Koutoumouphobia. Does anyone else have it?

My friend has this. She never wears clothes with buttons, just zips, tie belts etc.

I love buttons but I don't wear my shirt dress when I meet her, in case she finds it difficult to see. She told me about her phobia after I'd known her for a long time, and never mentions it otherwise.

A friend of mine at uni had it. She could handle the ones without holes, but the holey ones were a huge No.

I have a phobia of a certain kind of plastic toy. Those long wobbly strands of rubbery plastic all fastened together in a bunch. Can't stand beside them.

Yes I had a good friend at uni who had this. It is fairly common. Does it impact your day to day life?

Yes. My son. School uniform was a nightmare. We never managed to find out what started it, there hadn't been any issues with choking or putting one in his mouth as a baby. It seemed to start before he could even walk and talk. I searched through all of his games, toys, books but there was nothing that I found that would constitute such a visceral reaction. Very odd. He's an adult now and come to think of it, I only ever see him wearing casual (zippered) clothes so I presume it's still an issue.

Its not actually. Its a very common one, I know 2 people with it, its definitely out there!!

Yes I know two people with this. I don't think it is as unusual as another poster pointed out! One friend had help from hypnotherapy.

I don't have this, or any other phobia. However, if it's real to you, then it's real. I can't really give you any constructive advice; therapy, I suppose, which is expensive and may help you to understand why you feel like this, but won't necessarily help you overcome your phobia.

I don't think you should feel embarrassed or ashamed about it, and I don't think your phobia is unreasonable.

DS had this when he was little- not sure if he's overcome now or not but it was a major issue when he was younger - school uniform was a nightmare for him!

My SIL has this - I had no idea until she had a baby and freaked out over some of the clothes people had bought for her. She can just about tolerate buttons of a certain size or type, but small buttons, very flat (!) buttons or poppers are a massive no-no.

@TheyRepulseMe i think it’s spelled koumpounophobia btw.

Does anyone remember Don’t Try This At Home with Davina McCall? They had a segment on there where they’d put people with phobias in a box filled with whatever they had a phobia of. Classic 90s tele!

Anyway I distinctly remember one of those being someone sat in a box full of buttons. So you can’t be the only one OP!

I have trypophobia myself and another “phobia” (that would be too outting to share as I definitely am the only one) which makes me dry heave if I encounter the thing! So I fully understand the feeling of being physically repulsed by something completely harmless.

It’s not as much of an issue for me any more as I don’t have to wash or deal with school uniforms which was torture for me. Just touching the tops made me feel ick.
ive always had it since i was small, i think it stems from being forced to wear wooly cardigans with them on, the cardigans were a sensory nightmare for me (im autistic diagnosed as an adult) and no one understood and thought i was just being difficult.
some are worse than others, I particularly hate the sort of see through white ones that are on cheap school shirts 🤢.
I don’t love poppers but they are preferable to the normal ones, toggles are ok- ish.

An ex work colleague had this, she was delighted when waterfall cardigans became fashionable as she had never been able to wear cardigans before due to the buttons on them.

I'm here right with you. It's genuinely fucking terrible. Especially because people who don't have it think it's hilarious and show you photos of things (probably as they do with the button phobia).

I see your button phobia and raise you my trypophobia. Way worse. Sorry.

Ooh, that's an interesting phobia. I think I have the opposite - koutoumouphilia.

[Trigger warning for the next para if you have this phobia]

I have a button box that used to be my mother's - about 10 oz of the cutey little creatures. I used to love playing with them as a child and I still enjoy searching through them when the need arises. Very tactile.

Because medical terms for phobias all come from Greek language.
Koumpi means button in Greek.

No. I'm the polar opposite of this. I love them, collect them and sometimes sew extra ones on to garments to embellish them.
B's and tassels are among my favourite things.
I think I was perhaps a stripper in a former life.

Used to threaten our stepmother with the button tin 😂

Quite funny that it’s so bizarre but also not so uncommon. I wonder if parents were scared of their children choking on them so shouted NO, DANGEROUS every time their child tried to pick at a button?

Yes!! I hate the things they make me gag.

There’s dozens of us! Agree, vile little things

I've got a friend with this phobia.

All clothes are buttonless or zipped.
She won't touch them.
Her phobia extends to earrings too.

As PP says. I can cope with small ones on shirts etc but would never buy a cardigan with big buttons. It is random loose ones that are the problem.