upworthy
Humor

Men share 30 women's habits they had no idea about until they actually lived with a woman

"Similar to cats, they naturally gravitate to the warmest parts of the house."

living with a woman, men vs women, women's skincare, moving in, relationships, beauty routine
Photo credit: Canva

These all seem to ring true.

While we are moving away from the rigidly binary “men are from Mars, women are from Venus,” mentality, we all know that each gender tends to have its own special quirks. And often, unless we grew up with a bunch of siblings from the opposite sex, we don’t learn what those quirks are until we move in with a significant other. Truly, it can feel like observing the daily ritual of another species entirely.

Recently, men were asked to open up about the womanly habits they had no idea were a thing until they got a girlfriend. Their answers were funny, sweet, and (not to speak for all women, but…) totally relatable. I’m certainly guilty of every single one of these.

Keep reading to see what the fellas said:

1. “She talks to herself when she blowdries her hair. Every time, and only then. Due to the noise of the dryer, I can't understand what she's saying, but she really goes on. Once she stops drying, she stops talking. Happens every day.”

living with a woman, men vs women, women's skincare, moving in, relationships, beauty routineA woman blowdrying her hairPhoto credit: Canva

2. “Anything that comes in a mini size is called cute. Mini bullet = cute. Mini Machete = cute. Doesn’t matter what it is as long as it’s mini.”

3. "Similarly to cats, they naturally gravitate to the warmest parts of the house. It might be the cozy chair, a heated blanket, or the bed section I was just lying in. I'm honestly unsure if she loves me or just my excess heat (and I'm honestly OK either way)."

4. “The "everything" shower.”

5. “Common areas which can be seen by guests: SPOTLESS. Their personal space that closes that cannot be seen by guests: FUCKING DISASTER.”

living with a woman, men vs women, women's skincare, moving in, relationships, beauty routineA woman in a closetPhoto credit: Canva

6. “First time I moved in with a partner I certainly wasn't ready for the transformation my bathroom counter was about to go through.”

7. “I don't know if it's women in general, but my wife sheds clothes like a snake around the house. You can find evidence of exactly where she became uncomfortable and how much, depending on if the discarded clothes are in a small pile or strewn around the room.”

8. “How much time and effort they spend curating style. The reason they call “shopping” a whole hobby is bc half the time they aren’t even buying anything. They’re spending hours just browsing (online or at a store) just concocting aesthetics in their heads and brainstorming new looks or ideas. Meanwhile I’ve been wearing the same 8 shirts and 8 pairs of pants for the last ten years.”

living with a woman, men vs women, women's skincare, moving in, relationships, beauty routineOnline shoppingPhoto credit: Canva

9. “That skincare was such a big deal. I think before I met my wife, I used to just use soap on my face, which almost gave her an aneurysm. Meanwhile, she is using about 5000 products in the morning and night on her face (snail something was the strangest one).After 7 years together she managed to get me using cleanser and moisturizer. I still can't tell the difference.”

10. “3 foot tall piles of clothes on the ground I’d assume are dirty but apparently they’re not? But at the same time some are dirty? I guess? Idfk.”

11. "The fact that they take showers with boiling water. I'll occasionally try to be a little spontaneous with my wife and sneak in the shower with her. First, I must locate the shower because I can't see a foot in front of me due to all the steam. When I finally step in, I must use her as a human shield until she turns the temperature down."

living with a woman, men vs women, women's skincare, moving in, relationships, beauty routineA hot showerPhoto credit: Canva

12. "They never finish their drinks. I find two cups of half-drunken coffee scattered around the house multiple times a week until we run out of coffee cups."

13. "She takes her bra off at the end of the day the same way I take my belt off my jeans when I get home. It is with the force of a thousand suns and a sigh of relief."

14. "Women have a million black hair ties and also none."

living with a woman, men vs women, women's skincare, moving in, relationships, beauty routineHair tiesPhoto credit: Canva

15. “A compulsive need to squeeze blackheads and tweeze [rogue] hairs. Sometimes, she will be scratching my back or scalp, and I think, hey, this is wonderful. I wonder what I did to deserve this, and then out of nowhere, I feel like I've become the victim of 1,000 fire ants."

16. "That a 5-foot-tall, 100-pound woman can take up an entire king-size bed."

17. "My wife pulls on the toilet paper roll like she's trying to start a lawn mower."

living with a woman, men vs women, women's skincare, moving in, relationships, beauty routineA woman holding toilet paperPhoto credit: Canva

18. "They plan things way more than I do and much further out. I have no clue what tomorrow will bring, but my wife has the next five-plus years of our life together planned out."

19. "Hair washing is something that needs planning for and has consequences if missed or overdone."

20. "If you buy snacks for yourself, hide dat sh*t. She'll find it."

living with a woman, men vs women, women's skincare, moving in, relationships, beauty routineA woman eating a donutPhoto credit: Canva

21. "Makeup is a whole thing. I never saw my mom put it on as a little kid. When I lived with my first significant other, watching her put on makeup fascinated me. I lost track of time when she went full-on with the makeup for an event."

22. "They are either cold or hungry. Sometimes both. Never neither."

23. "Their hair gets everywhere. One time, my toe was hurting, so I removed my shoe and sock and noticed that a strand of my girlfriend's hair had wrapped itself TIGHTLY around my toe and cut off the circulation."

living with a woman, men vs women, women's skincare, moving in, relationships, beauty routineHair on the floorPhoto credit: Canva

24. "As a guy with long hair, I’m still thoroughly confused about why there is so much more hair everywhere now than when I was living alone."

25. "How tricky it is to find a well-fitting bra and how darn expensive they are."

26. "Pillows. Pillows everywhere. The more decorative pillow, the better."

living with a woman, men vs women, women's skincare, moving in, relationships, beauty routinePillowsPhoto credit: Canva

27. "How much time women spend in the bathroom every night before sleeping. No, sir, it's not just a matter of brushing your teeth and going to bed."

28. "A cute little thing I noticed after we were married is that my wife holds her breath when she applies mascara."

29. "A trip to the grocery store can turn into a full day of reorganizing the entire pantry and refrigerator."

living with a woman, men vs women, women's skincare, moving in, relationships, beauty routineA woman shoppingPhoto credit: Canva

30. "How much of their social life is tied to their personal safety. Women have safety protocols for going on date with guys they meet on apps, making sure they don’t get drugged at parties, making sure they aren’t nabbed off the street, letting each other know which men around them are safe and who they need to be careful around, etc. It’s insane. And like wtf, so heartbreaking that it’s necessary."

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Education

One teacher's simple, disgusting experiment drives home the importance of hand washing

"Hand sanitizer is not an alternative to washing hands!"

Facebook/Jaralee Metcalf

Simple. Disgusting. Informative.

One of the biggest breakthroughs in preventing the spread of illnesses and infections in hospitals was embarrassingly simple: hand washing. In 1846, Hungarian physician Ignaz Semmelweis discovered that hand washing played a vital role in the spread of germs, and the practice soon became mandatory in hospitals. The simple act of scrubbing hands with soap and water literally saved lives.

Getting a kid to wash their hands, however, can be an uphill battle. While it's a common thing kids (don't) do, global perspective on the importance and effectiveness of hand washing has risen since the COVID-19 pandemic. According to a study published by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) in 2023, before the emergence of COVID-19, a survey found that only about 36% of people always washed their hands with soap, 48% sometimes used soap, and an unsettling 16% of respondents said they wash without soap. After COVID-19 emerged, however, more than 72% of respondents reported using soap every time they washed their hands. There's nothing like a pandemic (and perhaps the reality of FAFO) to strike fear into the hearts of those chronic under washers, but in 2019, one teacher did a simple experiment to show her students just how important hand washing is.

"We did a science project in class this last month as flu season was starting," teacher Dayna Robertson and classroom behavioral specialist Jaralee Metcalf wrote on Facebook. "We took fresh bread and touched it. We did one slice untouched. One with unwashed hands. One with hand sanitizer. One with washed hands with warm water and soap. Then we decided to rub a piece on all our classroom Chromebooks." Robertson later noted that they normally do make a point to sanitize the classroom Chromebooks, but didn't that day in the name of science.

science, experiment, dexter's lab, cartoon, kids, hygiene Dexters Laboratory What A Fine Day For Science GIFGiphy

The bread was put into plastic bags and the germs were left to fester. The bread that had been touched by unwashed hands and the bread that had touched the Chromebook had the most mold. The bread that had been touched by hands washed with soap and water remained (relatively) good enough to eat.

This experiment has been done before, but Robertson expanded on it by testing the effectiveness of hand sanitizer. The bread that had been touched by hands cleaned with sanitizer also had a fair amount of mold on it, although not as much as the bread touched by unwashed hands.

bread, mold, experiment, education, hand washing, cleanlinessThe bread doesn't lie. Facebook/Jaralee Metcalf

"As somebody who is sick and tired of being sick and tired of being sick and tired," Robertson wrote, "wash your hands! Remind your kids to wash their hands! And hand sanitizer is not an alternative to washing hands!! At all!" It's kind of making us retroactively gag over seeing port-a-potties with hand sanitizer set up in lieu of sinks.

The experiment was prompted by a different science lesson. "We had just finished a science lesson on how leaves break down during winter. The kids were kind of grossed out by the mold, so we decided to run our own version using germs and mold from our own environment," Robertson told Scary Mommy.

Weirdly, the classroom experiment received some criticism. "Lots of people actually DEFENDED not washing their hands!" Robertson told Scary Mommy. "That was shocking! It really was just a simple classroom experiment to teach about mold but we have all learned more about how easily we can spread the germs we can't see."

In the 2019 lens, this lesson being about mold seems simple enough. All of us here in 2025, though, blessed (or cursed) with the experience of the pandemic, know that washing your hands really is as life-saving as Semmelweis proved nearly two centuries ago. Research done in 2020 and published in PubMed showed that individuals who washed their hands consistently were more likely to have lower rates of COVID-19 infection. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 2024, hand washing also reduces respiratory illness like colds and flu in the general population by 16-21%, and reduces the number of people with diarrheal illnesses by 23-40%.

And to be sure, how we wash our hands is incredibly important. A quick rinse without scrubbing won't do the trick. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the proper technique for handwashing is to wet your hands, apply soap, and then run your soapy hands under the stream while rotating, rubbing, and scrubbing every inch of your hands for at least 20 seconds. Usually you can hit that mark by singing "Happy Birthday" twice. Then, rinse. When you're done, dry your hands with a clean towel. Check out this demonstration from the CDC:

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

The moral of the story is, please, please remember to always wash your hands. It really makes a difference.

This article originally appeared six years ago. It has been updated.

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Modern Families

Military mom takes her son's 'battle buddy' on family weekend. Now she's his 'second mom.'

Unconventional families are one of the most important parts of modern military life.

Image via Canva

Mom welcomes son's battle buddy into family.

Military families are a rare breed. The selfless, intimate bond that they share is a unique experience. And for the families that support those in active duty military service, there is plenty of love to go around.

For military mom and TikToker @cocobutter801, that has meant rallying around her son who serves in the United States Army and his 'battle buddy'. When he needed a place to go on family weekend, she didn't hesitate for a second to open her home to him.

Her actions go beyond hospitality. To her, her son's battle buddy is family. "Here's your sign to take in your son's battle buddy on family weekend," she writes in the video's caption.

@cocobutter801

I came here for one son and left with two. #miltary #militarymom #family #son #battlebuddy #hooah #fyp

In the emotional clip that is set to Pearl Clarkin's song "Military Man", the mom can be seen standing next to her car, ready to bring her son home for the weekend. The two share a big hug, and her son is dressed in his fatigues, wearing a backpack and carrying a bag.

Then, she hugs her son's 'battle buddy', who is also dressed in his fatigues with bags in tow, who will be coming home to be part of their family. She added in the caption, "I came here for one son and left with two."

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

The term battle buddy is unique to the Unites States Military. According to Matt Ward, an Army veteran (who is now a second lieutenant in the US Army Reserves) and YouTuber, explains the meaning and depth of what a battle buddy is. He explains that a battle buddy is anyone going through basic training with you.

"At basic training, you're always going to have a battle buddy with you. Whenever you talk to a drill sergeant, you're going to have a battle buddy with you. Whenever you go to the bathroom (latrine), you're going to have a battle buddy with you," he says. "You have to be with someone at all times."

Ward add that while there are a lot of reasons for having a battle buddy, the biggest are accountability and safety.

@cocobutter801

Sometimes I feel like motherhood just keeps getting harder the older they get. 🥹♥️🇺🇸 ##army##militarymom##nationalguard##texas

In the video shared by @cocobutter801, many military families and members commended her on her big, hospitable heart. They also shared about their experiences with battle buddies. "My son told me his battle buddy wasn’t receiving letters so I wrote 2 a week," one shared. Another commented, "People don’t realize how much this means to soldiers that for whatever reason can’t be with their 'blood' family… instead they get welcomed into a new extended family!!!! Much respect!!!"

Another wrote, "one of my best friends let me join him and his family, i cherish those memories. sadly he is no longer with us but 15 years later I still talk to his family. I'm forever grateful for their kindness." And @cocobutter801 replied, "I’m so sorry for your loss. I’m sure they love you still are in contact with them. I know I would."

In another comment, a viewer shared, "My son just asked for 2 to come home w him in May!! Load the truck up son!! ALWAYS!!" And @cocobutter801 responded, "Always!"

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Animals & Wildlife

Diver convinces a tiny octopus to trade a plastic cup for a shell in Pixar-worthy video

The cup wasn't a safe choice, but the little cephalopod was stubborn.

Pall Sigurdsson/YouTube

Plastic is a problem for ocean wildlife.

Sometimes taking care of our beautiful home planet looks like big, broad policies tackling issues like plastic pollution and habitat destruction. And sometimes it looks like taking the time to help one tiny creature stuck in an environmental bind.

In a YouTube video that's been viewed a whopping 20 million times, we see an example of the latter in action as some kind and compassionate divers attempt to convince an octopus to abandon the plastic cup it's using for protection and trade it for a sturdy shell. Pall Sigurdsson has shared dozens of underwater videos on YouTube, but watching this particular video from his dive off the coast of Lembeh, Indonesia, in 2018 almost feels like watching a Pixar short film.

luxo jr lamp GIF by Disney PixarGiphy

"We spent a whole dive and most of our air saving this octopus from what was bound to be a cruel fate," Sigurdsson wrote in the description of the video.

"The coconut octopus, also known as veined octopus, is born with the instinct to protect itself by creating a mobile home out of coconut or clam shells. This particular individual however has been trapped by their instincts and have made a home out of a plastic cup they found underwater."

It's not just that the flimsy plastic cup didn't provide the octopus adequate protection. Sigurdsson explained that a predator like an eel or a flounder would probably end up swallowing the cup with the octopus in it, likely killing both of them. Plus, even if the octopus abandoned the cup on its own, plastic simply doesn't belong in the ocean.

plastic in the ocean, plastic pollution, ocean wildlifePlastic doesn't belong in the ocean.Photo credit: Canva

"We tried for a long time to give it shells hoping that it would trade the shell," he wrote. "Coconut octopus are famous for being very picky about which shells they keep so we had to try with many different shells before it found one to be acceptable."

If you think an octopus in a cup making a decision about shells doesn't sound riveting, just watch:

- YouTubeyoutu.be

The tentacles reaching out to test the weight of each shell, the divers searching for more options to offer it, the suspense of wondering whether the octopus really would abandon its pathetic plastic pollution protection...it's just too much.

Sigurdsson's other underwater videos are also fun to watch. He shared one of another veined octopus who seemed to have no interest in him but became intrigued with his diver friend, Gary. The way it reaches out to touch just the tip of his finger and then shyly retreats feels like such a clear communication with no words being said.

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

Octopuses are far more intelligent than anyone would have guessed before we started studying their behavior in earnest. They are known to solve puzzles, escape complicated mazes and traps, and take apart just about anything. It does make you wonder what these little guys were thinking when these divers were interacting with them. Was it curiosity? Judgment? An attempt at connection between species?

It's funny how one small interaction in one tiny portion of the vast ocean can say so much about us, for better and for worse. Human pollution is an enormous problem and saving one little octopus won't save the world, but it sure gives us hope and motivation to keep trying for the sake of the vast number of creatures that live in the ocean as well as our own.

You can find more underwater videos of ocean wildlife from Pall Sigurdsson on YouTube.

This article originally appeared four years ago.

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Humor

British man reveals how one 1960s commercial is the reason Americans pronounce 'bologna' wrong

"It's Oscar Mayer. You've gotta ask Oscar Mayer."

Screenshots curtesy of Luke Colson

British man goes on epic rant about Americans pronunciation of bologna

Turns out Americans have been saying bologna wrong and they're finding out in the most amusing way possible–a rant from a Brit. Luke Colson recently blew the minds of his American followers when he jumped online still in his car to rant about bologna of all things. If you didn't know bologna isn't just a luncheon meat made from an amalgamation of different processed meats. Bologna is also a place in Italy and pronounced more like the way it's spelled, which is what caused the initial confusion.

Colson heard people pronouncing the luncheon meat as "baloney" but couldn't understand why since it was spelled like Bologna, the place in Italy pronounced "bah-lone-yah." But it didn't take long for his followers to spill the details of where they learned how to pronounce the word, which in true American fashion, television was the culprit. An advertisement for Oscar Mayer from the 70s to be exact, you know the one...you're singing it in your head now.

Giphy

But this Brit has had enough and needs American's to get it together, "Bologna is a place in Italy. B-o-l-o-g-n-a, Bologna. Bologna, okay? The sausage meat, which is that sort of slightly disgusting mixed meat sausage from Bologna made its way over to the United States of America and while it was here, the Bologna meat sausage became known as baloney. This is brand new information. I put it in a video the other day. Blew my mind."

It was in the comments of that video that he learned the supposed origin of why Americans pronounce the word as baloney. Turns out his rant was just getting started because after he mockingly sang the Oscar Mayer bologna jingle he went off on a tear about the luncheon meat company.

Food Dancing GIF by Oscar MayerGiphy

"'It's Oscar Mayer. You've gotta ask Oscar Mayer. We all grew up with Oscar Mayer" the man mocks before shouting, "what is Oscar Mayer?! Well I'll tell you what Oscar Mayer is. I'll tell you what Oscar Mayer is. This is what the advert in the [expletive] knows when. In the 1960s? There's this little kid and he's sitting on the grass and he's singing a [expletive] song about bolo...bologna being spelled bologna but said baloney but then at the end of that...and then at the end of the vid...(frustrated tongue tied noises)...and then at the end of the ad to make things even more confusing the guy, voiceover says...pronounces it completely different than bologna or baloney," Colson yells.

@luke.is.alive_ #bologna #sandwich #sausage #oscarmayer #singalong #singwithme #nostalgia #pronunciation #language #italy #america #usa #meat #deli #newyorkcity #sixties #seventies #commercial #cute #funny #tvcommercial #advertisement #fyp ♬ original sound - Luke Colson

The humorous rant had people flocking to his comment section to sing along with the song now stuck in everyone's head, one person writes, "It was the 70s. I’m 59 and thanks for giving tribute to a piece of my childhood. I was singing it loud and proud!"

"I sang along 😂 But it's strange that I did not remember hearing the announcer say 'Bolona,'" another says.

"If logic was what you wanted, you should have moved to Canada. We're not the logic guys, they live upstairs," someone else jokes.

Photo credit: Canva

"Goodness this had you worked up. We grew up with that ad for decades. We just accept it crazy though it is," one person chimes in.

In one short exchange the confusion seems to be explained as one shares, "If it's the Italian city we say it correctly. If it is meat, we say it incorrectly." Colson seemingly agrees saying, "Ha ha all the more confusing!!"

"You guys have words like Worcestershire, and you’re on us about Baloney? 🤣🤣 I don’t blame you, it was confusing there for a bit," another shares.

The entire rant not only made people giggle but explained why the spelling of bologna never made sense, especially for those who grew up using phonics to learn how to read. So if you say bologna like baloney and weren't sure why it's spelled completely differently than it sounds, thank Oscar Mayer. But the jingle does come in handy when you're trying to remember how to spell bologna.

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Parenting

Mom reveals what most parents fail to realize when teaching their kids about bullies

It's a hard truth to face, but an important one.

Photo credit: Canva

Kids don't always know how their actions affect others.

There are a lot of resources and conversations out there focused on teaching kids how to deal with bullies. But what about when it’s your own kid who’s doing the bullying?

Or course, that can be a hard reality to face. Virtually no one raises their kiddo to be a bully. But children, as innocent as they aren’t, aren’t born fully knowing boundaries and consequences. And without being taught these things, lines get crossed.

And this is the very valuable point that Rachel (@rachel.the.editor) made in a clip posted to her TikTok, where she challenged the common language used in most anti-bullying tactics.

@rachel.the.editor Just a thought
♬ original sound - Rachel The Editor 👩💻

“Have we ever considered the fact that anti-bullying messaging for kids is often centered around the victim and some anonymous evil bully and never teaching kids to recognize when they are being the bully?” she asked.

Gong further, she added that while she doesn't think kids are “inherently evil,” they don’t necessarily “have the emotional maturity to know the effect that they’re having on other kids.”

Therefore, she argued that it’s just as, if not more important, that we teach kids how to recognize bully patterns within themselves, and not just “learning how to deal with this anonymous, shapeless, evil bully figure.”

Rachel certainly has a point. We’ve all seen the usual victim/villain dynamic, both in anti-bullying education…and pretty much every movie centered around an adolescent. Some Biff-type shoves the outcast kid into a locker. Or a Regina George-esque mean girl spreads nasty rumors. Either way, they get their rightful comeuppance by the time the credits roll.

bullying, teaching kids about bullying, anti-bullying, anti-bullying resources, how to deal with bullies, is my kid a bully, parentingGif from 'Mean Girls'media0.giphy.com

But of course, real life doesn't work that way at all. In real life, kids aren’t going to see their teasing or antagonizing as “bullying,” because they don’t want to see themselves as the “bad people” bullies must surely be, given the examples they've been given.

Judging by the comments, folks have also noticed how the current way of doing things falls a little flat.

“The amount of times I've talked to kids being ‘bullied’ only for it to turn out they are the ones antagonizing the other students,” one person wrote. “No one wants to play with you because when you lose you hit them!”

Another added, “YES cuz usually the ‘bully' =; in these existing stories is so cartoonishly evil that real life bullies probably go ‘Obviously that’s not me, I’m just messing around and having fun. They’ve no clue.”

Yet another said, “Kids aren’t going to come home from school like 'mom I’m bullying someone.' They’re going to say 'there’s this weird kid at school.’ Parents never think their kid is the problem…”

bullying, teaching kids about bullying, anti-bullying, anti-bullying resources, how to deal with bullies, is my kid a bully, parentingGIF from 'The Wonder Years.'media1.giphy.com

While it can be hard for parents to come to label their sweet kiddo as bullies, it can serve as an impactful opportunity for growth. After all, they're still learning how to navigate this thing called life, and are bound to make mistakes along the way. But if we can use those mistakes to teach things like empathy and emotional regulation, rather than simply instilling punishment for "bad behavior,” they can take those lessons with them into adulthood.

It’s also worth noting that seeing bully-type behavior doesn’t make you a bad parent. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), it can’t always be 100% prevented. However, they say that “you can help him build coping skills to deal with difficult situations. Spend time with your child, show him love and encouragement, and model good behavior toward others. Talk through difficult situations with your child so he knows he can trust you with his problems.”

Bottom line: while it’s important to teach kids how to stand up to the potential bullies in their life, it’s equally vital to teach them accountability. Luckily, kids are pretty darn receptive.

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