Bodies are beautiful. Everyone's body is a treasure. There is no reason to feel shame. Sure most of us have pounds to lose and other's have the illusion of perfection but every body has value. We are connected to our bodies for life so we might as well find peace with what we've got. Take a chapter from those who work with naked bodies on the regular. It's just another day at the office for them.
Redditor u/merzickel wanted to know how everyone makes it work when you're surrounded by all nudes by asking.... Doctors, massage therapists, and other people who see naked bodies at work: what are most people insecure about when it comes to their bodies that's actually super common and normal?
The Grapefruit.
The only naked person I actually remember was this dude who called due to a hernia. He told us what was going on and we were like okay we trust you get on the stretcher. He said "hell naw y'all need to see this" and stood up and dropped his pants. His scrotum was the size of a grapefruit and his penis slapped his knees.
We told him to put his pants back on so we could get him to the hospital and get him some damn pain meds. Other than that all naked people look the same to me and I really really don't give a crap what you look like cause that's not my concern. Doing that ekg or finding injuries or things like that is my main concern. jesus-christ-of-ems
Pierced.
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Body Piercer here. On average, I pierce a lot of nipples. 90% of women are most uncomfortable showing their stomachs in the case of extra pounds or stretch marks. I explain that I'm not there to see the sights or to judge (I'm a fatty) but to ensure they have a good experience. TheRevSev
Shave Away...
Wife is massage therapist; some women seem to care about if they've shaved their legs or not, which is funny since I massage men's legs that are covered in way more and thicker hair than they will have. That and people are always confused on if they have to remove their underwear or not.
As a therapist it doesn't matter to me, we learn how to work around it and still help you, we just want to make sure that you the client is as comfortable as you can be. Oh, and snoring. People will apologize for snoring a lot but we don't care, honestly. SuicidlMcRib
Don't Apologize.
Women often apologize for having pubic hair which I find kinda sad. Ivehitanewlow
I was in the ER the other day and had to get an ECG. I was so upset because I hadn't shaved in forever. I was covering my armpits as the nurse was putting the "stickers" on. And then she moved to the legs and I couldn't cover them.
She could see I was feeling embarrassed and she looked at me and goes "it's an ER hun, no one comes prepared!"
Made me feel a little better. In retrospect, it was emergency, why did I care?! How bad did society mess me up that when I get injured and need help, I'm worried about my hair?! Real_Space_Captain
the public....
Anything related to the pubic region.
For women, breast exams are common in a primary care setting, and most female patients are pretty chill with it, especially a male physician. Big_Balmer_Brand
Flab.
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Flab right under your armpits on your sides. I'm a bra fitter, and women constantly complain about and apologize for their back fat and fat on their sides right under their armpits. It's really not a big deal. Everyone has it, even that teeny tiny girl that looks like a stick. EleanorRigby96
Noises Off.
Massage therapist here - during abdominal massage, noises happen. Totally normal. We're getting things moving. No need to apologize for being human! courtdork13
I try to warn mine so she doesn't get it in the face. Maggiemayday
The Back Way.
X-Ray tech here, men with hairy backs. I'm looking to make sure your chest is against the plate. Don't care how hairy it is, although one guy did look like he had a fur coat on. psu777
Or woman apologizing for not getting a pedicure while their foot/ankle has been in a cam walker or cast the past 6 weeks. I don't care. I'm there to help you, not judge you. Xray_Abby
Y'all are good.....
Massage therapist here. Most women who are on my table are embarrassed about their leg stubble. Let me reassure you that we don't care if you haven't shaved your legs this week. Forget it, I haven't shaved mine in 12 months. Y'all are good. annacondah
Wash your feet....
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I'm a Podiatrist (foot doctor) and people are always apologizing about their leg hair and their feet in general. Like I've had patients not want to take off their socks and shoes but still want me to help diagnose their foot problems. 90% of the time they're just plain old normal looking feet. That being said, if you haven't washed your feet in the past year...
Maybe do that before you see your Podiatrist. We are happy to help you cut hard thick nails but its the 5 month old toe jam that's the smelliest. Please wash that out before seeing me, no need for a fancy pedicure just soap and water and a good "floss between the toes" with a dry wash cloth is all I'm asking. Unless you're disabled and then of course I understand. doUBleaveNmagic
Don't Look....
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Men are embarrassed of penis size (all sizes) and make it awkward by making weird comments. Women apologize for all body hair. If it's truly an issue, we clip it, if not, it's just hair. LunaLovegood567
Laugh Denied.
Decided to make a joke while getting my physical to lighten the mood, so I asked the doctor if she'd had any prior experience in microbiology while giving me a hernia check. Unfortunately we didn't share the same sense of humor, as she didn't find it as entertaining as I did. RelativelyUselessLad
Shavings....
As a massage therapist I get women that apologize for not shaving their legs that day. I honestly don't care, I didn't shave my legs for the occasion either. _MKUltraViolet
Yep, former massage therapist.
Just come in clean. You're just a slab of meat on my table.
(Unless you have a really crazy tattoo. I'll notice that, lol). helena_handbasketyyc
Pooping......
Pooping. Also farting. Like, hon, I'm here helping you (I'm a CNA) because you literally haven't pooped in like three days. The nurse and I just helped you work out the biggest shit I've ever seen--honestly I'm proud of you, and don't care that you farted for a solid minute afterwards. I'm just glad you feel better.
It's all natural bodily functions man! They made it into a children's book for a reason. And as a person with GI issues, I hate that it's so stigmatized. Even I feel the need to hold in my supremely painful BMs or gas until there's no one around, even though it makes me miserable. muse539
Most. Not All.
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The size of their flaccid penis. First Of all, we don't care. Second, most penises are unimpressive when soft and cold. ArachnaMinax
Stay Calm.
Scars/acne, imperfect teeth, wrinkles everywhere. I didn't see it posted so I just wanted to say I see it all the time. Also, I'm absolutely no case is any staff member ever checking you out in the ER. Seriously, even the most single, lonely person is not judging whether you're attractive or not. We see thousands of people a day. Honestly we forget. Whatever thing you're embarrassed of, we've seen it before. But we do gossip if you're a fool about you throwing a hissy fit. betta_fische
Tummies....
Their stomach. I need to take measurements and people straight up refuse and ramble incoherently as to why their stomach isn't perfectly flat and toned. It's sad it's such a a big deal to some people, I certainly don't judge or care, I just want to do my job. yepdonewiththisshi
Smile!
I'm a dental hygienist and people are very self conscious about their teeth and breath. Honestly we can't really smell your breath at all, we wear masks, if anything we can only smell our own. And teeth are teeth, don't let them keep you from smiling. Mearyballs406
Booby Trap....
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Bra fitter here. Women apologize all the time that their boobs are different sizes, when it's actually pretty rare to have a matched set. They also are ashamed of nearly every single aspect of breast shape, placement, firmness, and texture that you can imagine.
I've been doing this job for nearly a decade, and boobs are genuinely vastly different from person to person. I've probably only ever seen a half dozen pairs that look like boobs in the media, and women really think there must be something freakish about their boobs. hep632
Truth is....
Bodies come in all sizes and shapes. I'm a CNA, and I promise you, the second your clothes are back on, we've forgotten when your junk looks like. The only time we remember what you look like is when there's something unusual about it (and I don't mean size). Yeah, I remember what the guy with cancer of the penis looked like naked (he died). Why? Because his penis was a deformed trainwreck.
The weird thing is, mastectomies are so common in older women that I don't remember what individual women with mastectomies look like. I remember which ladies have one (or zero) boobs, but it's so common I cannot recall what they look like.
Nobody cares if you shave your crotch or your legs or your pits or your face.
Also, really, really fat guys "lose" their penises. Their body fat envelopes their penises and it looks like they have a second belly button. Damn_Dog_Inappropes
Of course, most of the time, it was “just a phase". And looking back, those phases are regrettable, to say the least. Here are some prime examples of that.
SirGergoyFriendman asked:
What was your biggest/most regrettable "It's not a phase, mom. It's my life." that, in fact, turned out to be just a phase and not your life?
The enthusiasm of a young person can lead to some unexpected changes that parents are just not ready for.
Hi, Wheeljack!
I was VERY into The Transformers when I was a wee lad in the 1980s. One day, I decided to change my name to the name of my favorite Autobot. My name was lame, and I wanted an awesome Transformer name. And I was VERY insistent that my parents only call me by my new name. Calling me by my 'old' name would cause a big fat tantrum on my part.
So for the better part of a week, my poor parents had to call me Wheeljack.
Very 2008.
Ariana Grande Shrug GIFGiphyMy cat-ear phase. I wore cat ears every single day. Everywhere. I had like 20 pairs of them. Now everyone thinks I'm a furry.
I find that very cute and wouldn't have thought you'd be furry. Even if you'd had cat mittens. I think my suspicions would have started if you moved a bit like a cat, displayed catlike grooming habits or got a cat mask.
Not gonna lie, that car sounds cool.
I went to a car show once as a teen, and the only newer car there was some chick's PT cruiser. It was hot glittery pink, and at the time I was obsessed. I insisted that one day I would have a hot pink car, with pink seats, pink dash, pink carpets, etc. I was pretty heavily goth at the time, so my parents just rolled their eyes.
These phases can often lead to some very strange fashion choices.
That’s commitment.
When I was a teenager (early 00s), I was waiting for my mother to pick me up and was wearing one of those sh!tty sports wristwatches. It was itching me so I took it off for a second, but then she arrived and because I was struggling to get it back on my wrist, I looped it around the equally sh!tty chain I had around my neck in a rush to get out the door.
My mom asked me about it in the car, and I told her this was my new style and I planned to wear it like that every day. She rolled her eyes.
I wore that watch on a chain around my neck every single day for 3 years or so. There are even professional family photos where I'm wearing it because I refused to take it off.
One day, the chain broke and I lost the watch. I was in high school at that point anyway and it was a major lady repellent, so... phase over.
Not everyone can be Eminem.
slim shady eminem GIFGiphyBaggy pants, being a rapper someday and being a professional skater.
When I was about 14 and Eminem was starting to blow up I bought myself a keyboard with a synthesizer. It cost like $200 which was all the money I had saved up. It finally came (this was way before amazon prime and such) and I tried rapping.
My sister told me "you're effing horrible" and I gave up right then and there.
This should be a sin.
I used to button the top buttons of polo shirts.
I must say, this is probably the worst one I've read.
Looking back at our regrettable choices, all we can do is cringe.
An optimistic look at bad tattoos.
check me out season 3 GIF by PortlandiaGiphyBeing a tattooer. Regrettable because of those poor people who have my awful doodles on their bodies.
Take heart! My favorite tattoo is the one I drunkenly got my buddy to do in his living room one year during March Madness! It's dumb and frankly mediocre? But such a good story and has such good associations I smile every time I see it.
RIP Fredro’s.
My friend and I decided we were going to open a bar in Jamaica with exotic snakes in glass cages in the walls at each booth. We convinced ourselves it would be amazing for at least two years in college. It was going to be called Fredro's.
My entire family made fun of me for it. Once we got out of college, we realized it was not feasible and joined the office grind. We're also two white guys with no ties to Jamaica.
Talk about cringey.
I wore a top hat with an anime pin on it for around a year. Met one of my current best friends while wearing it, idk how he could bear to speak to me after that.
My weirdest phase was probably when I insisted on wearing knee-high rainbow socks to school every day. But honestly, I don't regret it. I rocked those socks, and I wish I still have a pair.
To all the people out there cringing over their past selves, remember that you were just a kid, and to be easy on yourselves. After all, we've all been there
Yet, too often, manufacturers who oversell their products fail to deliver what is promised and are inevitably left with angry customers who want their money back.
Whether the merchandise was defective or ridiculously overpriced, strangers online shared some of their worst purchases when Redditor BooksMcGee asked:
"What is the worst product you ever paid money for?"
Short Life Span
"This NERF gun that's supposed to shoot tennis balls for your dog. I bought it cause I thought you could load 3 at a time and shoot them far, but it's just one and it's super loud and the gun broke after like 4 shots (reading reviews later, this was a common issue)."
Lame Pets
"There were these toys called squiggles when I was a kid and the commercials made it seem like the toy was alive. It looked like you would get this crazy little fuzzy worms as pets that would follow you around an so sick tricks and listen to your every command. It was really just a piece of fluffy string tied to another piece of string with googly eyes on it. People may say that it was supposed to be a magic trick but they should also explain that to a 5 year old who really wanted a pet."
Card Value
"Not their fault, but I paid $70 for a Yugioh card hours before it was limited to one copy. Probably dropped to $20 by the end of the day."
These purchases were bad for your bum.
"A bicycle that literally fell apart before I made it out of the parking lot."
Not Worth Sitting On
"Joybird brand couch. Was so terrible, we returned it. Still hard to believe, we returned a freaking couch."
Going Nowhere Fast
"A 2000 VW Beetle (used)."
"Biggest piece of sh*t that literally had to have just about everything replaced before 100k miles and would still break down every time you left the driveway to the point where the tow-truck driver knew us on a first-name basis."
Expensive Lemon
"An Oldsmobile Achieva from one of those buy here pay here places. I should have known better, but I was young and thought I was getting a good deal. I had the thing for about 5 months, I drove it for maybe 3 weeks. The rest of the time it was either in the shop, or in my driveway waiting until pay day so I could afford to fix whatever broke on it this week. Eventually told the dealer just take it, I'm not paying for it any more. He said nope, and I will make sure your credit is ruined. I said well you sold me a lemon, do you really want to go this route? He came and took it. Never reported anything to credit. I heard he got sued by several other people who sold sh**ty cars too and eventually went out of business."
"Always amazes me when I see them driving around still, I can only assume there's enthusiasts who just love repairing horribly designed cars."
– zerbey
These Redditors were not convinced what they ingested was edible.
Bad Cereal
"A box of plain Cheerios. Thought they were honey nut, poured a bowl, was very disappointed."
"If I wanted to taste cardboard, I'd just eat the box."
– gor8884
Space Pizza
"A burnt frozen pizza at the air and space museum cafe in DC. I Don't wish that experience on anyone. There are some amazing restaurants in DC, don't settle."
– Alseids
The following electronics just gave off a bad charge.
"Asus Transformer Pad TF700"
"This was one of those early 'high end' Android tablets that was grossly underpowered, and it showed. Thing was slow as sh!t in no time flat. Rookie mistake investing into shiny new tech while they were still working all the bugs out. Think I paid somewhere in the neighborhood of $350-400 for it..."
– Luke5119
Bad Apple
"macbook pro 2018 13" touchbar. 2 years old and dead (battery). they're asking $300-$400 to change the battery. malfunctioning keyboard with double presses and missing presses. that's a lot of money for bad design."
Chilly Reception
"Past winter my old room heater broke down and I had to buy a new one. Went to a store nearby and somehow got convinced to buy a very costly heating device.. It's also my fault, since there were some sligthly cheaper options around, but nope. I wanted the expensive one thinking it will make my small room a volcano with little to no effort/cost (that's also what the seller told me). Long story short the device wasn't doing ANYTHING. No significant temperature changes, too much space, a weird noise, and was doubling my previous device in utility cost. I still gloom over those 80 euros.."
Some of my disappointing purchases was clothing, but only because I purchased them online. Unless they are a brand I'm familiar with, I'm usually fine with buying new jeans off of their websites.
But when it comes to graphic tees only available on specialty shops, an M-size shirt is not necessarily the same size as those found in other reputable stores.
I bought a medium sized T-shirt from a boutique store online because I loved the look of the design. But when it arrived, the supposed medium fit me like an XL.
At least I gained a fierce cleaning rag from this impulsive purchase.