Jun
15
Fun Facts about Bellybutton Lint
Have you ever been posing for a picture and the photo-taker tries to elicit smiles by announcing, “Everybody say, ‘Fuzzy navel!'”? Or, maybe you or someone you know ordered the mixed drink — usually, peach schnapps and orange juice — called a “Fuzzy Navel”. Ever wondered where the name came from? Me, too. I haven’t got the foggiest idea, other than that it might have something to do with bellybutton lint. While gazing at your own navel, have you ever wondered what bellybutton lint was made up of? Well, *that* I might be able to help you with.
I was listening to a podcast and a brief, intersegmental piece had Dr. Fuz Rana (of RTB) talking about this very subject. Naturally, I decided that you needed this information, too. So, I transcribed it for you. You can thank me later….
“Science can be used to study anything, including… bellybutton lint. In fact, in 2001 a scientist from the University of Sydney systematically characterized bellybutton lint, and here is what he found.
Bellybutton lint consists of: fibers from our clothes, dead skin cells, and hair. But what’s interesting is the clothes fibers don’t come from shirts that we wear but actually from our underwear. The hair on our stomachs provides frictional interactions with the fibers from underwear and causes them to migrate upward into our bellybutton.
Bottom line is, bellybutton lint isn’t harmful, so there’s no need to worry. No need to go to the doctor, if you see bellybutton lint accumulating in your navel. It’s all part of the natural order of things.”
There. Feel better now? More informed? Mind at ease?
Thought so.
On the other hand, this.
