this post was submitted on 06 Feb 2026
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Showerthoughts

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A "Showerthought" is a simple term used to describe the thoughts that pop into your head while you're doing everyday things like taking a shower, driving, or just daydreaming. The most popular seem to be lighthearted clever little truths, hidden in daily life.

Here are some examples to inspire your own showerthoughts:

Rules

  1. All posts must be showerthoughts
  2. The entire showerthought must be in the title
  3. No politics
    • If your topic is in a grey area, please phrase it to emphasize the fascinating aspects, not the dramatic aspects. You can do this by avoiding overly politicized terms such as "capitalism" and "communism". If you must make comparisons, you can say something is different without saying something is better/worse.
    • A good place for politics is c/politicaldiscussion
  4. Posts must be original/unique
  5. Adhere to Lemmy's Code of Conduct and the TOS

If you made it this far, showerthoughts is accepting new mods. This community is generally tame so its not a lot of work, but having a few more mods would help reports get addressed a little sooner.

Whats it like to be a mod? Reports just show up as messages in your Lemmy inbox, and if a different mod has already addressed the report, the message goes away and you never worry about it.

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[–] Postmortal_Pop@lemmy.world 74 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Razors want you to see what you could look like, floor cleaner wants you to fear what your floor could look like.

[–] Remember_the_tooth@lemmy.world 32 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Funny how toothpaste commercials can go either way.

[–] Saapas@piefed.zip 35 points 6 days ago (1 children)
[–] Darkard@lemmy.world 37 points 6 days ago (1 children)
[–] Plum@lemmy.world 43 points 6 days ago (2 children)

Body hair is deeply stigmatized. Bodies and bodily functions are stigmatized.

It's the same reason why sanitary pad commercials use clear blue liquid for absorptive demonstrations and not body temperature strawberry preserves. Or heaven forfend actual uterine lining....

Smiling happy women reclining in a bath, shaving off foam to reveal glossy perfect legs, is shorthand for the reality of what actually happens.

[–] FishFace@piefed.social 23 points 6 days ago (2 children)

Body hair is stigmatised, but bodies in general are not; bodily functions are taboo which is not the same thing.

In modern Western society people don't really think that women are "unclean" for having their period, no more than they think anyone is a bad person for pooping. (Notably this has not been true in all times and cultures). But talking about periods and shitting is nevertheless taboo and not considered polite. I think it's an important distinction to realise, because you can try to push back against stigma, but pushing back against taboo is harder (and often pointless).

Speaking for myself I no more want to see actual uterine lining in an advert than I want to see an actual turd - they're both fairly gross. Advertisers generally want to associate their products with positive feelings, not disgust.

[–] chonglibloodsport@lemmy.world 5 points 6 days ago (1 children)

I’d never even thought of this before. Can you explain the difference between taboo and stigmatized? I thought you generally risk being stigmatized any time you break a taboo.

[–] FishFace@piefed.social 1 points 6 days ago (2 children)

I don't think I'm using technical terminology, so I'm just explaining how I see two different concepts.

The important difference I'm getting it is that taboo things can have a "proper place" - pooping in the toilet is fine, doing it in the woods is not. You can expect stigma if you violate the taboo by pooping on the woods, but doing do in the right place is fine!

[–] chonglibloodsport@lemmy.world 3 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Ahhh so you would say some sexual fetishes are stigmatized rather than taboo? Like if someone walked in on a person doing various sexual acts, the situation would be embarrassing regardless but only certain things would be scandalous.

[–] FishFace@piefed.social 2 points 6 days ago

Yes, I'd after with that

[–] SlurpingPus@lemmy.world 1 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (1 children)

doing it in the woods is not

I keep wondering if Westerners lug a porta-potty with them when they go camping, or just plug their ass for a day or more.

[–] FishFace@piefed.social 1 points 5 days ago

It's the plug one

[–] ShinkanTrain@lemmy.ml 1 points 6 days ago (1 children)

So it should be fine to hang dong, as long as it's shaved 🤔

[–] FishFace@piefed.social 5 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Dong is also taboo, so it's not "fine", but also not disgusting, same with pussy.

Like, there's a reason why Western societies don't approve of people just wandering the streets naked. It's not because anyone thinks there's something inherently wrong with being naked - pretty much everyone is naked at some point after all. Just that there are certain situations where it's not considered appropriate.

[–] possiblylinux127@lemmy.zip 1 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

I think in most situations it isn't appropriate

[–] VitoRobles@lemmy.today 11 points 6 days ago

I hate how hair on a woman has become shameful for the past few decades. When I first saw my now-wife, it was with "hairy" legs because she was done with dating. Hairy like you can see a bit of hair, not like thick or dark. When I asked her out, she came on our date shaved.

She doesn't care now that we were married. But even she mentions that back then a lot of guys called it out as a problem for her.

[–] Chippys_mittens@lemmy.world 13 points 6 days ago

Thats a good ass shower thought

[–] northernlights@lemmy.today 5 points 5 days ago

Same for men's shaving ads really. They're all about an already perfectly shaven guy just scooping soap out of his face with a razor.

[–] HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world 8 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (1 children)

yes they do. they spill products onto clean floors and immediately mop them up. maybe i'm thinking of feminine hygiene products or adult diapers. i don't watch a lot of commercials.

[–] udon@lemmy.world 6 points 6 days ago (1 children)

They should throw some hairs on the legs before shaving them then

[–] HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world 2 points 6 days ago (1 children)

imagine this gallon of hairs is your hairs

[–] udon@lemmy.world 3 points 6 days ago
[–] LaunchesKayaks@lemmy.world 7 points 6 days ago (3 children)

The culture around women shaving is so dumb. So dumb, in fact, I don't shave anything other than my armpits. And I only shave my armpits because I don't like how the hair feels when sweat accumulates.

If I ever get a gf and she doesn't like my fuzzy legs and magnificent bush, then she ain't the girl for me.

[–] Apytele@sh.itjust.works 3 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

I use clippers to shorten my pits and bush because my pit hair pulls in weird ways and my bush will mat with blood clots and it helps trap less smells in both but other than that yeah there's no reason. I once had an A&P professor who went on a mini rant one class about how "the leg and arm hairs are for detecting the movement of fleas ticks and other parasites and how could women be asked to give up such protection? "

[–] Cort@lemmy.world 2 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

If I ever get a gf and she doesn't like my fuzzy legs and magnificent bush

On the other hand, shaved bush has essentially made the pubic lice an endangered species.

(This is not to say that you're not magnificent)

[–] garbagebagel@lemmy.world 1 points 6 days ago

I actually preferred shaved armpits on any gender. But I'm also lazy AF so I only trim mine like 3 times a year and shave them if I'm going real fancy.

[–] Zier@fedia.io 8 points 6 days ago

That's because advertising is as fake as a Hollywood movie. Never believe an ad.

[–] Lembot_0006@programming.dev 8 points 6 days ago (2 children)

And toilet paper -- clean asses.
Benzin -- clean roads.
Drugs -- cemeteries.
Alcohol -- liver.

[–] GreenBeanMachine@lemmy.world 17 points 6 days ago (4 children)

I need to see a toilet paper ad that shows asses!

[–] TheAlbatross@lemmy.blahaj.zone 15 points 6 days ago (2 children)

Don't they get around the obvious issues with this by using cartoon animal butts?

[–] Remember_the_tooth@lemmy.world 10 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Yes, and by using blue water, too. If the commercials are to be believed, we're anthropomorphic bears that occasionally jet azure fountains from our butts.

[–] Rhynoplaz@lemmy.world 4 points 6 days ago

Wait. You aren't?!?

hairy cartoon animal butts

[–] riskable@programming.dev 6 points 6 days ago (1 children)

You want political toilet paper?

[–] VitoRobles@lemmy.today 1 points 6 days ago (1 children)

If they make toilet paper and bidets woke and MAGA wanna own the libs by shitting in diapers like their leaders, sure!

[–] XeroxCool@lemmy.world 1 points 5 days ago

Those guys already stop short of wiping clean and avoid touching their asshole in the shower

[–] Onomatopoeia@lemmy.cafe 4 points 6 days ago

The ones with the bears

[–] VitoRobles@lemmy.today 4 points 6 days ago

Yeah I don't care about softness and ply count.

Show me wiping in-between the cheeks!

[–] possiblylinux127@lemmy.zip 2 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (1 children)

Signs of depression:

  • holding a paper plate over ones face that has a smiley face

  • having children show you drawings of happy people

  • being constantly stuck in the rain

[–] ParadoxSeahorse@lemmy.world 1 points 5 days ago

Bucket listed

[–] ThePantser@sh.itjust.works 7 points 6 days ago

And feminine hygiene products use Andorian blood.