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People Share Their Worst 'People Are Disgusting' Experiences

People Share Their Worst 'People Are Disgusting' Experiences
Gabor Monori/Unsplash

Humans are gross. We do gross things all the time, like checking our used tissue for boogers.

People have a strange fascination with the disgusting. There was a whole show in the 90s around people getting slimed.

Now that seems pretty harmless, but what if you caught someone doing something so disgusting that it made you re-evaluate the way you look at those around you?

If it make you feel disgusted to think about gross things humans do, it's actually evolutionarily hardwired in you to feel that way. We feel disgust to protect ourselves from eating rotten food that could hurt us.


Redditor k1rky25 asked:

"What was your 'people are disgusting' realization moment?"

You're not going to want to read these if you get nauseated easily.

Taking a dump into the trash can.

"Last month, our manager walked into the hallway leading to the break room only to find a customer with their pants around their ankles sh*tting in the garbage can."

- lieslmarie

"I used to clean at Home Depot. One store had a secondary set of smaller bathrooms on the other side of the store from the bigger, regular bathrooms. These bathrooms were mostly used by employees."

"At least once a week (because I only cleaned 4 days a week, while someone cleaned the other 3) I would find sh*t filled underwear in the trashcan of that bathroom. I wasn't that grossed out the first time I found them because, hey accidents happen and that was just a bad day for that dude. But after the 3rd week in a row, I realized this dude was just sh*tting himself for the love of the game."

"I quit soon after."

- Shoddy-Quality-767

Disgusting gym shower.

"Have you ever seen a gym shower absolutely covered in smears of shit? Literal handprints and finger trails of human excrement, from the floor to the ceiling? Like someone had a fight with a poop monster and lost?"

"Because I wish I hadn't."

- Inferno8429

"Janitor at psychiatric hospital I deal with that almost every day people are nasty it’s worst when they don’t take anti psychotics."

- Revolutionary-Row784

Please, don't eat in the bathroom.

"In the navy, enlisted folks clean the toilets on the regular. Depending on the ship and location, they get real disgusting even at the best of times. Some dirty guy ate Spaghetti-Os while he was taking a sh*t and left the can and spoon on the toilet paper rack. People are irredeemably disgusting."

- reactor_raptor

"Guy on my ship soiled his underwear and flushed them. Sewage on a ship goes into a tank and is eventually pumped overboard. The pump got clogged and the Hull Techs had to fix it. We knew who was at fault because all your clothing is permanently marked."

- Shadeauxmarie

Military medic.

Warning, this one is really bad.

"Patient with an anal abscess that he got shaving his a**hole a couple hours before a 45 day field exercise in the New Mexican desert. He hadn't showered or even attempted basic hygiene. His whole body already smelled like a barrel of fermenting jock straps, and he was face down with his rotten a**hole stuck up in the air. PA lanced it and it burst outward, splattering rotten pus all over the other medic, who promptly vomited all over the floor and my boots. I have been severely grossed out by people since then and left the military to do a series of plant science degrees."

- Con5equences

Child Protective Service workers have seen some things.

"Working as a caseworker for CPS."

- the8itch

"Had two friends that were going to save the world via social work."

"One left after three months and has since developed PTSD and Chronic-Fatigue Syndrome and the other lasted a year and went from a freewheeling hippy to the coldest hardest heart you ever met."

- karatebullfightr

"I work in healthcare, doing lab testing. One of my first days doing STD testing we had a 3 year old test positive for GC/CT. Both of them, and we retested them at least twice to confirm. Contracting both at birth is possible, but doubtful. It was definitely a case of abuse."

"I don't think I could concentrate at work for hours after resulting that out."

- Aldroe

Men in the DMs.

"My ex-girlfriend once showed me the messages she receives on a daily basis. It led me to one basic question:"

"What the f*ck is wrong with guys? Outwardly, y'all look and act normal. Behind a keyboard, you send peen pics, solicit threesomes, ask for nudes, hit on taken chicks etc…"

- Slyest_of_Boots

"It's sad that women are even too scared sometimes to dismiss men like this these days, but who can blame these women? They get sexual messages like this, tell the men ''no,' and then the women receive both sexual and life endangering threats. It's the worst and it makes me sick."

- TheBostonKremeDonut

People Explain Activities They've Added To Their Post-Pandemic Bucket List | George Takei’s Oh Myyy

While we've all been cooped up for the better part of two years, many of us have been dreaming up exciting plans for the future. Maybe it's finally time to s...

Trashing the bathroom as a trend.

"I work retail, and a few months ago some teenage boys trashed the men's restroom. They left a few movies stolen from the nearby Walmart on the floor, dumped every paper towel into the toilets/urinal, and got either toilet water, urine, or both all over the floor."

- Funny_Alternative_55

"The trend is so f*cking annoying. If I want to go to the bathroom in school, there is no toilet paper, no toilet seats, no mirrors, and even if you can go to the bathroom with have of it missing, you cant even wash your hands because guess what? Mfs took the damn soap."

- IEatBruhMoments

People Explain Activities They've Added To Their Post-Pandemic Bucket List | George Takei’s Oh Myyy

While we've all been cooped up for the better part of two years, many of us have been dreaming up exciting plans for the future. Maybe it's finally time to s...

"Picture it: Fashion Bug, 2005. I’m a young assistant manager, making shit money and just trying to make it to closing. I start refolding Henley's and discover a bloody, snotty paper towel shoved between the shirts. F*ck people. F*ck society."

- StrangerKatchoo

"At least once a week I clean off bare footprints off the tables at my fast food job."

- ItsMyB1rthdayToday

"Why are people like this?"

- hellahater

Being a jerk to animals.

"I witnessed a grown man spit on a rhinoceros at a zoo, I've hated humanity since that very second."

- jalapenocupcakes

"That’s why Lamas spit at us, they hate us."

- PaleGravity

Those were some dark times.

"Beginning of Covid when all of the toilet paper disappeared."

- hateful73

"About that time I went to the store to get some baby wipes… everything was gone; baby wipes, boogie wipes and any wipe related to babies. That’s when I truly lost faith in humanity. I didn’t care about the toilet paper, I can work around that but leaving no baby wipes for people that need to wipe baby a**es? Go to hell."

- zwhiz

COVID really shed some light on this.

"At the height of the pandemic I was in a shop and saw a man sneeze in his hand and then wipe it on the shop conveyor belt. I had a pretty low opinion of people before that but that really destroyed what was left of my faith in humans."

- killingmehere

"Seeing masks all over the ground."

- Owen420xD

"I can safely say that is not something that in all my years I have EVER seen as litter. Until about a year ago, and they're now everywhere. F*cking animals."

- dr_freudenstein

"Try telling an a**hole to wear a mask inside a shop and you’ll have a pile of them outside as they angrily cast it aside as soon as they leave."

- reb0014

"At the grocery store. Middle aged lady opened all the rotisserie chickens (that are sitting under heat lamps), touched them all then picked one that was to her liking and left."

- Hentai-Flag

"Just last month I saw some older lady in the produce section 'sampling' the fresh herbs. She would take a small piece of cilantro, stick it AND her fingers in her mouth. Then she proceeded to do it to multiple bundles until she found the one she wanted and put her mask back on and walked away."

"I told my wife I was going to skip the cilantro when making tacos this time."

- -PM_me_your_recipes-

Corrections officers acting inhumane.

"When I worked in corrections, it was announced during briefing one day by a supervisor that one of the dorms was on hunger strike. An officer blurted out, “good, let ‘em starve to death” and many in the room laughed and some gave him high fives. The supervisor, who is supposed to keep things professional, so instead added, '[dorm officer’s name] feel free to write that we offered them food and they refused if they start to annoy you today.'

"An entire shift of officers were willing to purposefully lie on paperwork to force those on hunger strike to not even be given the option to end it."

"Myself and two medical officers went to talk to the dorm reps, found out the reason they were on strike is because the dorm hadn’t been allowed onto the yard for over a week because the dorm officers simply wouldn’t open the door for them."

"We contacted the captain (our boss’s boss’s boss) and told him that we were willing to stay an extra hour for voluntary OT to let them go on yard and thus give them reason to end the strike. The captain said, 'Why would you want to help those a**holes.'"

"We did it anyway because as medical officers, and more importantly as human beings that aren’t f*cking monsters, we wanted to give these guys a chance to get outside and a reason to finally partake in a meal, so, the strike ended, but I won’t ever forget the fact that multiple officials, of multiple ranks, and over multiple days not only made no effort to help solve a problem, but that many of them actively were seeking to worsen it for the sake of 'lol because we can.'"

"A lot of people seem to forget that an officer’s number one function in corrections is to 'ensure the safety and security of the facility and ALL persons located within,' not just the people you like."

- TheRavingRaccoon

Only cared about money.

"Went to an appointment and saw what a previous contractor had done to flip a home did everything the cheapest way and easiest basically screwing the next home owner to the point where they're paying a lot more now to fix all issues. Just showed me how much money matters to some and the safety and well being of others doesn't."

- CardiologistLimp7948

This was a truly horrifying list of things that people have actually done in the world.

If you made it this far, don't feel bad that your curiosity was peaked. We don't know why we are fascinated by the disgusting but there are a few theories. It could be "benign masochism," or the value of learning about a threat to protect yourself in the future.

Whatever your reason, we can agree that people are disgusting.

Want to "know" more? Never miss another big, odd, funny, or heartbreaking moment again. Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.

People Reveal The Weirdest Thing About Themselves

Reddit user Isitjustmedownhere asked: 'Give an example; how weird are you really?'

Let's get one thing straight: no one is normal. We're all weird in our own ways, and that is actually normal.

Of course, that doesn't mean we don't all have that one strange trait or quirk that outweighs all the other weirdness we possess.

For me, it's the fact that I'm almost 30 years old, and I still have an imaginary friend. Her name is Sarah, she has red hair and green eyes, and I strongly believe that, since I lived in India when I created her and there were no actual people with red hair around, she was based on Daphne Blake from Scooby-Doo.

I also didn't know the name Sarah when I created her, so that came later. I know she's not really there, hence the term 'imaginary friend,' but she's kind of always been around. We all have conversations in our heads; mine are with Sarah. She keeps me on task and efficient.

My mom thinks I'm crazy that I still have an imaginary friend, and writing about her like this makes me think I may actually be crazy, but I don't mind. As I said, we're all weird, and we all have that one trait that outweighs all the other weirdness.

Redditors know this all too well and are eager to share their weird traits.

It all started when Redditor Isitjustmedownhere asked:

"Give an example; how weird are you really?"

Monsters Under My Bed

"My bed doesn't touch any wall."

"Edit: I guess i should clarify im not rich."

– Practical_Eye_3600

"Gosh the monsters can get you from any angle then."

– bikergirlr7

"At first I thought this was a flex on how big your bedroom is, but then I realized you're just a psycho 😁"

– zenOFiniquity8

Can You See Why?

"I bought one of those super-powerful fans to dry a basement carpet. Afterwards, I realized that it can point straight up and that it would be amazing to use on myself post-shower. Now I squeegee my body with my hands, step out of the shower and get blasted by a wide jet of room-temp air. I barely use my towel at all. Wife thinks I'm weird."

– KingBooRadley

Remember

"In 1990 when I was 8 years old and bored on a field trip, I saw a black Oldsmobile Cutlass driving down the street on a hot day to where you could see that mirage like distortion from the heat on the road. I took a “snapshot” by blinking my eyes and told myself “I wonder how long I can remember this image” ….well."

– AquamarineCheetah

"Even before smartphones, I always take "snapshots" by blinking my eyes hoping I'll remember every detail so I can draw it when I get home. Unfortunately, I may have taken so much snapshots that I can no longer remember every detail I want to draw."

"Makes me think my "memory is full.""

– Reasonable-Pirate902

Same, Same

"I have eaten the same lunch every day for the past 4 years and I'm not bored yet."

– OhhGoood

"How f**king big was this lunch when you started?"

– notmyrealnam3

Not Sure Who Was Weirder

"Had a line cook that worked for us for 6 months never said much. My sous chef once told him with no context, "Baw wit da baw daw bang daw bang diggy diggy." The guy smiled, left, and never came back."

– Frostygrunt

Imagination

"I pace around my house for hours listening to music imagining that I have done all the things I simply lack the brain capacity to do, or in some really bizarre scenarios, I can really get immersed in these imaginations sometimes I don't know if this is some form of schizophrenia or what."

– RandomSharinganUser

"I do the same exact thing, sometimes for hours. When I was young it would be a ridiculous amount of time and many years later it’s sort of trickled off into almost nothing (almost). It’s weird but I just thought it’s how my brain processes sh*t."

– Kolkeia

If Only

"Even as an adult I still think that if you are in a car that goes over a cliff; and right as you are about to hit the ground if you jump up you can avoid the damage and will land safely. I know I'm wrong. You shut up. I'm not crying."

– ShotCompetition2593

Pet Food

"As a kid I would snack on my dog's Milkbones."

– drummerskillit

"Haha, I have a clear memory of myself doing this as well. I was around 3 y/o. Needless to say no one was supervising me."

– Isitjustmedownhere

"When I was younger, one of my responsibilities was to feed the pet fish every day. Instead, I would hide under the futon in the spare bedroom and eat the fish food."

– -GateKeep-

My Favorite Subject

"I'm autistic and have always had a thing for insects. My neurotypical best friend and I used to hang out at this local bar to talk to girls, back in the late 90s. One time he claimed that my tendency to circle conversations back to insects was hurting my game. The next time we went to that bar (with a few other friends), he turned and said sternly "No talking about bugs. Or space, or statistics or other bullsh*t but mainly no bugs." I felt like he was losing his mind over nothing."

"It was summer, the bar had its windows open. Our group hit it off with a group of young ladies, We were all chatting and having a good time. I was talking to one of these girls, my buddy was behind her facing away from me talking to a few other people."

"A cloudless sulphur flies in and lands on little thing that holds coasters."

"Cue Jordan Peele sweating gif."

"The girl notices my tension, and asks if I am looking at the leaf. "Actually, that's a lepidoptera called..." I looked at the back of my friend's head, he wasn't looking, "I mean a butterfly..." I poked it and it spread its wings the girl says "oh that's a BUG?!" and I still remember my friend turning around slowly to look at me with chastisement. The ONE thing he told me not to do."

"I was 21, and was completely not aware that I already had a rep for being an oddball. It got worse from there."

– Phormicidae

*Teeth Chatter*

"I bite ice cream sometimes."

RedditbOiiiiiiiiii

"That's how I am with popsicles. My wife shudders every single time."

monobarreller

Never Speak Of This

"I put ice in my milk."

– GTFOakaFOD

"You should keep that kind of thing to yourself. Even when asked."

– We-R-Doomed

"There's some disturbing sh*t in this thread, but this one takes the cake."

– RatonaMuffin

More Than Super Hearing

"I can hear the television while it's on mute."

– Tira13e

"What does it say to you, child?"

– Mama_Skip

Yikes!

"I put mustard on my omelettes."

– Deleted User

"Oh."

– NotCrustOr-filling

Evened Up

"Whenever I say a word and feel like I used a half of my mouth more than the other half, I have to even it out by saying the word again using the other half of my mouth more. If I don't do it correctly, that can go on forever until I feel it's ok."

"I do it silently so I don't creep people out."

– LesPaltaX

"That sounds like a symptom of OCD (I have it myself). Some people with OCD feel like certain actions have to be balanced (like counting or making sure physical movements are even). You should find a therapist who specializes in OCD, because they can help you."

– MoonlightKayla

I totally have the same need for things to be balanced! Guess I'm weird and a little OCD!

Close up face of a woman in bed, staring into the camera
Photo by Jen Theodore

Experiencing death is a fascinating and frightening idea.

Who doesn't want to know what is waiting for us on the other side?

But so many of us want to know and then come back and live a little longer.

It would be so great to be sure there is something else.

But the whole dying part is not that great, so we'll have to rely on other people's accounts.

Redditor AlaskaStiletto wanted to hear from everyone who has returned to life, so they asked:

"Redditors who have 'died' and come back to life, what did you see?"

Sensations

Happy Good Vibes GIF by Major League SoccerGiphy

"My dad's heart stopped when he had a heart attack and he had to be brought back to life. He kept the paper copy of the heart monitor which shows he flatlined. He said he felt an overwhelming sensation of peace, like nothing he had felt before."

PeachesnPain

Recovery

"I had surgical complications in 2010 that caused a great deal of blood loss. As a result, I had extremely low blood pressure and could barely stay awake. I remember feeling like I was surrounded by loved ones who had passed. They were in a circle around me and I knew they were there to guide me onwards. I told them I was not ready to go because my kids needed me and I came back."

"My nurse later said she was afraid she’d find me dead every time she came into the room."

"It took months, and blood transfusions, but I recovered."

good_golly99

Take Me Back

"Overwhelming peace and happiness. A bright airy and floating feeling. I live a very stressful life. Imagine finding out the person you have had a crush on reveals they have the same feelings for you and then you win the lotto later that day - that was the feeling I had."

"I never feared death afterward and am relieved when I hear of people dying after suffering from an illness."

rayrayrayray

Free

The Light Minnie GIF by (G)I-DLEGiphy

"I had a heart surgery with near-death experience, for me at least (well the possibility that those effects are caused by morphine is also there) I just saw black and nothing else but it was warm and I had such inner peace, its weird as I sometimes still think about it and wish this feeling of being so light and free again."

TooReDTooHigh

This is why I hate surgery.

You just never know.

Shocked

Giphy

"More of a near-death experience. I was electrocuted. I felt like I was in a deep hole looking straight up in the sky. My life flashed before me. Felt sad for my family, but I had a deep sense of peace."

Admirable_Buyer6528

The SOB

"Nursing in the ICU, we’ve had people try to die on us many times during the years, some successfully. One guy stood out to me. His heart stopped. We called a code, are working on him, and suddenly he comes to. We hadn’t vented him yet, so he was able to talk, and he started screaming, 'Don’t let them take me, don’t let them take me, they are coming,' he was scared and yelling."

"Then he yelled a little more, as we tried to calm him down, he screamed, 'No, No,' and gestured towards the end of the bed, and died again. We didn’t get him back. It was seriously creepy. We called his son to tell him the news, and the son said basically, 'Good, he was an SOB.'”

1-cupcake-at-a-time

Colors

"My sister died and said it was extremely peaceful. She said it was very loud like a train station and lots of talking and she was stuck in this area that was like a curtain with lots of beautiful colors (colors that you don’t see in real life according to her) a man told her 'He was sorry, but she had to go back as it wasn’t her time.'"

Hannah_LL7

"I had a really similar experience except I was in an endless garden with flowers that were colors I had never seen before. It was quiet and peaceful and a woman in a dress looked at me, shook her head, and just said 'Not yet.' As I was coming back, it was extremely loud, like everyone in the world was trying to talk all at once. It was all very disorienting but it changed my perspective on life!"

huntokarrr

The Fog

"I was in a gray fog with a girl who looked a lot like a young version of my grandmother (who was still alive) but dressed like a pioneer in the 1800s she didn't say anything but kept pulling me towards an opening in the wall. I kept refusing to go because I was so tired."

"I finally got tired of her nagging and went and that's when I came to. I had bled out during a c-section and my heart could not beat without blood. They had to deliver the baby and sew up the bleeders. refill me with blood before they could restart my heart so, like, at least 12 minutes gone."

Fluffy-Hotel-5184

Through the Walls

"My spouse was dead for a couple of minutes one miserable night. She maintains that she saw nothing, but only heard people talking about her like through a wall. The only thing she remembers for absolute certain was begging an ER nurse that she didn't want to die."

"She's quite alive and well today."

Hot-Refrigerator6583

Well let's all be happy to be alive.

It seems to be all we have.

Man's waist line
Santhosh Vaithiyanathan/Unsplash

Trying to lose weight is a struggle understood by many people regardless of size.

The goal of reaching a healthy weight may seem unattainable, but with diet and exercise, it can pay off through persistence and discipline.

Seeing the pounds gradually drop off can also be a great motivator and incentivize people to stay the course.

Those who've achieved their respective weight goals shared their experiences when Redditor apprenti8455 asked:

"People who lost a lot of weight, what surprises you the most now?"

Redditors didn't see these coming.

Shiver Me Timbers

"I’m always cold now!"

– Telrom_1

"I had a coworker lose over 130 pounds five or six years ago. I’ve never seen him without a jacket on since."

– r7ndom

"140 lbs lost here starting just before COVID, I feel like that little old lady that's always cold, damn this top comment was on point lmao."

– mr_remy

Drawing Concern

"I lost 100 pounds over a year and a half but since I’m old(70’s) it seems few people comment on it because (I think) they think I’m wasting away from some terminal illness."

– dee-fondy

"Congrats on the weight loss! It’s honestly a real accomplishment 🙂"

"Working in oncology, I can never comment on someone’s weight loss unless I specifically know it was on purpose, regardless of their age. I think it kind of ruffles feathers at times, but like I don’t want to congratulate someone for having cancer or something. It’s a weird place to be in."

– LizardofDeath

Unleashing Insults

"I remember when I lost the first big chunk of weight (around 50 lbs) it was like it gave some people license to talk sh*t about the 'old' me. Old coworkers, friends, made a lot of not just negative, but harsh comments about what I used to look like. One person I met after the big loss saw a picture of me prior and said, 'Wow, we wouldn’t even be friends!'”

"It wasn’t extremely common, but I was a little alarmed by some of the attention. My weight has been up and down since then, but every time I gain a little it gets me a little down thinking about those things people said."

– alanamablamaspama

Not Everything Goes After Losing Weight

"The loose skin is a bit unexpected."

– KeltarCentauri

"I haven’t experienced it myself, but surgery to remove skin takes a long time to recover. Longer than bariatric surgery and usually isn’t covered by insurance unless you have both."

– KatMagic1977

"It definitely does take a long time to recover. My Dad dropped a little over 200 pounds a few years back and decided to go through with skin removal surgery to deal with the excess. His procedure was extensive, as in he had skin taken from just about every part of his body excluding his head, and he went through hell for weeks in recovery, and he was bedridden for a lot of it."

– Jaew96

These Redditors shared their pleasantly surprising experiences.

Shopping

"I can buy clothes in any store I want."

– WaySavvyD

"When I lost weight I was dying to go find cute, smaller clothes and I really struggled. As someone who had always been restricted to one or two stores that catered to plus-sized clothing, a full mall of shops with items in my size was daunting. Too many options and not enough knowledge of brands that were good vs cheap. I usually went home pretty frustrated."

– ganache98012

No More Symptoms

"Lost about 80 pounds in the past year and a half, biggest thing that I’ve noticed that I haven’t seen mentioned on here yet is my acid reflux and heartburn are basically gone. I used to be popping tums every couple hours and now they just sit in the medicine cabinet collecting dust."

– colleennicole93

Expanding Capabilities

"I'm all for not judging people by their appearance and I recognise that there are unhealthy, unachievable beauty standards, but one thing that is undeniable is that I can just do stuff now. Just stamina and flexibility alone are worth it, appearance is tertiary at best."

– Ramblonius

People Change Their Tune

"How much nicer people are to you."

"My feet weren't 'wide' they were 'fat.'"

– LiZZygsu

"Have to agree. Lost 220 lbs, people make eye contact and hold open doors and stuff"

"And on the foot thing, I also lost a full shoe size numerically and also wear regular width now 😅"

– awholedamngarden

It's gonna take some getting used to.

Bones Everywhere

"Having bones. Collarbones, wrist bones, knee bones, hip bones, ribs. I have so many bones sticking out everywhere and it’s weird as hell."

– Princess-Pancake-97

"I noticed the shadow of my ribs the other day and it threw me, there’s a whole skeleton in here."

– bekastrange

Knee Pillow

"Right?! And they’re so … pointy! Now I get why people sleep with pillows between their legs - the knee bones laying on top of each other (side sleeper here) is weird and jarring."

– snic2030

"I lost only 40 pounds within the last year or so. I’m struggling to relate to most of these comments as I feel like I just 'slimmed down' rather than dropped a ton. But wow, the pillow between the knees at night. YES! I can relate to this. I think a lot of my weight was in my thighs. I never needed to do this up until recently."

– Strongbad23

More Mobility

"I’ve lost 100 lbs since 2020. It’s a collection of little things that surprise me. For at least 10 years I couldn’t put on socks, or tie my shoes. I couldn’t bend over and pick something up. I couldn’t climb a ladder to fix something. Simple things like that I can do now that fascinate me."

"Edit: Some additional little things are sitting in a chair with arms, sitting in a booth in a restaurant, being able to shop in a normal store AND not needing to buy the biggest size there, being able to easily wipe my butt, and looking down and being able to see my penis."

– dma1965

People making significant changes, whether for mental or physical health, can surely find a newfound perspective on life.

But they can also discover different issues they never saw coming.

That being said, overcoming any challenge in life is laudable, especially if it leads to gaining confidence and ditching insecurities.