106One newlywed insists that women should feel free to let one rip in front of their significant others – in fact, she says, it makes for a more open and honest relationship.Jessica Gentile, 30, was totally embarrassed the first time she farted in front of her now-husband, when the two were just a few dates in. But the New Jersey resident says she doesn’t regret the stinky slip, and thinks other women should feel more comfortable passing gas in front of the men they love.’No one should have to hold in any part of themselves,’ Jessica wrote in an essay forCosmopolitan.com. ‘Acknowledging a natural human function is an essential part of life.’
Most women would be loathe to pass gas in front of a boyfriend, particularly in the early stages of a relationship.They’d rather shift uncomfortably for hours after a burrito dinner than ‘fess up to their normal bodily functions, and thinking about the first time they’ll have to use the bathroom for more than a minute or two fills them with dread.Jessica used to be one of those people, too. Which is why on the third date with her now-husband, she was mortified when she had ‘a bout of flatulence I couldn’t quite control took hold’.They’d gone out for Mexican food and were back at his apartment, cuddling on the couch, when she accidentally let one loose. Embarrassed, she went to the bathroom – where the situation got a whole lot worse.
Jessica ended up clogging his toilet, and spent the next ten minutes frantically trying to fix the flusher before her now-husband knocked on the door to check up on her.With no other option, she admitted what had happened, bracing herself for the worst. But it didn’t come.Her guy just laughed and called the super, even gentlemanly saving her more embarrassment by telling himit was his roommate who caused the mess. He also comforted her with a hug, clearly not repulsed enough to cancel plans of a fourth date.’While we hadn’t yet slept together, that moment forged an intimacy that was even greater,’ Jessica says. ‘I experienced a level of comfort and relief previously unknown in any romantic partnership.’
Now, seven years on, they’re recently married and joke openly about farts and other bathroom functions. They’ll tell each other, ‘I feel a big one coming on’, ‘You might not want to go in there for a while’, and ‘Don’t even try blaming it on the cat’ when either one stinks up the house.Jessica explains that being open and honest makes a relationship healthier, and it’s silly to deny ‘the most basic component of human biology’.She also takes issues with the fact that women, in particular, tend to keep mum about their gassy habits because of society’s expectations that ‘ladies don’t fart’.’It’s time to break down the stereotypes, stigmas, and shame that accompany gastrointestinal biology so we can normalize our bodies,’ she says. ‘And I’m now proud to do that, even if it’s just within the confines ofmy personal relationship. Shifting social standards have to start somewhere, why not at home?’
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