I don’t know about you, but when someone asks me about myself, I sometimes go into a mini panic spiral. It’s as if I suddenly forget who I am, as a person.
And it seems like I am not the only person who has felt the same sense of stress on being asked about their favourite movies, music etc. Because film director and writer Jessica Ellis described this exact emotion perfectly in a Twitter thread.
In the thread, Ellis talks about the pressure she feels upon being asked about her favourite things. And how dreadful it feels to suddenly have to think up of what they *actually* are!
I cannot be the only person who gets stressed out when asked to name any favorite thing (movie, ice cream flavor, album etc) because I don’t really have one.
— Jessica Ellis (@baddestmamajama) March 20, 2022
I have situational favorites, like “this is the album I like to listen to when I’m homesick” but nothing that just completely divorced of context is “my favorite.” Ice breakers and quizzes freak me out.
— Jessica Ellis (@baddestmamajama) March 20, 2022
My physical therapist once asked my favorite hobby and I panicked and said “I don’t have hobbies.”
— Jessica Ellis (@baddestmamajama) March 20, 2022
What followed were hilarious comments and tweets by people talking about the times they went blank when people asked them about their favourite movies and whatnot.
— Elizabeth Wrigley-Field (@ewrigleyfield) March 21, 2022
I shall make a list of every single one of my favorite things that aren’t hyperspecific like “favorite sci-fi comedy from the BBC” it’s Red Dwarf.
— The Bottomest Pit (@EvelynDarque) March 21, 2022
Favorite Food and Favorite Cheese: pic.twitter.com/13J8Xoofbm
I dont really have a favorite of a lot of things and sometimes I just say the first thing that comes to mind which is a recipe for getting gifts for YEARS that are just fine. Lol
— Ashley Nicole Black (@ashleyn1cole) March 20, 2022
This, but I also resent having to pick. Okay, it’s a tiny resentment, but why do I have to have a fav? I WANT ALL THE THINGS
— Eleanor (@edabny62) March 20, 2022
Friend, coworker, therapist, literally anyone: “So how was your weekend?”
— Julia 🇺🇦😷💉 Pullen (@JulPul14) March 21, 2022
Me, every Monday morning: *immediately forgets the last 72 hours of existence*
I saw something that said “best friend” is a category, not a specific person. 💜
— Kelly Gillespie (@KelGillespie) March 21, 2022
I seem to always revert to what my “faves” were in high school. I must have memorized these answers back then & never thought about it again
— Lauren Windle (@teachingintl) March 21, 2022
Is this a ND thing? Like being over the cultural “how are you” that isn’t meant to actually be answered and just ends up being a greeting that fills space unnecessarily?
— Tiana (@SuperSchwaGirl) March 21, 2022
I HATE when I have to set password recovery questions and they’re all like “childhood hero”, “favourite smell”, “happiest memory”
— Andy W (@thecheesyboy) March 21, 2022
I just don’t think about these things enough to have picked a favourite that I could reliably remember in a few months when I need to recall it.
“There’s a *sliver* of traffic light overlapping into the next tile! Does that count!? WILL I BE PUNISHED??”
— Heidi (@nowheretoheidi) March 20, 2022
At a work event people were supposed to guess my favorite celebrity but I didn’t know the question in advance so people were guessing and I didn’t even know what the answer was. I still don’t know.
— Bellarina (@BellarinaCat) March 21, 2022
I have a different “favorite color” for a dozen situations. Do you mean wall color? Yellow. Also terra cotta. Or pale blue. Dress color? Depends on if it’s work, casual, or event. Dish color? Again, depends on the occasion. Car color? Black. Or white. Or green.
— Karen (@Kokobean987) March 21, 2022
I cannot answer this question either. I always respond with “I can’t name a favorite but I can give you a list of 5-7 I currently enjoy in no particular order” and it either results in a wonderful conversation or a 100% chance I never have to speak to that person again. Win/Win
— Mamie Cole (@MamieCole) March 21, 2022
Same! How can I have one favorite of something? Like you say, it’s situational. How can I chose one movie, one book, one flavor of ice cream? I can tell you what I would choose right now, but it might be different in 15 minutes.
— Tam Frager 🌻 (@Tam5) March 20, 2022
Me in my head, ‘Please for the love of god stop asking me who I am, because I have no friggin’ idea. And I low-key feel like an imposter for saying my favourite song is Yellow even when I haven’t listened to it once in the last 3 years.