“Could you help me find the back of my earring?” she asks, looking around on the floor.
“Actually…. I can
‘t. Like, I really can’t, I’m sorry,” I say, standing there. I’m not just being a dick – the idea of touching an earring back sends a shudder through my entire body. I’ve been this way since I was a kid. In the way that people hate and fear spiders or elevators, I hate and fear small and ornate metal objects. I have the dumbest phobia of all: the jewelry phobia.
Unruly Bodies 