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Put your hands up if you’ve ever done anything silly in the name of love or simply to avoid the feeling of shame while you were in a relationship.
I must say, to emphasize how this is always me, I should probably have both hands and feet up.
While I am not sure what the exact reason is, I have always subjected myself to torture because of a deep rooted fear of embarrassment.
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This becomes a hundred times worse when I am in a relationship.
And so I find myself doing the craziest things or behaving the silliest despite my continuous efforts to be “normal”. Whatever that means.
You’re probably wondering what I mean when I say the “craziest things”.
A perfect example is something that date’s way back to when I was just 15 years old.
I had just started dating a very sweet guy who was about a year older than me. The two of us had planned to meet at a friend’s house to hang out, naturally I was both nervous and excited.
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The day arrived for us to meet up and all was well, except for one little thing, I didn’t have shoes that matched my outfit.
Coming from a humble background meant I only had a few options and being a shy teen meant I was extra critical of what I wore, especially in front of a crush.
What was going through my head when I came up with this ridiculous solution to my problem is beyond me.
I had decided to wrap my foot in a thick bandage to pretend it was broken, this way, I could wear my morning slippers and not seem like I didn’t have proper shoes.
The thought of that day still makes me cringe.
Fast forward nearly ten years later, I came across an article about a relationship expert who claims farting in front of your boyfriend could actually result in a happier and healthier relationship.
While many of you may be thinking, who doesn’t fart in front of their partner?
The answer is me.
I lived with my boyfriend for nearly two years and not a single gas was passed from my end.
Come to think of it, if this relationship expert knows her stuff, that’s probably why the relationship didn’t make it.
Anyway, all of this led me to wondering how far other people have gone to avoid embarrassment in their relationships. And so off I went asking as many people as possible about the things they dared not do for the sake of saving face.
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Some of the responses were hilarious.
Deslin, a 28-year-old dancer says that she never cleans her nose in front of her husband even though they've been married for three years and have a two-year-old baby together.
While Marion, a junior bookkeeper says that she still hasn't allowed her partner to see her without her wig, and it's already been ten months.
Among the responses I got were not eating big foods like burgers or bunny chows in front of their partners because of how wide they'd have to open their mouths.
Not allowing their partners to see their toes and even not clipping their toenails in front of their partners. And here I thought I was weird for not farting.
Is there anything you don't do in front of your partner to avoid feeling embarrassed or ashamed?
Do you think any of the things the women we spoke to mentioned were a cause for embarrassment?
Share your thoughts with us here.
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