Chiclephobia: the fear of chewing gum

Published: January 31, 2010

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No one would ever have imagined chewing gum to be a thing of fear, but chiclephobia is indeed a fear of chewing gums. A person with chiclephobia thinks that chewing gum is disgusting and it makes them uncomfortable.

American talk show host Oprah Winfrey is among the famous chiclephobes. Her phobia is a result of a childhood trauma. According to cracked.com, Oprah once while revealing her fear in February 2007, said: “My grandmother used to save it [used gum] in little rows in the cabinet. I’d be scared to touch it because it was so gross, so I have a thing about gum.

“One guest in my home sat at the dinner table, took out some gum from her mouth and put it on her plate — after she left, I threw the plate out.”

Oprah was so much irritated and afraid by gum that she even banned the chewing of gum in her studio. She went to the extent of signing an agreement with all of her producers that all studio audience members must be checked.

Her grandmother used to stick gum on her furniture and since then the phobia has escorted her throughout her life. And while chiclephobia is an odd phobia, it is a psychological mindset and can be overcome by achieving a healthier and more normal opinion of chewing gum.

Celebrities who are plagued by their phobias include Justin Timberlake, Christina Ricci, Woody Allen and Billy Bob Thornton.

Image: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bubblegum_alley_pn4.JPG, Author: Penubag

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