14 Truly Disturbing Things That Made People Want to Look Away

Disgust is a feeling we usually steer clear of, but sometimes we find ourselves in situations that make us want to gag or run away. People in this article encounter gross experiences that still make them feel sick when they think about them.

• When I was about 14, I was walking around the grocery store with my dad. I was on my phone and didn’t see him turn the corner into the other aisle. I looked up and saw he wasn’t there, instead, there was a mom and her toddler-aged daughter now in the aisle with me.
  I looked up to find my dad for maybe 20 seconds. At that time, I watched the daughter say, «Mommy, I have to sneeze!», which prompted her mother to get on her hands and knees and allow her daughter to sneeze in her mouth. Then she got up, and they acted like nothing happened. © bonybug / Reddit

• I once saw a lady change her baby on a table in the food court of the mall. It was at Christmastime, so there were tons of people around. She just didn’t care.
  I also told the custodial staff, «Hey, some lady just changed her baby on that table,» and they didn’t
  do anything. © ratsandfoxbats / Reddit

• When I was 10 years old, I was at an overnight camp with a friend of mine. We were in a large room that had a radiator up against the wall. My friend happened to see a large wad of chewing gum stuck to it. She pried it off, put it in her mouth, and chewed it as if that was normal behavior. © DareWright / Reddit

• Going home from school, I saw this lady wearing flip-flops on a rainy day. The thing is, she had these deep fissures at the bottom of her feet, and every time she took a step, you could see water flowing between the fissures. © StrkrJ / Reddit

• I was waiting for my turn at a fast food joint, my stomach rumbling with anticipation. Finally, I reached the counter and ordered my usual burger combo. As I waited, I noticed a foul smell wafting from the kitchen.
  Ignoring it, I eagerly unwrapped my burger, only to find slimy tomatoes inside. Just as I was about to complain, a cockroach scurried out from under the bun. Horrified, I gagged and quickly pushed the meal away, losing my appetite entirely.

• We were having a barbecue party, and everyone brought a dish. My brother’s new girlfriend had prepared a homemade potato salad. It was a little too acidic but delicious. The next day, everyone who ate from it got sick.
  Later in the day, I was cleaning and there was an awful stench coming from the kitchen’s trash. As I opened it, I found packets of potato salad dressing hidden at the bottom that smelled utterly foul. On closer inspection, they had expired many years. Needless to say, I was furious and grossed out.

• Once, I was in the subway. A guy in front of me rushed towards me and picked something up from the floor right next to my foot. He put it in his mouth and started chewing on it. It was an old and stepped-on gum that was glued to the floor. © valoudev / Reddit

• A homeless man arrived at our hospital with an abdominal abscess. We were trying to clean his wound and assess the damage, and when we reached inside, we were horrified to find that he had been hiding his money there. He nonchalantly stated that he kept his money tucked in there to protect it from being stolen. © DyingLion / Reddit

• I saw a woman on the metro blowing her nose into her dreadlocks. Based on the crustiness and smell, it appeared to be a routine habit for her. © epidemica / Reddit

• A well-dressed woman sitting next to me at the bus stop was eating raw chicken that she’d just bought at the grocery store up the street. I’d seen her for months on and off, waiting at the same time as me, probably going to and from work. But there she was in the middle of a South Texas summer, eating raw chicken like she was starving to death while waiting for the bus in 105-degree weather. © Unknown author / Reddit

• A woman on the train was clipping her finger and toenails. Another passenger eventually said something, and she acted like he was being unreasonable. © smallasaur / Reddit

• Once on a midday regional train, the guy sitting next to me just pulled out a packet of floss and started flossing. Bits of food were visibly being flung from his teeth.
  He did that for like 10 minutes straight, then put away his floss. If that wasn’t bad enough, he then started to shove his fingers into his ears, clean them with his pinky finger, and wipe wax on his pants. © Blurryblanket / Reddit

• University library. Some unwashed, smelly old bearded guy always came there to use their free Wi-Fi. The stupid laughing was tolerable; I had headphones. Piling up a mountain of tangerine peels was tolerable; I like tangerines. But one day, he started clipping his dirty fingernails, and one flew straight at me.
  I went straight to the staff and got him kicked out. © Le_German_Face / Reddit

• I was sitting on the bench at a park when this homeless man approached me. He didn’t say a word, just threw a folded newspaper on my lap. Scared, I opened it to see what he wanted.
  Inside the paper was a repulsive sight — a grotesque, slimy mass of unidentified goo. It reeked of rot and decay. Without a word, the man disappeared into the shadows. It felt like a nightmare, but I was surely wide awake when it happened.

We’ve all witnessed strangers doing some pretty strange stuff, but when it comes to ourselves, we’d rather avoid embarrassing situations, especially in crowded places. However, 12 courageous women decided to share their terribly embarrassing moments to prove that these awkward situations are something we all go through.