A woman has spoken about the strain her marriage has been under ever since she farted in front of her husband for the first time in nine years.
Sam, who changed her name for privacy, told
Kidspot that while she and her husband of six years are "open" with each other most of the time, they have opposing views on farting around each other.
"From very early on in our relationship he made his views on this specific bodily function very clear after a night out at the pub with some friends," she told the Australian parenting website.
On one occasion, he had seen one Sam's female friends burp, and after they returned home spent an hour complaining about her "gross and uncouth" friend.
So, Sam made a mental note to be careful with which incredibly normal and common bodily functions she dared let rip in front of her uptight husband.
But, one night when she was trying to fall asleep, she relaxed, and out came a fart, which she described as "one I'd be embarrassed about even if I was alone in the toilet."
A real corker then, but nothing that we haven't all done ourselves every now and again.
Her husband was furious though, and pulled the "most disgusted expression on his face."
He then told her that it was "absolutely revolting,'" and "the most unladylike thing" a woman could possibly do "especially in front of her husband."
Sam said that after this she felt humiliated and was unable to sleep.
Despite apologising the next morning - which is in itself a pretty crazy thing to have do when you think about it - he apparently continues to bring it up and shames her about it.
"[It's] as if he is teaching me a lesson and making sure that I will never do it again," she said.
"He will use any reminder of what happened to really drum home that burping or farting is not acceptable for a woman to do. For example, if we watch a TV show or a film and a woman burps or farts, he reminds me how disgusting it is by making a disgruntled noise or even talking about how uncivilised it is afterwards."
For example, whenever the couple are watching a television show or a film where a woman burps or farts, he will purposefully pull a disgusted expression or make a "disgruntled noise".
Eventually, Sam turned to a mate for advice, who reacted with outrage at her husband's behaviour, as I'm sure most of us would.
Sam wrote: "Instead of suggesting anything helpful she was just outraged that this was how my husband was behaving, telling me that farting and burping is a natural bodily function and that it isn’t offensive or disgusting and that I shouldn’t feel guilty about it."
Reminding Sam that farting is a "natural bodily function" and far from offensive or disgusting (no matter how loud or smelly), the friend insisted that the woman shouldn't feel guilty about the incident.
Amen to that.
