Technology is an inescapable part of modern society and with that is a prevalence of cameras and social media. Chances are good that with the frequency of photos, one terrible one will be taken and uploaded on to social media for you to cringe at. Here are the stages of seeing a bad photo of yourself online:

Humor.

Haha, oh my goodness, look at that picture. I don’t think I’ve ever made that face before in my life.

Awe.

How did that even happen? That’s amazing that someone could capture the exact moment I was sneezing/ eating/ dying on the inside/ etc. Wow, and I convey such emotion in my facial expression. It’s a shame that emotion is pained or sad or disgusted or just awkward.

Anger.

Attempt to purge this image from existence. Here, you will reach out to the original owner of the photo and ask them to remove it. You will continue to pester them to varying levels. If it is a stranger or an acquaintance you will stop your persistence after a polite request. If it is a close friend or family, there will be some yelling, threatening, and begging on your behalf.

Disassociation.

If they refuse to remove the photo you will try reporting it on social media to see if it is removed. You will attempt to remove all tags and other things connecting you to the photo. If you have a copy of the photo in your camera roll, on your computer or via a text message you will delete this to purge it from your electronics.

Resignation.

This photo exists. It’s online so you probably won’t ever get rid of it. People will likely forget about it soon though, or at least you hope so. Realize this, and hope to move on to laughing at it one day.

Humor (again).

You’ll probably move on quickly once you remember how funny it is. Seriously, though, why did you wear that outfit or make that face? If it’s funny enough you’ll turn it into an inside joke for a while. Family and personal photos everywhere are already treasured for being awkward, just embrace this one. You’ll probably even turn it into a throwback post one day. Enjoy it’s awkward and regretful existence.