Me And Buttons…

…Do Not Go Together. Never Have, Never Will.

It’s an aesthetics thing really, I just don’t like how shirt buttons look. My parents did try to get me to wear shirts when I was little, but I just wouldn’t have it. They gave up and just let me dress the way I wanted, and to their credit, they never made a big thing of it.

Note: I don’t mind snaps. It’s just the buttons which are sewn on with strings which I dislike. I’m also alright with the metal buttons you’ll find on jeans.

So how does one get through life without wearing clothes with buttons?

Well, you wear clothes with zips and snaps!

I can see that an aversion to buttons would cause issues for some people, but for me it really hasn’t:

• I never went to a school with a dress code. In fact school uniforms are unheard of in the country where I grew up. We were always free to dress however we liked and you could have any haircut you wanted (and makeup and piercings).

• I’ve never had a job which required me to wear a uniform or a suit. I go to the office dressed in jeans, a t-shirt, and sneakers and I work for a large company. It has never been a problem. I work in IT though where much isn’t expected of you as long as you don’t smell (that’s an attempt at a joke).

• I don’t lead a social life which requires me to wear suits, etc. If I do have to dress up somewhat, a turtleneck or a snap shirt with a nice pair of jeans and boots will usually do.

What about other people? I’ve never had a problem with people around me wearing clothes with buttons, although I will admit to sometimes thinking; what does he/she see in those buttons? They look disgusting.

I don’t know if my distaste for buttons qualifies as a phobia (it probably does), and there really is such a thing as button phobia. It even has a formal hard-to-pronounce name: koumpounophobia.

Let me end with: I have no intention of getting treatment for my koumpounophobia. I will die a koumpounophobic! Long live zips and snaps!