Some people "fake it until they make it" while others fail miserably at faking things. We are all guilty of pretending for something or the other—we might appreciate something without actually liking it to keep a friend happy or we might pretend to be busy to avoid an invitation. 

Someone who is trying too hard to be cool is easy to spot unless they are skilled actors. If pretending makes one appear flaky, then, why do people pretend? In most cases, weak personalities get under situational pressure and act differently. This feeling stems from insecurity and they fear being judged or criticized. Some people on the other hand behave or act differently to manipulate others and get things done their way. Pretending to be cool when you are not is a turn-off and that's why someone posted on the AskReddit community, "What screams 'I am not [as tough as] I pretend to be'?" People flooded the comment section with their encounters with 'uncool' cool people. Scroll through the 25 best responses we have curated for you and enjoy a "Hell, yeah moment." 

1. Self-proclaimed

"'People don't like me because I tell it like it is.' No, people don't like you because you're an ass."
- u/601Ninjas

2. "Alpha male"

"Claiming you are an 'Alpha Male': If you have to tell people you are a natural leader you probably aren't one."
- u/jasenzero1

3. Arrghh

"'Do you know who I am... or whose son/daughter I am' kind of people..".
- u/No_Bullfrog5811

4. Shush!

“'Inside me is a wolf, mess with me or my pack and I’ll show my fangs' or any similar cringy edgy quote about being an animal."
- u/Ragingbull444
 

5. Right

"Do you know those people who disrespect teachers, janitors and other people who work just to make them able to not being f**ked by life? That. That screams it out loud. You're not badass, you're disrespectful and ignorant.
- u/RaimondoSpit

6. Go away

"'You don't want to see me mad'. Unless your name is Bruce Banner, STFU."
- u/yes_u_suckk

7. A psychopath

"'I'm a psychopath! One day I made my therapist cry and that's tooootally legit! I'm insane! I have so many mental illnesses!' Acquaintances I actually have to deal with."
- u/MintIceCreamPlease

8. Crap!

"I'm prior enlisted in the Marines and I'm happy I was in, but now that I'm out that time has passed, I can't stand people that were in and it's their entire identity after they get out. All clothes are military stuff, vehicles covered in military decals, all they talk about is when they were in and so on. For anyone that wasn't in, the easiest way to tell someone that was in the military but weren't in any kind of real combat situations is if they wear and do all that crap."
- u/Mac2311
 

9. Quiet confidence

"I work in a psych hospital in a unit that is the roughest unit we have. We have a lot of people with violent histories and serious mental issues. Without fail, the tougher someone acts or the more intimidating they try to be is inversely proportional to how soft they actually are and that goes for patients and staff alike. The people you don’t want to mess with are the ones who are confidently quiet."
- u/RockHound86

10. Not cool

"Demanding respect but giving none to anyone."
- u/yankstraveler

11. Yeah. Yeah.

"'I would have enlisted and probably made Special Forces but I would have punched a Drill Sergeant if they had gotten in my face.' Sure, bud."
- u/aircavrocker

12. Breaking rules is not cool

"Refusing to wear safety equipment like helmets when its available. True badasses (including truly skilled people) have goals in doing dangerous shit and they understand the challenges in carrying it out."
- u/SilverYayFern

13. NO.

"I saw a massively lifted truck wit the words 'ALPHA AS F**K' stamped across the windshield the other day."
- u/gatheringdusk

14. Awful

"Revving your engine loudly at a red light/ burning rubber just to hit the next red light."
- u/ProperBlue

15. Wait, what?

"My gf serves tables for work right now. Apparently yesterday some 'tough' dude refused to write his signature with her pink pen simply because it was pink."
- u/underroad01

16. So?

"'When I get mad I blackout and lose control.' Okay buddy." 
- u/[deleted]

17. The 20s

"People in their 20s hanging around with prepubescent kids, thinking they are the top dawg. Doesn't have any friends their own age because people their age know what they are about."
- u/Beneficial_Wheel_274

18. Fragile

"'Alpha' males losing their shit when their self image is even remotely challenged in any way."
- u/faxanadude_

19. Coward

"Continually requesting a fight, but never actually starting the fight."
 - u/AlterEdward

20. Not going to work

Anyone who gives themselves a tough-sounding nickname. They are to be earned, not self-imposed.
- u/history7s

21. Blow your own trumpet

"The biggest indicator that you are not a baddass is telling me you are a baddass. If you have to tell me how important you are, you are not terribly important."
- u/aecarol1

22. Unnecessary

"Picking on that one friend in the group around everyone and then acting like an offended little bitch when they even try to joke back with them. Trying to start a fight with just about anyone that gives them a dirty look.
Buying a giant pick up truck that they need to climb into to just get in and never even use the *bed of the truck for its purpose. And finally… screaming/yelling at anyone who disagrees with them no matter how big or small the subject matter is."
- u/AskinggAlesana

23. Who cares?

"Bragging about how many people you’ve had sex with. No one really cares and at worst, it’s a cause for concern."
- u/Master_Cake6412

24. No way to thunder

"Men who take their shirts off when they're mad, punch their chest like a gorilla and get red faced yelling. Usually someone's going to pull them back so nothing's really going to happen nor is anyone scared. It's all bark. If they can't stay calm, there's no doubt they're not tough."
- u/dotjpegdotcom

25. Fake alert

"Telling the same stories from years back. I have a friend whose only personality is that she is aggressive, always telling the same story from middle school where she apparently had a reputation. Acting like she is the toughest person and no one should mess with her. Fake confidence, extremely annoying."
- u/isushristina