Sally Field Moment

A form of psychosocial epiphany during which a person feigns newfound awareness of real or imagined peer admiration. Term implies a real or imminent loss of decorum followed by stunned recognition that one had previously underestimated one's value, status or importance. Episodes are sometimes accompanied by an emotional meltdown often perceived by witnesses as distasteful and gauche, if not wholly disingenuous. Derivation: The term's origin is thought to be Sally Field's acceptance speech of her 1984 Best Actress Oscar for "Places in the Heart". Though widely feted and highly-esteemed, the actress nevertheless exclaimed: "I've wanted more than anything to have your respect...I feel it, and I can't deny the fact that you like me, right now, you like me!" As the "get-off-the-stage-music" swelled, panning cameras for the live broadcast many pre-botox celebrities candidly exhibiting expressions ranging from pathos to contempt. The term was quickly accepted within the lexicon as a mildly snarkish pop-culture reference applied to any awkward episode that provoked vicarious embarrassment for having witnessed another's regressive collapse of public composure.