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Welcome to the group, I am sure no-one would judge you for this! It's really not shocking at all, well not to me anyway. Maybe part of it could be that you don't like the soft-pornography-like photos of women in lingerie ads? Just an idea, I don't like them much, I might be completely wrong though.
My 12 year old son has not so much a clothing phobia, but he finds his clothes in general uncomfortable on his skin, he has been diagnosed as Aspergers syndrome and has a big problem with fiddling with his clothes in some odd ways such as rolling his collar of his school polo shirt and pulling it over his chin, so other kids might tease him but he finds he can't help it. I wish I could do something to help him but he can't go to school in just his underpants, which if he had his way he would do for comfort because he truly finds uncomfortable clothes bother him more than being cold!! He would probably end up being a naturist when he is grown up. I would totally support him if he wants to do that.
I don't know if this is any way related to your phobia, but you surely will not be thought of as disgusting or a terrible person here, and having a child who has serious issues with his clothes I can somewhat relate as your phobia is to do with clothes!
As for me, my phobia is quite different. I'm totally phobic about cigarettes, cigarette smoke, and anyone who smokes, I can't trust smokers or feel comfortable around them, once I know someone is a smoker I just feel distrustful of them, even if they seem a nice person! I know this is not fair because some smokers are nice ppl and some even want to give up their horrible habit and try really hard to break their addiction! But I can't be near them as I actually get a bad physical reaction to cigarette smoke (I even get ill from the smell on a smoker when they are not smoking but if it is strongly lingering on them), like a really bad allergy anyway, but aside from that my disgust of it is so beyond that of the average non-smoker. I'm sorry if anyone smokes here and is offended by my feelings about it. I can just about cope with a smoker if the person accepts they must not smoke in my presence even out of doors or I would have to leave their company because I would be sick seeing them taking that filthy muck into their lungs, regardless of which way the wind was blowing. I have to cross the road if I see anyone smoking, I get panicky if I have to walk by someone smoking and I really rush past and hold my breath! It's not just that I can't stand the smell and getting any of it into my own lungs (which of course I can't stand), I also find that just seeing someone on TV smoking upsets me a lot more than seeing a violent film. It's the thought of those nasty sooty particles lodging in the tissues of people's lungs, it bothers me like it does for some people nails down a blackboard!! I'm squeamish about people smoking the same way some people are about blood or spiders. I can pick up big spiders for my arachnophobic 9 year old daughter and put them out of the window quite calmly, I can reassure her how spiders will do her no harm, set her an example to try and encourage her to fear them a lot less, I can watch gory horror films and operations on TV, no problem with blood, etc, but if anyone was to make me watch someone smoking a cigarette, I would feel sick and panicky, nausea etc, for me this would be torture! Physically the effect for me is that if I get a tiny amount of second-hand tobacco smoke in my lungs I can literally feel the pain of the particles from the smoke going into my lung tissues (anyway I assume this is what I am feeling) and it feels like a huge crumb has gone down the wrong way and I am choking and coughing. Bonfire smoke affects me quite a bit too, so we are all odd in our own way here.
I sometimes wonder if there is a hereditary connection between my son's extreme hypersensitivity to clothes on his skin with his Asperger syndrome and my hypersensitivity to smoke in a part of my body that supposedly should not have the nerve endings to feel it the way I am feeling its effects. I know this is not entirely about phobia, but the physical reaction my body has to it has led to me being very phobic about cigarette smoke and anything related.
I've not found anyone who shares my smoke-sensitivity as badly as I have it, although I have met some people who are moderately smoke-sensitive and hate it, and never met anyone who shares my severe phobia about it, even about seeing ppl smoke on films.
That film with Bill Murray and Scarlett Johanssen "Lost in Translation" was a prime example of a film where I had to keep looking away and was totally ruined for me because she smoked like a chimney.
Lesley
-----Original Message-----
From: creepygothichorror [mailto:creepygothichorror@...]
Sent: 12 April 2005 12:31
To: unusualphobias@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [unusualphobias] icky horrid phobia
apologies to anyone who got a privat e mail from me, i should have
realised i could post a group message first. a case of too little sleep.
My phobioa and i kind of dont feel happy or comfortable being brought
up to be feminine and have good social graces. That didn't stop though
the ritual degradation this sick world forced on me. sorry if this is
t m i,
I have ADHD amongst other things including an epilepsy like condition.
Serendipity is what i like to known as as it has a nice free sweet
sounding name to it. I have no idea what anyone will think and
apologies if the thought is unplesant i am depserately dont wish to be
viewed with the thought she is
being unnatural and obscene. *deep breath* i have a lingerie phobia..i
see the shops and the adverts of happy people purchasing, and i
deperately wish to be a normal person but its just i think too much
for me. I end up sobbing and heartbroken that i can not be normal. Its
led in the past to unmitigated rage against myself and my arms are
coverd in scars where i cut myself in desperation of feeling
something. I want so much to be pritty and attractive, but i feel
asense of isolation and self disgust that i could want to be
*normal*.I would just love once not to have to want to be anything or
wear a pritty garment to feel normal,
its alot more complex than i have put down but i am sure that i will
feel better for coming clean. apologies to everyone for just putting
them off their lunch
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