In one of the most cringeworthy moments to grace TikTok, a man’s attempt to mock a woman for wearing band merchandise backfired spectacularly.
Now, we all know it's pretty lame to wear a band t-shirt just to try to look cool and fit in with the crowd. But what's even more lame than that is challenging a stranger to name some songs in an effort to belittle them.
However, in a video that is so cringeworthy that you'll want the Earth to just open you up and swallow you whole, one guy has learned why you shouldn't be such a d*** about other people wearing band t-shirts.
The viral six-second clip shows Jo Cotrotsou ooking visibly shocked as she recounts an awkward encounter with the unnamed man. With over 2.5 million views on TikTok, the video captured the internet's attention for all the right (and wrong) reasons.
In the video, Jo is seen sitting in a restaurant wearing a sleeveless black top featuring the logo for the Greek indie rock band Bad Habits. Jo reveals that a male stranger challenged her to name three songs by the band... which is particularly awkward because Jo is the group's lead singer.
She described the interaction in on-screen text: "Guys, I was casually waiting for my food wearing my band's merch, and a guy came up and asked to name three songs."
In the caption, she added: "I don't know how I should feel about this."
Cue the collective facepalm. The man, presumably trying to catch her out, had no idea that the woman he approached was not just a fan of the band — she was its lead vocalist.
Alongside Ellie (bass and vocals), Spiros (guitar), Severin (lead guitar), and Apostol (drums), Jo forms Bad Habits, a rock & roll band founded in Athens in late 2020.
In the video, Jo laughed off the encounter, showing she wasn’t fazed by the man’s smug attempt to challenge her knowledge of her own band’s music.
The internet was quick to rally behind Jo, with commenters sharing their secondhand embarrassment for the man and applauding Jo’s cool composure.
One user wrote: "People actually do this irl?? That's so embarrassing for them."
Another said: "I hope he sees this and gets so embarrassed he never asks anyone to name 3 songs again."
Fans couldn’t resist suggesting witty comebacks Jo could’ve used in the moment. One joked: "'Oh please you wouldn't recognise the band if they'd be sitting in front of you,' followed by the most intense stare ever."
Another suggested: "You should name a song you are still working on, and when you release it, he JUST MAYBE has a really bad flashback."
Someone else chimed in with the ultimate mic-drop response: "'Which ones? The ones I wrote or just any song?'”
While Jo managed to turn the cringeworthy encounter into a lighthearted viral moment, the man in question has likely learned a valuable lesson: maybe don’t quiz someone on their t-shirts.
And as one commenter perfectly put it: "If he’s seen the video, he’s probably learnt to keep his mouth shut for next time."
