A good translation for 寒がるふり / 冷めたふり / etc?


Every once in a while, I come across [some
variant](https://www5.atwiki.jp/hmiku/pages/35764.html) of [a
phrase](https://www24.atwiki.jp/utauuuta/pages/3519.html) that would literally
translate to "pretending to be cold."

As far as I can tell, it refers to a sort of desperate attention-seeking
behavior; something like, the speaker feels alone and unsupported, so they
play up how much they need help and how sad they are to see if anyone will
come and comfort them. Like, they want to feel like someone is there for them
if they need it.

While I feel like I more-or-less understand the phrase itself, I can't figure
out how to express it concisely in English. It's usually sufficient to
translate it literally because it usually makes sense in context, but
sometimes the existing context isn't quite enough. Does anyone have any ideas?

