Using a public bathroom can be a total adventure. Will you line up for what feels like hours, which is of course the time you really need to pee? Will the floor of each stall be covered in wet toilet paper? Or, as this TikTok user experienced, will you double-check your fashionable outfit in the mirror and hear something that should occur only in nightmares?
@neysharivera0 shared a snapshot of a common activity that turned frightening when she looked in a bathroom mirror and a stranger in a stall passed some serious gas. The sound can only be described as ear-splitting and heartstopping. Yes, as you might have guessed, this is a story about farts!
One person commented “And she was probably holding it for so long while you in there playing!” while another spoke the truth: “But to be fair, they’re in the right place for that.” If you can’t fart in a bathroom, after all, where else can you? At least this didn’t happen in the middle of a crowded movie theater or the supermarket. Some said they would have left ASAP and others admitted they wouldn’t be able to stop themselves from laughing. This is one of those moments in life so surprising that giggling is the only logical response. I have to ask: what would Fartbuckle think?
Well, according to the wise people at Harvard, everyone’s letting out 14 farts on a daily basis, which seems high to me (but, then again, I didn’t go to Harvard). Based on that fact, it seems most people will find themselves in this humiliating situation at least once, if they haven’t already. There might be no avoiding it, either, as apparently, everyone farts more as they get older thanks to digestive shifts. UCLA Health says eating whole grains could make the issue worse. That’s what you get for eating healthy!
If you want to know how to respond when your bowels take over, The New Zealand Herald has some ideas. As this advice column suggests, there are three options: act like nothing happened, get yourself to a private place as soon as possible, or admit you farted. Given the thunderous sounds coming from @neysharivera0’s video, the person behind that bathroom stall couldn’t do anything except be totally truthful.
I can’t decide which is more awkward: being the stranger hearing the fart or being the stranger doing the farting. Probably the latter. One thing is certain — both people now have a memorable story to tell anyone they meet. They’ll both find willing audiences since there’s something purely humorous about witnessing such intense gassy discomfort and surprisingly (or unsurprisingly?) a lot of people are happy to talk about farts all day long. But, at the same time, everyone knows the pain and embarrassment of having stomach troubles in a public space. Although this video might turn everyone into giggling little kids, I can’t help but feel for this person, too. (Spoken as someone who struggled for years with stomach issues before realizing that gluten and dairy are my mortal enemies.)
So, how did Neysha respond? She decided to suspend —indefinitely — her bathroom videos. Honestly, that’s a smart move. How are you supposed to live out the rest of your day after this? The next time I have to use a public restroom, I’ll be thinking about this gassy tale and hoping it doesn’t get repeated.