We asked the BuzzFeed Community to tell us their weirdest phobias. Below are the skin-tingling, anxiety-inducing, hilariously strange results.
1. Buttons
I have a phobia of buttons. I can't explain it, but they gross me out to the point where I not only avoid wearing them, but avoid jobs and situations that would make me wear a polo or button-up.
2. Moths
A few years ago, I walked outside at night and a moth started to literally attack my face. It kept flying towards me, no matter how many times I batted it away. I was a sobbing mess after that. Now I'm terrified of moths.
–Kiera Bolden, Facebook
3. Pickles
I'm TERRIFIED of pickles. Just typing the word almost made me puke. People think it's a joke, but I honestly can't even look at them without wanting to run away or vomit everywhere. I even make my mom hide them in the back of the fridge when I'm home because it ruins my appetite.
4. Nuns
When I was four I was in a Catholic hospital where the nuns were nurse aids. One day a nun came in and said, "If you don't start eating I'm going to stick a needle THIS big in your arm." She held out her hands about a foot apart. Well, to this day I'm fine with needles. My fear is nuns. I worked at a salon where a nun came in every Tuesday to have her hair done, and now I refuse to work Tuesdays. It has been 41 years since that first nun incident.
–Carrie Cunningham, Facebook
5. Mozzarella Sticks
My greatest fear in life is that I will die from mozzarella sticks. I'm afraid I won't break off the stringy cheese and then I'll swallow, making it so that the long string of cheese will still be connected, thereby choking me to death.
–Josh Bailey, Facebook
6. The Color Yellow
I have a phobia of the color yellow. I think it's bad luck and it has escalated over the years. I throw out anything yellow and avoid it whenever possible.
7. Paper
I can't touch paper or things made of wood. When I do I get an uneasy feeling that makes my eyes teary, so I don't touch those kinds of things.
–Saga Johansson, Facebook
8. Eggplants
I have melongenophobia, which is a fear of eggplants. They've freaked me out since I was 5.
9. Werewolves
I'm a 33-year-old woman who's legitimately afraid of a mythical creature. I'm not talking a little freaked out during a movie. I mean real, intense, full-fledged terror. It's ridiculous. I still sprint from my car to the front door during a full moon.
10. Bananas
I have a horrible phobia of bananas. I haven't eaten one in about 15 years. If I find out that something has banana in it, I immediately freak out and sweat and vomit. It's HORRIBLE. I'm a teacher and whenever my students have bananas as a snack I leave the room until they're finished.
11. Cotton Balls
I'm terrified of cotton balls. I hate the feeling of them and the sound they make when you separate them.
12. Victorian Houses
I have a fear that one day be in a Victorian house, situated high on a hill, and somehow I will fall out of the window to my demise. I've had recurring nightmares about this, and, bizarrely, my 12-year-old daughter told me she has the exact same fear.
–Matt Michaud, Facebook
13. BBQ Sauce
I have a deep fear of BBQ sauce and anything BBQ-flavored. The texture and the tangy sweetness feels like it sticks to my taste buds and skin I can't feel clean after I eat it or even touch it. This is a difficult fear to have since I'm a waitress. Children will ask me innocently, "Can I get BBQ sauce?," and I look at them with such fear and grit my teeth and say yes when all I want to do is yell, "ABSOLUTELY NOT!!!"
14. Pregnant Women
I'm afraid of pregnant women. The idea that something is growing inside of them is deeply disturbing to me.
15. Butterflies
I remember going on a field trip to the museum in elementary school, and they had this huge room full of butterflies. I didn't know I was afraid of them at the time, so of course I went in. Long story short, I ended up curled into a ball in a corner. My dad was conveniently chaperoning so he had to carry me out.
–Destiny McCoy, Facebook
16. Ice Cream Trucks
I have an irrational fear of ice cream trucks. The music makes my skin crawl and if I see one, it takes everything I have in me not to run away, screaming. I'm 25.
17. Elvis
I'm afraid of Elvis. I had a very realistic nightmare as a child that an Elvis painting came to life and was singing to me and have been scared ever since.
18. Melons
One of my friends has a huge fear of melons. Not all fruit, just melons. WHAT HORRIFIC THING HAPPENED TO YOU AS A CHILD THAT MADE YOU SO TERRIFIED OF MELONS?
19. Mashed Potatoes
When I was younger, I told my family I was too scared to eat mashed potatoes on any day except Sundays. I don't know why. I'm weird.
–Taylor Danielle Scott, Facebook
20. Appendicitis
I used to have a severe phobia of getting appendicitis. I say "used to" because it happened. I no longer have an appendix.
–Michael Goldsholl, Facebook
21. Male Nipples
I have a phobia of male nipples. I can't look at shirtless men. You can imagine how my love life is going…
Note: Submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.
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