Lawrence and Andrew Garfield, pulling off ‘awkward’ isn’t exactly a walk in the park.
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Just to be clear, I’m not super duper awkward. In fact, I am quite capable of making small talk, and I handle presentations and eye contact pretty well. I think? It’s all just an act though. I have to constantly force myself to bury my shyness. So, when it comes to meeting new people on a 1-to-1 basis, I just die.
When I first met the Art Director of CLEO, we introduced ourselves and then I went “AWKWARD~” because we had this silence for a while. Way to make a first impression, Steph.
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That’s not even the worst. Most people think that I am arrogant because I am always ignoring them even if I don’t mean to. It’s actually because I either spend too much time mustering enough courage, or processing my thoughts (thanks to slow reaction) that I end up missing the window to speak. And when that happens, I’ll just continue to avoid future encounters altogether, which further aggravates the problem.
My close friends laugh in my face when I tell them I am awkward or shy because once I warm up to someone (which can take seconds or ages), I can be pretty gutsy, and even leaning slightly towards crazy.
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I don’t know. I sure can’t explain why my awkwardness/un-awkwardness is in such extremes, but I don’t think I am the only one who experiences this.
Am I?
If you find yourself nodding to the majority of things in this list, you are in some ways socially awkward.
I feel awkward, I look awkward, I do awkward. And unlike Jenna Hamilton from TV series dubbed ‘Awkward’ and the endless list of endearingly-awkward personalities the likes of Jennifer Lawrence and Andrew Garfield, pulling off ‘awkward’ isn’t exactly a walk in the park.


Just to be clear, I’m not super duper awkward. In fact, I am quite capable of making small talk, and I handle presentations and eye contact pretty well. I think? It’s all just an act though. I have to constantly force myself to bury my shyness. So, when it comes to meeting new people on a 1-to-1 basis, I just die.
When I first met the Art Director of CLEO, we introduced ourselves and then I went “AWKWARD~” because we had this silence for a while. Way to make a first impression, Steph.

That’s not even the worst. Most people think that I am arrogant because I am always ignoring them even if I don’t mean to. It’s actually because I either spend too much time mustering enough courage, or processing my thoughts (thanks to slow reaction) that I end up missing the window to speak. And when that happens, I’ll just continue to avoid future encounters altogether, which further aggravates the problem.
My close friends laugh in my face when I tell them I am awkward or shy because once I warm up to someone (which can take seconds or ages), I can be pretty gutsy, and even leaning slightly towards crazy.


I don’t know. I sure can’t explain why my awkwardness/un-awkwardness is in such extremes, but I don’t think I am the only one who experiences this.
Am I?