When Kimberly Church (@thesyliststeal), a personal shopping consultant and mom of three, posted a TikTok video about her fourth grader refusing to bring snacks to school in a Ziploc bag, it provoked quite the reaction. Her son insisted she buy branded individual serving-size bags instead, claiming the humble sandwich bag was “too embarrassing.”
Church’s video has since gone viral, racking up over 1.5M views, 115.3K likes, and nearly 2000 comments since it was posted on Feb. 4, 2025, opening up a larger discourse about the primal need to maintain social status during lunch period.
The enthusiastic response on TikTok shows that for adults across generations, recollections of their own grade-school lunch period represent 35 minutes of scrutiny and shame. Clearly, little has changed.
‘This kind of snack is embarrassing’
Church recorded herself in the kitchen, holding up a Ziploc containing her son’s snack. The handful of what appears to be a very trending type of chip was presumably transferred to the Ziploc from a larger, economy-sized bag. She says, “New today from my fourth-grader that this kind of snack is embarrassing. Like, a Ziploc bag with a snack in it is embarrassing.”
The mom goes on to explain that her mortified child requested she send his snack in “one of those individual single serving bags.” Incredulous, she emphasized the bag in her hand and asserted, “He could not bring this to school. He was too embarrassed.”
@thestyliststeal ♬ original sound – Kimberly Church
No, he doesn’t want the regular ‘sandwich’ bag
Of course, growing up would be embarrassing if every insignificant thing— for example, a sandwich bag—is a potential target to be roasted for. Many people in the comments could relate.
“Not the regular ‘sandwich’ bag,” @peanutbutterandj0 explains in a comment, “but the individual ‘hot Cheetos brand’ bag.”
“There’s no telling what will be made fun of in school. Just assume everything,” commented @cooki710. TikToker @samanthanicole825 said, “My mom used to pack me an APPLE, and the way I was dragged for it, I get what he means.”
@vandizzle07‘s kid figured out an inverted way to be embarrassed about snack packaging at school. He “…dumps his snacks from the single serve into a ziplock bag because he says the crinkle noise to open it is embarrassing.”
The trauma of lunch never ends
The post also resonated with adults who pointed out that the weird brutality of kids bullying each other about food doesn’t end at graduation. Unsurprisingly, insecure kids picking on others can grow up to become weird adult bullies torturing coworkers who are just trying to eat in peace.
“I honestly relate to your 4th grader because lunchtime at work still feels embarrassing to me and I’m almost 30,” commented @breesporty. User @its_shunn “got clowned for eating a cup of noodles my first day. Childish 
that’s why I go to my car now.”
Kids at learn social hierarchy fast—especially during lunch
According to experts, 33% of elementary-aged children in the U.S. reported being bullied often while at school. The numbers climb as kids get older, with 49.8% of tweens experiencing bullying at school.
The vibe is that kids who bring packed lunches made from bulk-prepared foods or leftovers often face ridicule or even bullying. In contrast, those who bring higher-priced, pre-packaged, brand-name, or store-bought items usually avoid attention. When a child’s lunch includes food from a culture that others don’t recognize, they also become more vulnerable to exclusion. These long-standing dynamics reflect deep racial and socio-economic themes, and this came through clearly in the reactions to Church’s viral video.
“I would just listen to him,” commented @bandapearr. “I remember lunchtime was one of the worst parts of the day for me because of how much I would get made fun of.” She started asking her mom to just give her lunch money instead.
“In the 2000s when you used to bring over your friends. You had off-brand sodas, and that wasn’t cool enough,” wrote @nancydoodles. “Separating the in-crowd from the uncool kids was very common among white kids where I grew up,” said @taffy27z.
The very real need to ‘fit in’
The human need and desire to fit in is heightened during childhood and adolescence, hence the extreme levels of embarrassment experienced by kids in school. Many kids will do whatever they can to fall in line. This can seem irrational to parents who have enough perspective to know that the opinions of others are often meaningless.
Failure to feel accepted by peers can have real consequences, including the likelihood of college attendance. According to a 2019 report by the Pew Research Center, girls were 57% and boys 68% less likely to attend college if they had feelings of not fitting in.
It’s up to adults to model inclusion and encourage an atmosphere of belonging for the most vulnerable students. Parents of privileged kids can recognize the teaching opportunity in moments like the one in Church’s video. They can impart to their kids the idea that they’re in a position to model inclusive behaviors to their peers with less friction.
‘Kids need to be embarrassed sometimes’
User @yourmillenialbimomma gets it: “Kids need to be embarrassed sometimes.” User @fairyfxith replied to the post, “give it to him anyways so he can learn to be appreciative and not care what other people think about a simple little snack.”
Growing up involves learning that people are affected by a variety of socioeconomic realities and systemic injustices. There are people with different cultural backgrounds, different bodies, and different values. This means that you too, are allowed to be who you are.
So be brave and free yourself from the debilitating shame of carrying an unbranded snack. Flaunt that generic plastic bag. It’s what’s on the inside that ultimately matters.
This is a whole other approach, perhaps worth mentioning. Here’s a hot take from @missyjfierro in response to Church’s fourth grader’s situation. “Wondering would a reusable plastic bag like the silicone ones be cooler? Isn’t being environmentally friendly cool?!”
@thestyliststeal did not immediately reply to the Daily Dot’s request for comment via email.
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