Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

People Explain Which Ordinary Items Have Become Hypersexualized

People Explain Which Ordinary Items Have Become Hypersexualized
Paul Magdas on Unsplash

If you were to objectively examine pop culture in the United States, you would decide the country is obsessed with sex.

Innuendos and outright blatant displays permeate advertising, music, TV and movies.

And then there are the completely nonsexual items that somehow ended up being associated with sex.


Redditor CharmingWitty asked:

"What is an ordinary item that is overly sexualized?"

Eggplant

"Eggplant"

- Cometguy7

"Men: if it looks like an eggplant, go to the doctor."

- NatStr9430

"Specially this 🍆"

- CharmingWitty

"They are not at all penis shaped. They are club shaped. No penis looks like that."

- Trees_and_bees_plees

Giphy

Massagers

"Massager."

"My wife has a Magic Wand that we legit use for massages and nothing else but feel like we need to hide it from plain sight."

- adiosmith3

"Damn it, some of us really do need a phallic-shaped shoulder massager!"

- JonGilbony

Giphy

Cucumber

"Cucumber"

- koala60

"I always feel awkward buying cucumbers as a woman."

"I know I’m just making salad, and I know other people aren’t looking at my produce purchases assuming their naughty by nature, but still… they’re so phallic."

- freya_of_milfgaard

"Just put them next to other stuff in your cart so it's not so obvious, like two plums."

- hobokenbob

"Let’s see… one cucumber, two plums, a jar of coconut oil, some candles, a Barry White cd… just the usual stuff."

- freya_of_milfgaard

Lotion

"Lotion"

- Emile_The_Great

"Lotion/tissue combo. I have dry skin and allergies, man!"

- TheHadokenite

"I go through lotion and tissues at an incredible rate. Never once used the combo for that."

- horselips48

AskReddit

"Probably the subReddit AskReddit."

- MicronQ

“People of Reddit, Sexy sex sexy sex sexual sexy sex sex?"

- EPIC_PORN_ALT

"Women of Reddit, what is the most sex you ever sexed?"

- hattorihanzo5

"Redditor for 1 year. This is the real deal."

- LIEUTENANT__CRUNCH

Giphy

Riding Crops

"Riding crops."

"I have one I bought when I rode horses for years, still have it and everyone assumes it's a sex thing."

- chut2906

"Riding crops, leather care products, and a large assortment of ropes tend to earn some pretty dirty looks."

- RoryFoxey

Giphy

Banana

"Banana"

- Keke_Dudu

"Just let me eat my banana without making me feel weird."

- cameronedwards69

"I used to eat my banana like corn on the cob just in case."

- GodOfMoominism

"Strangers still looked at you funny, just for a different reason altogether."

- MusikPolice

"I blame all those condom PSAs. Why did they always have to use a banana?"

- LakotaGrl

Giphy

Handcuffs

"It used to be that a handcuff collection meant that you were a nerd into magic..."

- s4b3r6

Giphy

Twins

"Female twins."

"Ugh. I hated the questions growing up and through high school."

"No, we do not get 'freaky', she is my sister."

- kdawg2894

"I had a grown man ask me in all seriousness If my twin and I swap boyfriends because ‘we’re the same person’ so apparently our boyfriends won’t know the difference."

"I had to tell him that not only will they know the difference but I am not attracted to her boyfriend, nor her to mine… he did not believe me."

- SiennaStyles

"Also assumes your boyfriends only know or like you for your appearance and that you’re not actually two separate people."

- QSB59

"Yeah, it seems like a wild concept to people who haven't spent any time around identical twins before, but they're actually very different people, and it's very easy to tell them apart when you know them."

"I knew a few sets of twins growing up, and never had any issue identifying any of them."

- JerHat

Giphy

The Female Body

"Shoulders."

"All schools disliked that."

- HeyyIhateMyself45

"Don’t even get me started on the clavicle."

- jeswesky

"and knees"

- foreverritzel

"Dem ankles tho."

- hollow1367

"For real."

"I understand some women may not feel comfortable showing their shoulders and that's fine, but they shouldn't feel like they have to cover them up because of men's thoughts."

"It's so pathetic to blame men's thoughts and behavior on the way women dress."

- kb4000

"Girls can't show any joint in your body unless it's knuckles because 'it's distracting' but God forbid anyone has to wear a mask during a global pandemic."

- BirdsLikeSka

Giphy

The United States isn't alone in hypersexualizing things unrelated to sex.

But many studies point to the country's puritanical approach to the topic of sex and sexuality as well as the human body as a reason why the USA seems to be leading the way in many respects.

It's just sex. It's just biology and anatomy.

Loosen up, people.

Want to "know" more?

Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.

Never miss another big, odd, funny or heartbreaking moment again.

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

Senator Chris Murphy, President Donald Trump
Facebook.com/Senator Chris Murphy / Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Dem Senator Drops F-Bomb In Fiery Video After Trump Calls For Congressional Democrats To Be Hanged

Connecticut Democratic Senator Chris Murphy said "maybe it's time to pick a f**king side" in response to President Donald Trump's call for a group of congressional Democrats who are military veterans to be executed after they reminded U.S. troops that they must disobey unlawful orders.

Senators Elissa Slotkin (Michigan) and Mark Kelly (Arizona) joined Representatives Chris Deluzio and Chrissy Houlahan (Pennsylvania), Maggie Goodlander (New Hampshire), and Jason Crow (Colorado), all of whom are veterans. In a video message, they noted that the Trump administration is "pitting our uniformed military and intelligence community professionals against American citizens."

Keep ReadingShow less
Two people facing each other resting their hands in their heads accross a table from one another
a man and a woman sitting at a table
Photo by Good Faces on Unsplash

Dating Red Flags People Ignored And Instantly Regretted It

Many of us are taught growing up to give people the benefit of the doubt.

A belief many people adhere to when dating.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot from @prissyxoxo25's Threads post
@prissyxoxo25/Threads

Woman Rejects Boyfriend's Proposal After He Bought $900 Ring From Walmart—And The Internet Has Thoughts

Relationships can dissolve for all kinds of reasons, but a key reason that's become more popular with the prevalence of TikTok and Reddit is not staying with someone who doesn't listen to their partner or prioritize their needs.

Knowing a person's favorite song or how they take their coffee might seem like a mundane thing, but it's an intimate detail that shows that you care about your partner's likes and interests.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from @lookitskateeee's TikTok video
@lookitskateeee/TikTok

Family Goes Viral After Throwing Hilariously Dramatic Funeral For Child's Pacifier

All children grow and develop at different rates. Whether they crawl earlier, walk later, have trouble letting go of the baby bottle, or just cannot get behind the idea of mushed green beans, each child will have a journey all their own.

But an experience that more families than not know is the very real attachment many babies and toddlers develop to their favorite beloved pacifier.

Keep ReadingShow less
KPop Demon Hunters
Netflix

Christian School Bans Students From Singing 'KPop Demon Hunters' Songs—And Everyone's Making The Same Point

Here's the truth about content bans: when a group moves to ban a book or movie, their claims often make it obvious that they didn't read the book or watch the movie all the way through.

Sure, they read the title, they looked at the cover or poster, and then they let their preconceived notions take over, deciding that this was something that deserved to be banned.

Keep ReadingShow less