In the world, people have very traditional fears (like heights) and some people also have very untraditional fears for no real rhyme or reason. So, we recently asked members of the BuzzFeed Community to share their irrational phobias with us. Here is what they had to say...
1. "Mine doesn't even have a phobia name and I'm not gonna go deeper into this but toilets freak me the fuck out. I would like to know of one other person who thinks toilets are really scary. It cannot be just me...right?"
2. "Colored food that's not its natural color. Like colored tortilla chips, hamburger buns that fast food places dye for a limited time, black eyed peas (even though those are natural). I look away when I see the commercials and will pick around the chips. Even though they all taste the same, it just gives me the willies!"
3. "I am terrified of giraffes. I had a nightmare as a kid that one dressed in a business suit, kicked my dad and sent him flying — I have been terrified ever since. Toys 'R' Us is like a living hell for me."
4. "Everything relating to pregnancy and babies. I get extremely nauseous, I start shaking, I feel like I'm going to pass out — all because I saw a pregnant person or a baby somewhere. If a movie I watch has a pregnant character I have to stop watching."
5. "Freaking tongues. I am a little better at dealing with them now, but seeing tongues just makes my entire body shudder. I hate when folks stick their tongues out in photos, and even seeing my tongue makes me queasy."
6. "Wiggly/loose teeth. I could never pull out my own baby teeth when I was a kid because it freaked me out. Now I have four kids, and they love to torment me by showing me how wiggly their tooth is when they have one loose."
7. "I get so embarrassed about this one...but old-people skin. I have zero memory of ever being abused or anything by an elderly person, but for some reason, I have ALWAYS had this aversion to them touching me skin-to-skin. There is just something about the super soft, cold, thin, papery skin that makes me genuinely freak out."
8. "Getting my hair wet. I have butt-length, incredibly thick hair which doesn’t help. It feels so gross and heavy and the texture is awful. It feels incredibly wrong, bad, and uncomfortable. I am barely breathing and on edge until my hair dries after wash day. It feels like something very wrong is happening on top of my head when it’s wet, it’s dreadful and anxiety-inducing. I have NEVER swam in my life and never will. My hair has never touched lake, ocean, or pool water."
9. "Balloons."
10. "I have a fear of super attractive people. IDK if it's just insecurity, but the knowledge that they could get away with almost anything (due to pretty privilege) freaks me out."
11. "Crabs. I can't even look at a picture of one as my blood just runs cold. The absolute worst part is that The Little Mermaid was always one of my favorite films but I'm afraid to go see the new one because Sebastian looks too 'real' now. 🤣"
12. "Butterflies... I found out my fear when visiting a butterfly ENCLOSED WALK THROUGH sanctuary. It was a terrible way to find out my fear. I cried lol."
13. "The Muppets. I don't know what it is about them, but they always freaked me out ever since I was a kid. Even at 35 years old now, I have to look away whenever I see one on TV or the internet."
14. "Looking in the mirror too long, because of depersonalization."
15. "Ladybugs! They can be crawling on you and you wouldn’t even notice. Plus, they are unpredictable when they’re flying. When you touch them they’re hard, too."
16. "Fear or disgust of holes or like a pattern of holes known as trypophobia. And not holes in a wall or something normal like that but like holes that look like something out of a science experiment or something that just doesn't look right. Makes me uncomfortable."
17. "I have a fear of falling into the sky. I can’t lay down on the ground to look up at the clouds or stars because I feel like I’m going to fall into them!"
18. "Squirrels. People think they're cute; I'm terrified."
19. "Ceiling fans, drains in swimming pools, and baby swings."
20. "Getting water on my clothes, like IDK what it is, but water on dry clothes is just so ick to me. I can't stand it in the slightest."
21. "Owls give me the creeps. But really any large birds kind of freak me out. I’ve never been attacked or anything, I just don’t like birds."
22. "I'm afraid of bridges. Being on them, being under them, I just am afraid. It really sucks, because where I live, you have to use a bridge whereever you go."
23. "I have a fear of praying mantis bugs. I can't stand them and they really freak me out. They're so alien-like or something."
24. And finally: "Mascots. There's something sinister about the way they move towards you, especially the ones that try and hug you."
