# Why are feet and / or hair gross? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 8, 2015, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-feet-and-or-hair-gross/730384 "2015-09-08T22:16:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2015, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-feet-and-or-hair-gross/730384/1 "2015-09-08T22:16:08Z")
I have encountered a lot of people who are grossed out by feet, and others who are grossed out by hair. I don’t understand this at all. When I’ve had a hair in my food at a restaurant, I just pick it out. No ill effects so far (admittedly, this has only happened a handful of times). It’s not ideal to find loose hair or hairs, but why is it anything more than a minor annoyance? Same with pet hair. It would be nice if it weren’t there, but if it is, oh well. I’m talking about otherwise clean places; it’s pretty obvious why a home that has never been vacuumed is gross. Likewise, another thread on “no shoes, no shirt, no service” reminded me of people’s horror of bare feet. I get that there are things like pinworm, and that feet can be dirty (though they can also be washed) and have health problems. What I’m asking about are those people who would just rather not see clean, healthy feet unless covered by shoes / socks. ---
**Author:** ![Brodi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/cc9497/32.png) [@Brodi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brodi)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2015, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-feet-and-or-hair-gross/730384/2 "2015-09-08T22:23:08Z")
Some people do have a phobia about feet, called [Podophobia](http://www.fearof.net/fear-of-feet-phobia-podophobia/) and people can have a phobia of hair, called [Trichophobia](http://mostcommonphobias.com/trichophobia-fear-phobia-hair/). The hair in your food could have been treated with chemicals (hair spray, dye, etc) or the person the hair came from could have had lice. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Krupe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ebca7d/32.png) [@Leo\_Krupe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Krupe)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2015, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-feet-and-or-hair-gross/730384/3 "2015-09-08T23:09:17Z")
I don’t have a phobia about either one, but I do have a foot aversion. It probably goes back to when I was a kid, and my older sister would see pictures of feet in magazines or comic books, and complain how they smelled. Plus, of course, real world experience in that area as well. Hair? I don’t know, but it’s pretty on a person’s head, but gross in the sink. That one, I’ve never figured out. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2015, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-feet-and-or-hair-gross/730384/4 "2015-09-08T23:33:15Z")
Hair used to be pretty gross. As in, dirty. Even my mother’s generation washed their hair just once a week (until about the 1970s). So I can see a reasonable “ew” reaction to hair. Even today, hair is always one of the hits of the Microbiology 101 Lab: Swab All The Things. Lots of bacteria there, although most of it harmless. Me, I just don’t like the way it feels if it gets caught in my mouth, and flinging a wet long hair is nearly impossible because it sticks to my fingers. Ick. Feet…feet are kinda gross. Real people feet, I mean. Or if not gross, than aesthetically unpleasing. Feet in ads are always pretty and symmetrical and don’t have the weird lumps and ropey veins and icky toenails and yellow calluses many people have. Even when they’re not [really gross](https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/ff/06/4f/ff064f6ea87c48a4c539856f12fc0364.jpg)\*, they’re more apt to look like [this](http://www.phdispatch.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/toe1.jpg)than [this](http://americanfoot.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Non-Swollen-Feet-Atlanta-Podiatry.jpg) \*The link goes to a picture of really gross feet. Warned. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2015, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-feet-and-or-hair-gross/730384/5 "2015-09-09T01:30:57Z")
Athlete’s foot, plantars warts, ingrown toenails, various foot funguses, etc. Feet are stinky and sweaty. Hair can be dirty, animals often have fleas, etc. Seriously. ---
**Author:** ![GrumpyBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc8723/32.png) [@GrumpyBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrumpyBunny)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2015, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-feet-and-or-hair-gross/730384/6 "2015-09-09T01:47:55Z")
> [@Brodi](#): > > The hair in your food could have been treated with chemicals (hair spray, dye, etc) or the person the hair came from could have had lice. Given the vast array of chemical muck we live in, I can’t see the chemicals from hair in soup is going to be something that harms a person. Also, you’d notice if the hair had nits. Seriously, what are the odds? I shed a good deal, so I’m pretty careful about my hair when I’m cooking (I put it in a bun). Still, sometimes a strand of hair gets away. No one has died yet. ---
**Author:** ![Teach-me-not](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a4c791/32.png) [@Teach-me-not](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Teach-me-not)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2015, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-feet-and-or-hair-gross/730384/7 "2015-09-09T02:19:39Z")
Slightly tangential. There’s a local saying here in India that a strand of hair in your food shows that the cook loves you and strengthens your relationship with him/her. It is plausibly just a made-up saying to prevent someone from flying off the handle upon finding stray hair in the food, and to inject a warm, fuzzy feeling into an otherwise awkward moment. A cute story nevertheless. On a similar note, some people don’t stop eating if they find an ant in the food. Black ants are good for your eyes, supposedly. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![AnaMen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dfb087/32.png) [@AnaMen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AnaMen)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2015, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-feet-and-or-hair-gross/730384/8 "2015-09-09T02:51:01Z")
I wouldn’ stop eating if there was an ant in my food. Should I? ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2015, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-feet-and-or-hair-gross/730384/9 "2015-09-09T02:57:13Z")
> [@AnaMen](#): > > I wouldn’ stop eating if there was an ant in my food. Should I? In some places, the ant _is_ the food. ---
**Author:** ![Kaio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c68b51/32.png) [@Kaio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaio)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2015, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-feet-and-or-hair-gross/730384/10 "2015-09-09T05:26:03Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > Even when they’re not [really gross](https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/ff/06/4f/ff064f6ea87c48a4c539856f12fc0364.jpg)\* … > > \*The link goes to a picture of really gross feet. Warned. Where did you find a bridge troll, and how’d you convince him to let you photograph his feet?! ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2015, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-feet-and-or-hair-gross/730384/11 "2015-09-09T06:25:59Z")
Feet are nifty! Toes are wiggly and cute, and soles are tickly. A good foot massage feels heavenly. Sure, feet get stinky: that’s 'cause we keep them wrapped up all the time. Groins and armpits, too: nothing wrong with 'em if you air 'em out now and then, and wash and dry them carefully. And hair? It can be truly lovely! Ya just need to wash it! ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2015, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-feet-and-or-hair-gross/730384/12 "2015-09-09T06:42:08Z")
> [@GrumpyBunny](#): > > I shed a good deal, so I’m pretty careful about my hair when I’m cooking (I put it in a bun). Ok, but how do you garnish it? 😃 Myself, I don’t get why feet are considered gross. As long as folks aren’t putting them in their mouths, they’re just a way of getting around. Hair in my food isn’t too bad, either – unless I’ve already got that food in my mouth. Fishing the strand of hair and the food out of my mouth just stinks. It’s not that gross, it’s just a pain in the ass. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2015, 10:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-feet-and-or-hair-gross/730384/13 "2015-09-09T10:47:56Z")
Years ago I went to a cat show. Thousands of really cool cats, along with crazy, obsessed, cat owners. There was an area where you could get lunch; hotdogs, chips, salads, soda. I bought some macaroni salad. There was a _wad_ of white cat hair that I spit out, sort of like a cat bringing up a hairball. I’m pretty immune to stuff like that, but it freaked me out a bit. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2015, 11:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-feet-and-or-hair-gross/730384/14 "2015-09-09T11:05:04Z")
Hair isn’t gross, but hair in my food is. I hate the feel of hair in my mouth. And hair in the food suggests the staff aren’t being super careful – what else are they being careless about? Feet? Well, I don’t want your feet in my food, but I have no idea why people think feet are gross. I thought the photo of the “gross” foot looked fine. It looked like a foot. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2015, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-feet-and-or-hair-gross/730384/15 "2015-09-09T11:54:02Z")
[The foot on the left in the top photo](http://wordofthenerdonline.com/2012/04/geek-chic-vol-1-heroic-shoes/) looks like the typical female office worker’s foot in the summer. (From the show The IT Crowd, a pretty nice Britcom). Feet are gross as fuck. Toes pointing in 12 directions at once, gross scaly skin, big ass ugly veins. Cover those puppies up. ---
**Author:** ![AnaMen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dfb087/32.png) [@AnaMen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AnaMen)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2015, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-feet-and-or-hair-gross/730384/16 "2015-09-09T12:09:25Z")
There is nothing inherently gross about feet, but some feet are definitely gross, usually from being crammed into shoes that don’t fit and not getting light or air. Yet people keep doing these things, making their feet grosser and insisting that feet simply _are_ gross, as if their treatment of them is not the problem. Smelly feet are usually caused by bacteria or fungi that thrive in your damp shoes and have infected you, but some people don’t bother to treat this problem because they think smelly feet are normal. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2015, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-feet-and-or-hair-gross/730384/17 "2015-09-09T12:34:59Z")
The last time I struck a person, it was because he tried to put his feet on me. Feet are disgusting. Hair only slightly less so. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2015, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-feet-and-or-hair-gross/730384/18 "2015-09-09T12:43:04Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > The last time I struck a person, it was because he tried to put his feet on me. That would make a great first sentence in a novel. ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2015, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-feet-and-or-hair-gross/730384/19 "2015-09-09T12:46:34Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > That would make a great first sentence in a novel. It’s almost Hemingway-esque in its simplicity and directness. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2015, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-feet-and-or-hair-gross/730384/20 "2015-09-09T12:49:23Z")
> [@OneCentStamp](#): > > It’s almost Hemingway-esque in its simplicity and directness. Yet it hints at the emotional depths awaiting the reader. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-feet-and-or-hair-gross/730384.md?page=2)