20 Girls in Their 20s on Absurd Body Myths They Believed as Kids
Up until middle school, I thought that if you swallow a watermelon seed, an actual watermelon would grow in your body, and you were doomed. Thanks, Rugrats. But seriously, whether it's from a show you used to watch, or from something absurd your parent told you, kids believe the the most absurd things about how the human body works. Another example, I thought if I watched a dog poop, I would get a stye in my eye. I also believed if you scratch your head, you become lazy, and if you swallow gum, you'll fart balloons for the rest of your life. That would actually be pretty awesome considering the odor would stay enclosed, but nay, science has not advanced this far yet. If you want more where that came from, keep reading.
1/20"I cut my bangs off because I didn’t want them anymore, and I thought that’s how hair worked.
I was also horrified and believed if you got pregnant you could keep getting pregnant and have a bunch of babies at different stages in your body at once."
Becca
2/20"If you eat too many carrots you’ll turn orange, and if you eat bacon your butt would grow because it’s from a pig’s butt."
Alicia
3/20"My grandma used to tell me and my cousins that if we ate the crust on our bread, then our hair would turn curly."
Caroline
4/20"Things can get lost in your vagina and never be found."
Dora
5/20"I thought sex was just when a penis would chill atop the crease of the vagina like a hot dog in a bun. I had no idea about penetration."
Ally
6/20"First grade understanding of sex: the person I 'love'/'thought hard enough about' would be what my child would look like. So when I had two crushes, I made sure to only focus on one. Otherwise, you know, cheating."
Sophie
7/20"If someone stabbed you in the butt, then poop will splatter out."
Kate
8/20"I definitely thought your belly button was an endless tunnel to your insides."
Clare
9/20"Penises can move independently — like arms."
Liza
10/20"If I shave my thighs, the hair will grow back darker and thicker. Never happened."
Teagan
11/20"If I hold my poop in, it'll just come out of my mouth."
Ashley
12/20"My grandma told me if I don't wipe my butt properly, the poop will stay there and turn into a mole."
Yasmin
13/20"Your soul is a clean plate hidden inside your chest, and every time you sin, it gets a red dot. If it turns red, you'll go to hell."
Emma
14/20"My older cousin convinced me that adults don't fart in front of anyone, and they go to a building downtown and pay a quarter to do it."
Badhaftu
15/20"I remember being like four or five, and I was convinced that farts had specific shapes."
Olivia
16/20"If you eat earwax, you will become mute. I believed this until late high school/early college."
Daqing
17/20"Pee babies. If a man and woman pee in the same toilet without flushing, then a baby will grow.
Also, I thought vagina was called petunia until middle school. Kinda poetic."
Nailah
18/20"Having sex means peeing into each other's mouths."
Sophie
19/20"I didn’t understand how we gave birth to children. I was convinced we would have to poop kids out until I saw an image of crowning. I think that upset me more."
Gaia
20/20"Since Mexican parents are the worst when it comes to birds and bees talk, my mom told me babies were made out of saliva. If you kissed someone a lot, over time, the saliva would start forming itself as a baby in your stomach. I’m still testing out my mom’s theory."
Babyrash
