Why a humblebrag is a drag
Brunch|October 21, 2023
You're not modest if you have to tell the world you are. To hell with humility! Celebrate your wins
Tanisha Saxena
Why a humblebrag is a drag

American comedian Harris Wittels passed away, at 30, in 2015, of a heroin overdose. Is he tooting his own horn in heaven? Because before he departed, he gifted humanity with a most useful phrase.

Wittels coined the term "humblebragging" on Twitter in 2010. It refers to the act of weaving one's personal and accomplishments indulgences into casual conversation, and deliberately downplaying it.

Humblebrags are all over the place. One viral clip, featuring Gwyneth Paltrow on the Graham Norton show, starts off simply enough. Paltrow is describing her hilarious attempt at cooking duck. The fat, she says, burst into flame. "What did you do?" Norton asks. "I threw it into the pool!" Not such a relatable story, then, Gwyneth!

This story is from the October 21, 2023 edition of Brunch.

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This story is from the October 21, 2023 edition of Brunch.

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