barfy buttons
i am completely repulsed by buttons. the worst kind are the clear plastic ones with 2 holes in the middle. i never wear them, and if someone else is i have to look away. it’s especially bad if i’m eating – i imagine the buttons in my mouth, vomiting up huge waves of them. i cannot bear hearing them clink as they go around the tumble dryer. it’s led to a phobia of thrift/second hand stores, as buttons on old clothes are the worst.
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OMG me too: i particularly hate transparent ones because i’m terrified i might touch one by accident. i also can’t say the word without feeling sick. once i read a supposeldy erotic passage which referred to the clitoris as one of those clothes fastenings and I was off sex for a fortnight. if i see one on the floor i give it a wide berth like it can move… and i quickly have to explain to boyfriends they need to undress themselves!
That isn’t proven, Olivia. People are not sure what causes phobias.
phobias aren’t genetic
the only buttons i accept are the silver ones on jeans. i wear clothes without buttons. even saying the word DISGUSTS me. when people call me as cute as a ****** i near want to die. i try and avoid thinking of all the different sensations these objects cause, as i begin to fidget and become uncomfortable.
the word for people with a fear of buttons is koumpounophobia.
I myself am not a button hater, but my mother is-this is obviously a recessive gene, as no one else in our family feels the slightest bit of hate towards any button, let alone other fastening utensils. However, she says that the bigger the button the worse they make her feel. Her mother collected buttons, and kept them in glass jars in their house whilst mum was growing up-she says those things used to stare at her, taunting her from behind their glass masoleums-in their hundreds. The only button safe from her scorn, are little ones, covered in silk.
So do all your pants have elastic waists?!
I am not alone! I can’t believe it. I thought I was the only person in the universe to have an aversion to buttons, and I’ve been reading this blog daily to see if this post would ever come! I can handle buttons on clothes if they’re well attached and regular size, but tiny buttons or very large ones are just unbearable. Loose buttons are out of the question, and don’t get me started on beads!
well, i do live in the states so those are de rigueur here any way – preferably worn above the waist
loose buttons?!! *shudder* they’re the most dangerous of *all*. i’ve heard of a few other people having this phobia, it’s time to come out of the wood work. in zips!
Oh my, finally. I agree whole-heartedly.
I’ve been horrified of and completely repulsed by buttons my entire life (I’m in my mid-twenties now) and anytime I’ve ever tried to explain this to anyone they’ve acted like I was completely insane.
Clear plastic or white with two or four holes in the middle, those are the ones I find most offensive, but I prefer not to be near any of them. Metal buttons (like on jeans) don’t bother me for some reason, but any other kind, ugh.
When I was a kid there was a craft store with a giant wooden box FULL of assorted loose buttons. My brother used to grab them by the handfuls and chase me with them. That’s the stuff nightmares are made of.
Anyway, thanks for sharing your neurosis. I’m glad to know I’m not the only one!
to all koumpounophobes – yes – there is actually a name for our “condition”
, check out this web page: http://kamps.org/haje/koumpounophobia-fear-of-buttons/
it’s *amazing* how many people share this phobia/repulsion. it’s interesting because we all seem to share certain qualities; clear/coloured plastic ones are the worst, metal buttons don’t even qualify, and 2/4 holes are definitely the most terrifying, and the majority of us had no specific b-word related incidents in our childhoods – this makes me think there is some weird, embedded, evolutionary reason for this fear. so in other words we’re completely justified
go zips, velcro and string-ties!!
Thank goodness!
My friend always makes fun of me because im afraid of small shiny buttons and earrings.
Strange thing is that, the bigger the buttons are the less scary they are.
Also I agree with Jonathan, metal ones are alright, as are wooden ones. Just the small plastic ones with the holes.
You, are not alone.
i read somewhere that a child can inherit a phobia if the mother had it when pregnant. Thats how babies learn to be afraid of snakes and spiders even though they have no reason to be. that’s what i read anyway.