Koumpounophobia is the phobia of buttons
A few words from Coraline author Neil Gaiman:
"I often think that the greatest of human inventions is the humble button. Thousands of years ago we walked around with clothes that fell down or flapped open, garments that were entirely buttonless. The inventor of the button, whose name now, alas, has been lost to us, deserves to be acclaimed. Koumpounophobia is the word for fear of buttons. It's not a word that gets used a lot because it's not very common. What is there to be frightened of? After all, it is just a small piece of bone or plastic. Holes are drilled into it to allow a needle and thread to go through the holes and for the button to be attached the something. Like a coat... look! Buttons...
People who are scared of buttons must live terrible lives. Buttons are everywhere after all. Why, some people even make dolls, cute little dolls that gladden the hearts of children using buttons for eyes. Who would be scared of them? Oh, button-eyed things... they take us back to our childhoods. They make us happy. Except for a tiny handful of koumpounophobes. And that's irrational, isn't it? To be scared of buttons?"
The comments section of this YouTube video is filled with people's personal experiences with buttons, mostly negative, and how Gaiman's video - even book and movie Coraline - have triggered their fear.
"As a Koumpounophobe watching this, it's almost like scratching your nails down a chalkboard when he picks them up, or they clank with the sides jar. I would describe it as a fear, more of a disgusted feeling when we have to touch them or, even just see them around. Since they are used in everyday life, after a while you just have to accept the fact that they are there. Life IS hard, but we have to everyday face it."
"I can't wear anything with them on, I can't type or say the word and it makes me feel sick just hearing him say the word."
"I used to have really bad Koumpounophobia as a kid but I thought I had largely gone away until I watched Coraline. That movie really triggered me"
"I finally have a name for this! Thanks, Mr. Gaiman! The only buttons I tolerate are metal ones on my jeans. I only wear shirts and other pants (trousers) with buttons when I absolutely have to. Polo shirts are slightly better than dress shirts. I never wear boxers because of the buttons. I don't like hugging or kissing someone with buttons on their shirts. But the worst has gotta be buttons not attached to anything, like extras in a coat pocket or ones laying on a table. And if loose buttons still have traces of thread on them... shudders"
"I am so happy I'm not alone in this. All my friends/family laugh at my fear and tell me to get over it, but I can't. Buttons are disgusting. Ugh, especially the ones with the holes in them..., be it the ones on coats, flanno/polo/dress shirts. I remember back in high school I was so tempted to alter my winter uniform shirt to include a zipper instead of having to touch the buttons, sadly, I was held back by my lack of sewing knowledge :("
"Wow, i always thought i was alone in my distaste towards buttons, but the comment section proved me wrong. I'm glad, that means i am not weird because of this."
Famous Koumpounophobes include Steve Jobs, Poppy Delevingne and Fearne Cotton
Reflection
I myself have terrible globophobia - a phobia of balloons - in relation to latex balloons. I can't deal with the sound they make when the balloons bump into or rub against each other - not to mention when they are popped! I am completely fine with foil balloons as they pose no threat of making a terrible bang when they are deflated. It stems from a childhood trauma when my grandad inflated a balloon twice the size of me, and as a young girl whose severe visual impairment was undiagnosed at the time, I had to touch it to understand what it was as I couldn't see it properly. He popped it there and then in front of me and I have not been able to get over my fear since... I can completely understand where koumpounophobes are coming from in terms of their irrational thoughts and feelings towards an object that has effected them earlier in life.
Next Steps
Are phobias something I want to explore more in this project, so that I can find out more about my own phobia? Could I juxtapose people's collecting of buttons / obsession with people's fear of buttons? I don't want to overcomplicate my picture book so this is something I will need to give some more thought to...
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