Hello, fellow people of the internet! If you know anything about the World Wide Web, you know that people love sharing their opinions, especially about toxic things.
So, when Reddit user u/Bootyshortsforcorgis asked, "What's something that people glamorize, but it's actually just extremely toxic?" people had A LOT to say!
So without further ado, here are 19 highly toxic things that are super glamorized:
1. "Treating disabled people as if they are just there to inspire non-disabled people."
"Just let them be; it's not their job to inspire you."
"As a disabled person, I've lost count of the number of times I've been called 'inspirational' purely for existing. Like, I'm just alive; I’ve done nothing spectacular."
2. "Being sleep-deprived."
3. "TikTok trends that challenge or test trust in relationships."
"It’s not funny or cool to mess with someone’s feelings and trust just for more views."
4. "Huge weddings you can’t afford."
5. "Pursuing a romantic interest after they've turned you down."
"The desperate, stupid gesture is a big part of this. Show up and disrupt the wedding, stand outside their window blaring music, approaching them in an inopportune moment to declare your love, like, in the middle of a meeting or speech or other very public events. This is pushed as the way to win her over. They literally glamorize stalking behavior as romantic."
6. "Working overtime on a daily basis."
7. "People that describe their relationship as, 'When it's bad, it's bad, but when it's good, it's nothing you've ever known.'"
"Or some variation of this. Like nahhh, that screams abusive to me."
8. "Celebrity culture."
9. "Toxic positivity."
"I get that we shouldn't let every bad thing bring us way down, but people who constantly say, 'Look at the bright side,' or, 'It could be worse; you could...' Yeah, it could be worse, but things can still suck regardless."
10. "Studying for extremely long hours in school."
11. "Depression, self-harm, and suicide in films and TV shows."
"There are too many awful portrayals of these in fiction."
12. "Surprise, public proposals."
13. "People who film themselves while giving money or food to homeless people."
"What makes it even more disturbing is when said influencer/YouTuber is making tons of money from that content. The people they claim to help are basically used as props. I don’t watch these videos anymore."
14. "Overspending money."
15. "The attitude of 'If they/I can do it, you can too.'"
"As a disabled person, this along with 'What's your excuse?' drives me up the wall. Stop assuming that everyone has the same capabilities as you or that they don't have obstacles just because you can't see them. Just stop guilting people to do shit."
16. "Social media."
17. "Phrases like, 'You complete me!' or, 'I'm nothing without you!'"
18. "When others don't allow men to express emotions."
"'Men never cry,' and, 'Get it together, man. You're not a girl.' I really don't understand these words. Men also are people, and every human needs to cry sometimes. Crying isn't a 'girl thing'; it's a human thing. But society says that 'real mean' can't cry. It's so sad."
19. And last but not least, "Diet trends."
Are there any glamorized things that you feel are actually toxic that should be on this list? Please, feel free to let me know in the comments!
Note: Submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.