Sex & Relationships
What’s The Weirdest Thing You’ve Thrown Out After A Breakup?
Ben Affleck found shaking.
After a breakup, throwing away everything and anything that reminds you of your ex can feel really f*cking good. Sweaters, photos, underwear — it's all gotta go. And apparently — if you're Ben Affleck, anyway — your life-size cardboard cutouts of ex-girlfriend Ana de Armas have to go, too.
The actors had been dating for about ten months when news of their breakup was confirmed on Jan. 18. Almost immediately, a masked man was spotted outside Affleck's home, stuffing the cutout into a bin. Watching him so unceremoniously dispose of de Armas' likeness begged the question: What's the weirdest thing you've thrown out after a breakup?
Of course, weird or not, the process of letting go is always cathartic. "Throwing objects away that remind you of past partners helps you physically detach from the relationship," Sasha Jackson, MSW, LCSW, a licensed therapist who specializes in trauma, tells Bustle. "We have an attachment to objects that helps us feel close to a person, attuned, and secure. If you throw that object away, you are symbolically and psychologically breaking the attachment."
That said, one can imagine how relieving it would be to remove a five-foot long smiling reminder of your ex from your home. Here, the weirdest things people have thrown out, Ben Affleck-style, after a breakup.
Novelty Parmesan Shaker
"After a breakup in my 20s, I gave away all the gifts from this particular ex, and the weirdest thing of all was a parmesan shaker in the shape of the Leaning Tower of Pisa that was called 'The Leaning Tower of Pasta.' Perhaps this would have been a funny gift in another context? But in this case, I couldn’t wait to get rid of it. Good riddance!"
—Jessica, 38
Love Checklist
"My ex wrote a list of things he was looking for in a girlfriend and then checked them off one by one while we were dating. He eventually gave me the list once I met all the requirements as a way of telling me he officially loved me. It was the first thing to go after we broke up."
—Jesynia, 28
Wisdom Teeth
"The weirdest thing I ever threw out was my ex's wisdom teeth that they had mailed to me in college."
—Jane, 25
Bottle Of Men's Shampoo
"It had been my Christmas gift from my boyfriend about a week before he broke up with me — so yea, that relationship was doomed from the start."
—Sophie, 27
DVD Of The Movie Casino
"He gave it to me because I'd never seen it. I actually brought it to a Best Buy and returned it for cash, even though I had no idea where he bought it."
—Kerry, 38
Mattress
"I threw out my mattress. My ex wrote her name on it, and it just served as a horrible reminder that she’d ever been shagged in my bed."
—Rajan, 33
Ice Skates
"I threw out the ice skates he’d given me for Christmas several months earlier. We never went skating, never planned to go skating, and I hadn’t skated since I was six years old. (I was 26 at the time we dated!) I still have no idea why he thought I’d want such a gift!"
—Jean, 45
Lacy Red Slip
"He gave it to me to wear on his birthday. I'd never worn something like that, but to make his day extra special, I wore it. He loved it, though it was pretty disgusting for me. It was uncomfortable and too itchy because of the laces. When we broke up, I threw it away. It was weird because it was the most out of place thing in my closet. I’ve never felt happier throwing something away."
—Amber, 34
Passport
"I threw his passport into the Pacific Ocean from Malibu beach."
—Brandi, 32
Dirty Pillow
"I just threw out a pillow that stunk of his dirty hair."
—Laura, 24
Decorative Plate
"We painted a plate on one of our anniversaries. It had both our names on it. After we broke up, I smashed that thing on the floor and threw out the shards."
—Amanda, 33
Source:
Sasha Jackson, MSW, LCSW, licensed therapist
