How would you describe to another what it feels to lose one's dignity?

I think it’s when you loose respect for yourself.

You feel like you are in a public place without your clothes.

Imagine coming out of the bathroom with a trail of toilet paper stuck to the bottom of your shoe and not knowing it until someone finally pointed it out. One can either be mortified and cringe in embarrassment or regain your composure and make a joke of it..

When we experience it, we learn a life lesson. And the nice thing about losing one’s dignity is that, in most cases, the scenarios are quickly forgotten by those that know about it.

I think you lose your dignity when you can no longer care for yourself and you become dependent on others. It’s not about being embarrassed. It’s about losing everything that you used to hold your place in the world in a productive way. When you lose your capabilities, you lose your place, and it doesn’t matter if people laugh or not, you’ve lost your dignity. You can no longer hold your head up high, nor look anyone in the eye.

De-humanized?

Feeling worthless and undeserving. Loss of all self respect. Think Whitney Houston – seriously. She sang about never losing it, but she really did lose it and she lost it all; however, I do not think it is something you cannot regain. I agree that stuff like that is almost 99.999% of the time quickly forgotten.

Imagine wetting your pants in public where coworkers and/or acquaintances (not friends though) see you and you feel they are scoffing at your misfortune.