Claim morbid embarrassment

Posted by Miri Barak on March 05, 2003

This expression appears in a story that I translate:
She finds herself in an impossible situation:
"I would be jumping around with a group of strangers in what amounted to purple underwear!
I started sweating immediately. There was no turning back... What could I do? *Claim morbid
embarrassment* ? As we formed into lines, I prayed that perhaps folks would be so distracted by the purple spandex, they wouldn't even notice my cromson cheeks.

Can you be so kind as to explain the meaning or at least to what it alludes: Claim morbid embarrassement.
I had the idea of "to claim temporarily insane".

Thank you for your help
Miri