By RTF Editor B.J. Hamrick
It’s not really a habit for many people in our generation, but I realize that there are some folks out there who enjoy canning. Peaches, pears, figs – you name it. So when I read recently about a man who keeps navel fluff in a jar, I assumed the article was referring to canned oranges… if there is such a thing.
Turns out the words “navel fluff” are actually the Australian way of saying “belly-button lint”. (See? Suddenly I’m bi-lingual.) And not only does the man have one jar full of belly-button lint – multiply that by three.
I’m not going to lie – the pictures are disturbing. The owner of the navel fluff, Graham Barker, has been collecting his prized possessions since 1984. But out of all the questions that entered my mind upon seeing the photo of the “fluffs”– the most disturbing question was, why does each jar contain only one color of belly-button lint?
Although the jars are marked by years (the collection is divided into almost 10-year increments), the first jar of fluff is white, the second red, and the third blue. Leading me to ask… did the man ever change his shirt during those ten-year increments?
You can see why I felt not only distressed, but slightly nauseated while writing this column. Apparently news of the collection does not cause all people to feel badly, however. Some people are actually using the navel fluff collection as inspiration for the upcoming holidays.
In the words of one commenter on Barker’s website, “I find [naval fluff] so rarely, it really is a joy when it happens. Like Christmas, really.”
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Real Question: What’s the craziest thing you’ve heard lately?
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B.J. Hamrick is the editor of Real Teen Faith, and The Bare Naked Truth.
9 Responses to “real crazy: navel fluff”
| 1 | Jennifer says: | Oct 27, 2010 @ 4:12pm |
Well, for right now, this is the craziest thing I’ve heard. This sickens and scares me at the same time. What happened to collecting stamps?
| 2 | Shannon says: | Oct 27, 2010 @ 9:43pm |
I agree Jennifer! this is DISGUSTING!!!
| 3 | Abbie says: | Oct 27, 2010 @ 10:01pm |
I think I just threw up a little inside my mouth.
That is some hardcore lint. And not that anyone really wants to know about the inner workings of my navel, but my belly button has never EVER collected that much lint. Come to think of it, any at all.
Please excuse what I’m about to say, but the pieces of lint in the first jar – the “white” ones – remind me of rice krispies.
Ew.
That breakfast cereal will probably never taste the same again.
| 4 | real crazy: navel fluff | SloppyNoodle.com says: | Oct 28, 2010 @ 9:34am |
[...] Visit this article on Real Teen Faith No tags for this post. [...]
| 5 | Confessions, Reflections and Some Really Weird Observations. | Abbie Writes. says: | Oct 28, 2010 @ 9:55pm |
[...] Belly button fluff. I have nothing else to [...]
| 6 | Beka says: | Oct 29, 2010 @ 12:22am |
I…totally agree with all the above.
That is insane!! So. weird. ![]()
Bleh.
| 7 | BJHamrick says: | Oct 29, 2010 @ 8:06am |
I am so with you guys! Errr… girls. Apparently the guys think this is acceptable because they haven’t commented!
| 8 | AwkwardTurtle says: | Oct 31, 2010 @ 12:55pm |
Ha… uh, no comment on this one!
Who can say God doesn’t have a sense of humor?!
| 9 | Justin says: | Oct 31, 2010 @ 9:49pm |
That guy is crazy!
Bekah Hamrick Martin

Abbie Miller