How to Be Weird

It seems like everyone is sort of the same nowadays, doesn't it? Sometimes being yourself isn't enough, you need to be a little weird to stand out. The one thing to remember before jumping into this guide: you want to be weird, not crazy! Find a balance to be seen as endearing and weird, not a loose cannon.

Part 1

Part 1 of 4:

Acting Weird

Download Article

1
Invent your own places, and customs. Invent a holiday, give it a weird name, and then when the day comes around, get decked out. Talk about a place you went that no one's ever heard of. Your holiday is celebrated there and you can show your friends the timeless customs of this magical place if they'd like.
- Nowadays, every day is something, but no one actually celebrates it. Is it National Pancake Day? Walk around handing out pictures of pancakes, telling everyone that you’re trying to spread the word about this hidden breakfast treat but do be aware Shrive Tuesday, or Pancake Day, is celebrated widely in the UK and other Common Wealth countries. To be truly weird, pick a holiday or commemorative day not widely known anywhere.
2
Talk to random people in the streets and say ridiculous things. Try "Hello Granny! I haven't seen you in years!" while grinning, of course, or "Oh my gosh! Are you okay?" When they are clearly alive, fine and well. Just make sure you're picking someone who will laugh, and not someone who will think you're crazy.
- Ask random people if they've seen a rhino, and elephant, etc., "anywhere around here." Seem serious about it. But, of course, after a couple of minutes of pulling their leg, you may want to admit that it's a joke!
- Pretend like you don't know what some specific, common things are. When your friend asks you if you want a banana, say, "What's a banana?"
- Of course, some people may think you’re certifiably crazy and may think you’re harassing them. Choose your targets carefully and always do things with a smile on your face, showing you mean no harm.
Advertisement
3
Overreact to the little things. For example, if you see a slinky, act as if it's a great discovery. Or, if you do a minor bad thing, like forget to push in your chair or crease a piece of paper, be inconsolable. How could you dare to do such a terrible thing?! No one will be able to tell if you're serious or not!
- If you see your friend step on an ant, say, “Oh no! What have you done?! Oh, little ant, your life was so short! Rest in peace!” And then move on, happy as a clam.
- Only do this on occasion. Again, if people can't predict your behavior, they'll probably just think you've lost your marbles.
4
Have strange taste in food. For instance, say, "Oh my gosh! Are those Oreos? They're so spicy! I never knew they sold them here!" or "These pickles taste like my brother's wallpaper."
- Try foods most people don't eat or foods that people eat, but wouldn't eat the way you're eating. For example, bring a lemon to lunch and eat it like an orange, or put an orange in between two pieces of bread for an "orange sandwich." Or make a sandwich with gummy worms and ketchup.
5
Have your own signature thing. You want a thing that's quintessentially you. It should be quirky and something no one else you know does. You could put a little skip in your walk, make a noise after every time you sneeze, always wear hats everywhere, or be afraid of clams. Be creative!
- It could be how you say things, when you say things, or even just the way you laugh. The tinier the thing, the more it'll stand out, too.
6
Choose a strange hobby. You want to do something that no one else does, like collecting packing peanuts and turning them into sculptures, making piñatas, painting your nose, or writing bad poetry about Jackalopes. Who knows? If you're original enough you could turn it into a business!
- This hobby could be a strange pet, such as a pet rock, a pet ladder, a pet soda can, or a pet sneaker. Take it everywhere with you, and converse with it. Soon enough, you’ll be the person “with the pet rock.” If you don’t have it, eventually people will start asking you where it is!
- Make sure you have loyal friends who won't ditch you for being weird.

Part 2

Part 2 of 4:

Speaking Weird

Download Article

1
Make up new words. Ninjas have ninjosity and ninjitude, for example. Use these words constantly, just like they’re real words. If someone tells you something is not a word, tell them it is now! Explain philosophically why.
- Can't come up with something? Take a couple of your favorite words and mash them together. Your favorite words are bubble and flamingo? Bubbingo, it is. Now what's a bubbingo?
2
Speak with strange accents. One day you fancy yourself Irish, one day you're French, and the next day you're Chinese. Why not? You could even invent your own accent if you'd like. Perhaps it's the accent of that made-up place you go to? Or try to talk in a really deep voice, or a really high one.
- How.com.vn has a great article on speaking gibberish. That's a way of speaking your own language that is very easy to learn. If your friends learn it too, you could be "weird" together!
- Wildly fluctuate the tone and pitch of your voice at different times, too. Whisper when you don’t need to, sing your words, or talk very, very, very slowly whenever you feel like it. But be warned, this can really get on some people’s nerves!
3
Interject a half-thought into a conversation. For best results make sure your half-thought has nothing to do with the conversation. Is everyone talking about that new song on the radio? All of a sudden, you come in with, “Oh, man. Blueberries. They’re just so…” Or, interject and say the name of a random type of food.
- This is a good way to stop a conversation and get another one started. The current topic boring you? Say, "Did you see that TV show?" and your friends might be too distracted to go back to what they were originally thinking about.
4
Talk to yourself and inanimate objects. Don't do it all the time (otherwise you'll just look schizophrenic) – just if someone around is ignoring you. That’ll get them to pay attention to you for sure!
- A lull in the conversation? Friends boring you? Why not strike up a conversation with your notebook or your food? You could be the life of the party in no time! Weird, but the life of the party nonetheless.
5
Make up nicknames for all your friends. Use a different one every day. They don't have to be good! Take aspects of their personality or their look (without being mean of course) and think about what fits them.
- Or what doesn't fit them! Some nicknames are funny because they are so unfitting. Have a friend who's way taller than you? He's "short stuff" for today. A friend who loves puppies? Call her "cheese puffs" – it doesn't have to do with anything! Change the words in their name. For example: Paige can turn into Peige. Do this only if your friends are okay with it.
- Bear in mind that this may not work as well in Australia, where redheads are often nicknamed 'Bluey.'

Part 3

Part 3 of 4:

Looking Weird

Download Article

1
Dress with clashing colors, textures, and patterns. Clothing is a major part of being crazy! Combine clashing colors or patterns to create outfits that can't help but stand out. Combine decades too, with new, modern clothes and vintage ones. Just make sure you're okay with everyone staring!
- Dress up in unusual clothing, too, such as fairy wings, witches' hats, or vampire teeth. Halloween costumes are always great, regardless of what day of the year it is.
2
Don't wear what everyone else is wearing. If people are wearing skinny jeans, wear ripped up bell bottoms. If people are wearing checkers, wear some crazy design. Mix it up. Try thrift stores to find unique looks. Being weird is all about doing your own thing and standing out.
- To be truly weird, this may mean wearing clothes you don't actually care for. After all, it's about being weird and not being fashionable, right? Raid your mom or dad's closet to get ideas that are truly inspirational.
3
Dress normally once in a while. When Halloween comes around, dress as someone completely normal. Choose other random, arbitrary days where you dress normal, too. Otherwise, people might just get used to what you wear.
- If you want to be weird, you have to be a little inconsistent. Being normal once in a while will highlight to others when you're being weird again. If you're weird all the time, they'll just come to expect it.

Part 4

Part 4 of 4:

Thinking Weird

Download Article

1
Don't be someone who you are not. Nowadays, everyone is trying to be something. By just being yourself, you'll be a little weird. Finding someone who's truly genuine is a rare occurrence. Embrace the quirks that come to you naturally – they may be enough.
- Everything will come a lot easier if you do as you're naturally inclined. If you fake being weird, you're just putting on a show, and it'll be hard to keep consistent. What's more, it may bring you down not being you. All the more reason to be yourself!
2
Don't pay attention to what others think. If you're concerned with your image, being weird will not come easy. You need to abandon what others expect of you and only think about what feels right to you. Your reputation does not matter – you are an oddball now.
- Whether you're an oddball or not, it shouldn't matter what others think. Those who matter won't mind who you are. Why should anyone else have any say in they you are or what you're like?
3
Wait for your reputation to precede you. Once you start acting weirdly, word will get around that you're a little odd. Eventually people will just come to expect it. You may do something totally normally and just because it's you, people will get a kick out of it. So be sure you want to be weird – because it may last a while!
- What's more, you may forget how to act normal. Habit makes practice, after all. If being weird doesn't work for you, it could be difficult to go back to the way you used to be. So be sure before you take the dive into weirdness that you're ready for the commitment.
4
Choose a new identity on occasion. Be Napoleon, the President, a princess, a prince, an elf, etc. Embody them in their look and in their personality. Hit up Halloween stores after Halloween for awesome discounts and make your own costumes, too.
- Try to think like them too! An elf wouldn't know what do with a cell phone, for example. When yours rings, you respond with, "Ahhh! What is this blasphemous contraption! How do I...hmm...interesting."

Expert Q&A

Search

Add New Question

Ask a Question

200 characters left

Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.

Submit

Tips

One other way to stand out from the crowd is to dye your hair an exotic color.
Thanks
Helpful1 Not Helpful2
Learn a foreign language and break out into a conversation or song at random times while people are talking to you!
Thanks
Helpful2 Not Helpful1
If someone says something insulting to you, or say you're weird in an insulting way. Make them feel like they just gave you the biggest compliment!
Thanks
Helpful3 Not Helpful1

Show More Tips

Tips from our Readers

The advice in this section is based on the lived experiences of How.com.vn readers like you. If you have a helpful tip you’d like to share on How.com.vn, please submit it in the field below.

The coolest person I know has this mad frizzy hair that she dyed black, and she bursts into song at random moments not caring that she is off key. She has a very quirky taste in music and laughs loudly. She dances even with no music and is amazing. She is the weirdest person I have met and I am honored to be her friend. Which is to say: Do your own thing!
Start a club so that you won't have to be weird alone. Make every day a special themed day, like crazy name day, where you make up new names to call yourselves.
Remember that being weird isn't just fun, but it's also the best way to get people to remember you. Nobody remembers the normal people!

Submit a Tip

All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published

Submit

Thanks for submitting a tip for review!

Warnings

Some of the steps in this manual can sound like you're acting, even to the public - therefore you could end up in a center for various crazy people. Psychotic is different from weird.
Thanks
Helpful36 Not Helpful4
When you are not acting weird, people may still treat you as if you are a complete weirdo.
Thanks
Helpful35 Not Helpful5
Refrain from drooling, as it is perceived as creepy.
Thanks
Helpful50 Not Helpful9
Not recommended for people who have jobs as doctors, psychiatrists, those helping children and adults, teachers, etc.
Thanks
Helpful48 Not Helpful9
Remember, some jokes can be hurtful, so be careful not to offend anybody too much. There is a limit to what you can say about somebody. But still speak your mind, even if the person is hurt you shouldn't not say what you think, just don't be extremely blunt with it.
Thanks
Helpful38 Not Helpful7