Strangers accept minor exposure to avoid major embarrassment later

Evidence

Thus, a woman leaving a darkened theater may yank at her girdle just before stepping out into the light. However, in most settings, readiness checks must be performed within the view of at least a few others. For this reason the check is necessarily superficial, and if major repairs should be required, they must either be postponed or made within the view of whatever persons happen to be about. In such cases, and certainly with most routine preparation, it is apparently preferable to be conspicuous in front of a few strangers at the entrance than to be even more conspicuous by being caught by the many strangers inside with one’s presentation down. — Lyn H. Lofland, World of Strangers_ Order and Action in…, 1184

Categorization

• XREF: The calculated cost-benefit tradeoff of small visible awkwardness against larger later exposure echoes Goffman’s front/back-stage logic.