One way to save face in socially painful situations is to try to appear as though you are doing it all on purpose, to present yourself, for example, as a ‘free spirit’ rather than a ‘loser.’ I know for sure that I did this a lot as a child, and even now I have a tendency to emphasize the ‘weird’ things that I do, to look like I do them confidently and deliberately.
I always associated this behavior more with machismo. The idea that “acting like you know what you’re doing” is more important than “knowing what you’re doing.” Certainly in social situations, but especially in sexual situations, I never want to signal doubt in my actions, even if my actions turn out to be silly or stupid (which is hilariously often).
machismo is, itself, just an aspect of “face”—though perhaps more aligned with the “look how cool I am” aspect rather than the “I meant to do that” face-saving aspect.
I always associated this behavior more with machismo. The idea that “acting like you know what you’re doing” is more important than “knowing what you’re doing.” Certainly in social situations, but especially in sexual situations, I never want to signal doubt in my actions, even if my actions turn out to be silly or stupid (which is hilariously often).
machismo is, itself, just an aspect of “face”—though perhaps more aligned with the “look how cool I am” aspect rather than the “I meant to do that” face-saving aspect.