There's this pervasive idea in a lot of people's minds that being straight is just the "default" sexual preference. That isn't the case, though.
We often hear about the moment people realized they were gay, but we almost never talk about people who have those moments of realization that they're straight.
So let's talk about it.
Straight people of Reddit, when did you know you weren't gay?
So ... you know how you don't know if you like a new food until you try it? A few of these responses involve people who had their moment of realization while in the middle of a "taste test" if you will. So This probably isn't the best article for young readers or anyone who might be sensitive to sexual subject matter.
Victoria's Mail-Order Brides
Giphy
When I was SUPER young I used to take (and sometimes hide) my mom's Victoria's Secret catalogues. I remember an intense feeling while looking at the models in lingerie. It wasn't a horny feeling (being so young) but it was exciting, fun and it had a magnetic feeling inside me to look at them.
Since I didn't even know what sex is, I figured that feeling was what marriage was. LMFAO So I'd be flipping pages and I'd be like - "Hmm.... I would marry... her.... WOW I really want to marry her... and marry her... mmm I wouldn't marry this one..."
I love these type of questions that bring back things you never think about. Looking back at this foggy memory I can actually remember the specific "perfumey" smell the magazines had.
- foxttrot
That Was That
When I first learned about the concept of being gay. I think I was like 8-9.
I randomly asked my mom "How do you know if you're gay?" and she said "You would just have a feeling and you'd know."
I thought about if I've ever felt gay and I didn't, so that was that.
Third Time Was Not A Charm
I was joking around with one of my friends and we (my friends and I) asked him how he knew he wasn't gay.
He told us he tried it 3 times and still hated it. He told us the long story about how he hooked up with three dudes and then realized he hated it.
So many laughs...
Instinct
Boobs. I realized I am a straight male when I couldn't stop myself from looking at them at the beach. Of course I would also look at jacked dudes and think "Wow, I want to look like this in the future" but it wasn't the same as looking at women.
I would look at muscular men wondering what I would look like as an adult consciously. Looking at boobs felt more like an instinct I couldn't control all that much back at age 12.
- kitho04
Flash Forward
I thought I might be bi. Flash forward to hooking up with hottest chick I'd ever seen and was like "nah... This ain't it." Hell of a time to realize you're actually straight.
Hair
When a girl strokes my back or plays with my hair it's very relaxing, I'm like a cat, I am so happy and comfortable and I'll go to sleep. If a guy strokes me or plays with my hair I'm tense - but in a good way, and really excited and flustered and I want to touch him all over.
THIS. 100%. My hair was long in middle school, and the people sitting behind me in class always wanted to play with it - it was a thing I guess. When my girl friend did it, it felt nice. But when the boy did it, I thought he did it so much better....
People Describe The Worst Adult Tantrum They've Ever Witnessed | George Takei’s Oh Myyy
That Didn't Go How Mom Intended
Giphy
I was raised in a "being gay is a choice" type of house. My mom was giving me a speech about how she didn't care if I "brought home a black girl, a Chinese girl, whatever, just as long I dated a girl." Basically an anti-gay talk.
I was confused about this, and thought to myself, "Why would I date a guy? I'm attracted to girls. Dating a guy sounds nasty. If I had to date a guy who would I date? Best friend? Ew, no. Preppy guy? Ew, no. What's-his-name that is out as gay? Ew, no. There's no guy I can even think of that I'd want to be romantically involved with, and even if there was, I'd really have to force myself to do so... wait ... wait a minute... Holy sht, being gay isn't a choice! I couldn't choose it even if I tried!"
No Emotional Connection
I'm a female and I know that so far it is emotionally impossible for me to fall in love with a girl... I could have sex with a girl but definitely would not be interested in pursuing/dating a girl because there isn't that spark/desire I have with men.
I've questioned my sexuality before just to be sure (lol) but I know that the romantic bond I have with men is not possible for me to have with women. I could sleep with a girl but definitely would not be down to date or even flirt with a girl. It would feel very forced and uncomfortable for me.
A High School Rumor
Honestly? Though I had been reading classic romance novels for a couple years nothing solidified me being straight more the someone in high school starting the rumor I was gay and it taking over the entire school (for 4 years!). So much so I had gym teachers pull me aside to ask if I needed to dress alone so I wouldn't lust after the other girls. It was then I discovered that not only was I not gay but even the idea of sexually touching a girl is a complete turn off for me. I'm not a touchy person to begin with but the mere thought a even having a threesome with another woman involved is like a cold bucket of ice water to my libido.
No Sense Of Scale
I can't even tell how attractive a man is. I can tell the difference between good looking and not good looking but I have no idea of where they sit on the scale. So many times I've been out with friends and they're all "oh my god he's so hot" when to me he looks about the same as most of the other dudes in the area.
Do you have something to confess to George? Text "Secrets" or "
" to +1 (310) 299-9390 to talk to him about it.
Ticket scalpers. How do you the audacity to say that's a job?
Actual burglars have more empathy.
Disrespectful
Out Of Office Summer GIF by Merge MansionGiphy"There are debt collectors who call relatives of the deceased to pay off their debts when they are not legally obligated to."
Top_Gun_2021
Shady. Shady.
"Australian Real Estate Agents. Laws don't seem to apply to them. Just as dodgy in sales and rentals alike. Never seen anything like it overseas."
snave_
"I'm in the US, it can vary state by state but my state is pretty strict on realtor laws. Some states require attorney review and there are definitely penalties for being reported for shady sh*t. It does require consumer reporting though."
ilostmytaco
Etransfer
"Where I live, tax info was leaked and now scammers are targeting low income individuals/families (people earning under 30,000 per year) with etransfer scams. I got one the other day that was an etransfer warning that 240$ 'a family member sent me' was about to expire."
SnowyInuk
"That’s disgusting. The scammers know what they’re doing, they know the harm they cause people and yet they don’t care."
surelysandwitch
Should be illegal...
"MLM managers. Not the low level idiots that get suckered into it, they suck too for trying to bring new people into that sh*tshow, but the people who create them know exactly what they are doing and are pretty much the only ones who profit off of it. Should be illegal. Pyramid schemes are illegal. None of them ever get the just desserts except occasionally by vigilantes I assume."
Wereno
I hate debt collectors. Yeah, you calling me one hundred times a week is going to miraculously make money appear.
Animals
Giphy"Paparazzi."
VictorBlimpmuscle
"I met Jack Gleeson (King Joffrey from Game of Thrones) at a bus stop in Dublin. Really nice guy but he said he quit acting due to people being nasty online and constant hounding from paparrazi. He's happier now but it sucks that he was pushed away from a career he was quite good at."
goobi94
Scumbags
"The pastors at mega churches whom ask their followers for money for private jets. Absolute scum to abuse others faith for your own greed."
ichancho
"Brian Tamaki is a greedy freaking pig, he takes advantage of so many people who are already struggling. Every time he’s in the local news (which btw is often) I get more and more pissed off at him and his wife. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Tamaki "
surelysandwitch
it’s a thing???
“'Dating Expert.' Sadly it’s a thing. It’s basically a self appointed title that requires no training or qualifications. What’s worse, is that I have a female friend who uses one. It’s very much a blind leading the blind situation."
Mean_Manufacturer_61
"Most of the self proclaimed “dating coaches” I know are women in their late 30s or early 40s who have never been married or had a longer relationship."
ipozgaj
EVIL
"Poachers. Especially big game poachers who purposefully hunt nearly extinct animals from species they know they are on the brink."
"I know there are poachers that come from rural villages who are trying to just put food on the table, which has my sympathy but poachers who come from money and hunt down animals minding their business in most shelters or restricted areas just to put a head on their wall as a trophy are absolutely heinous."
GetterdoneObiwan
I See It All
miss cleo fraud GIFGiphy"Psychic Mediums. Specifically those who prey on the grieving."
JamesDeadite
"I've always found it interesting how many magicians go after people like this. I think it's because they know what it takes to trick people for the art. The slight of hand and mentalism. And they abhor people who use these tactics for such sh*tty purposes."
34HoldOn
I want so bad to believe in psychics and mediums. What say we on that topic?
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For some odd reason I love the things burning. Anything, food, pots, pans. You name it. Weird.
Blow
fire burning GIFGiphy"Matches/candles on a birthday cake. I remember lighting matches as a kid purely to blow them out and inhale that sweet match-y smell."
semispooked
"guilty good"
"I work at a Chemical plant. We make a highly acidic product that is dark blue, viscus, highly corrosive, and smells exactly like Fruit Loops. It is incredibly disturbing."
Turin082
"Organic chemistry has many 'guilty good' smells. Thiophosgene (sulfur derivative of a chemical weapon used extensively in WW1) apparently smells like meat. Phosgene is used to make polycarbonate, thiophosgene is used to make some sulfur-containing molecules which eventually end up in therapeutic drugs."
HammerTh_1701
I can't huff it...
"Paint, specifically house paint. I love the smell. But anytime I hear that anyone is painting a room or their house, I volunteer. I just love sitting on the floor in a room that's been freshly painted, closing my eyes and just inhaling that slightly chemically, slightly creamy aroma."
Neowza
A Hint of French...
"A fish and chips shop burnt down as couple blocks from work a few years ago. The whole neighborhood smelled amazing for days. Just the slight hint of French fries. Nothing overpowering. It was so awesome. Until I found out someone was trapped in the fire and died."
stevey_frac
Drag
Drag Racing Vegas GIF by Don Schumacher RacingGiphy"Race fuel. Instantly puts me in a good mood as it reminds me of going to the drag races with my dad when I was young."
garfnodie
Fuel and matches get me too. And they sort of go together. Interesting.
Just like the Movie...
Johnny Depp Drinking GIFGiphy"The water from the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. Mmm, bromine."
Stalkerslovemy
"This is one of my favorite scents of all time, and Disney is very aware that people enjoy it. Evidently it’s a lot harder to recreate than just adding bromine to water."
cash4panties
"black widow".
"There's a chicken wing restaurant near my house that has a challenge sauce called "black widow." The owner claims it to be around 500,000 scovilles. A few years back some buddies and I decided to try them, the sauce was a dark molasses color and smelled almost like a BBQ sauce, no hint of the danger that lurked at all. We each grabbed one wing and it went terribly. I don't know how something so spicy could smell so innocent."
Final-Chapter
Endless Weekend
"Hotel/rented rooms whenever you go on vacation. There's this particular smell that just says 'you are on vacation,' especially on a beach/swimming trips/out-of-the-town vacays."
Yummy_Llama
"Bath and Body Works has a plug-in scent called Endless Weekend that replicates that scent (to my humble nose)."
Exxcentrica
"oh no..."
"Someone you are attracted to's body odors. Anyone else who is slightly unhygienic smells repulsive."
Mini_gunslinger
"I remember back in high school a girl leaned over, sniffed me, told me that I smelled really good, and asked me what cologne I was wearing. I asked if she was joking, and she's like, no, you smell really good. When I told her I had just gotten done with gym class, she gets a small 'oh no...' look on her face and turns away. I think we both had a revelation that day."
user deleted
That Smell
Smell It Season 6 GIF by This Is UsGiphy"The smell inflatable things give off. I have no idea how to describe it, but it’s… nostalgic? to me."
crestfxllen
I do love the smell of plastics and inflatables. Ahh....
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It's hard to imagine how to go on without the lost object–whatever it may be–but over time, it becomes a distant memory and we move on.
That is until we magically find ourselves presented with this opportunity proposed by Redditor mikehotel288, who asked:
"You find yourself in a room with everything you’ve ever lost in your life. What do you look for first?"
There are necessities people cannot do without.
No More Dry Lips Ever Again
"Gonna be a lot of chapstick in that room."
– camefromxbox
There are things that bring us comfort and are irreplaceable.
Safety Blanket
"My baby blanket. It became tattered over the years—to the point where I couldn’t reasonably wash it anymore—so I had to throw it away a little while back."
"I have heavily regretted that decision. I was really attached to it (hence it being in tatters), but I really wish that I kept what was left of it instead of throwing it away. Just knowing that I’d still have it would be a huge comfort to me."
– Uearie
Sentimental Heirloom
"The pendant my dad had made for me with my grandmother’s engagement diamond. It was 2 carats. It disappeared from a Las Vegas hotel room 20 years ago. It was hidden deep in a suitcase where it would not have been easy to find. It was just GONE. Cops didn’t do anything. Didn’t even come to take my statement. Cleaning lady said she thought she saw an elderly man enter my room. The guy I was with was not sympathetic in the least. Entire situation was f**ked. I’m still so upset about it."
– MaritimeDisaster
Lone Shark
"My plastic shark toy I lost when I was 10. Ain't no f'king way it just VANISHED."
– Guilty_As_Charged__
Not everything lost is tangible.
Tick Tock
"The time I wasted."
– shinyfennec
It Holds Value
"My private key with 6 BTC in it."
– Significant_Mirror19
"I didn't lose one, but I'll check my room for yours just in case."
– Smodphan
Finding Purpose
"The reason I walked into the room."
– Lloyd_lyle
Lost Opportunity
"That one girl i spoke to on omegle lol"
– h-amishh
If only we get to reunite with those we've lost.
The Loved Family Member
"My grandpa."
– Splatty_boi_420
Grieving Parent
"My daughter. She’ll be in my brother’s arms. So I’ll find both things I care to look for."
– SeeTheFence
Missing Mom
"My mom. She died of cancer in 2017. She never got to meet my daughter. I miss the hell out of her and wish she was still part of my family’s life."
– X-Arkturis-X
The Animals That Come Into Our Lives
"My pets that have passed: especially my horse, Blue. It's been 4 years, but it feels like just yesterday."
– Baciandrio
While many of these scenarios are unlikely, the thread gave people an opportunity to reflect on the things that made a strong impression on their lives.
Sometimes, the memories of the things we've lost–whether they are random objects or sources of love–is all we have.
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