I love those too...

But I guess it's all about previous experiences and views on things...

As an example I'm fascinated by blood; and I actually love having my blood taken for tests or when I donate blood... 

but silly things like spiders and clowns freak me out

Spiders, lizards and most bugs disgust me, but I wouldn't put those in a phobia scale, unless we were talking about large spiders and dangerous snakes (then the disgust would very likely escalate xD).

-Wasps, on the other hand, are a phobia of mine. Probably because I got stung by a few when I was a child...
-Dangerous dogs. Not a fan of dogs generally, but the dangerous ones do scare me a lot.
-Trypanophobia (needles).
-Religious fanatics and mob mentality. Being in an area of extreme misoginy (think Near East level).
-Also quite a bit of a hyponchondriac, me. And I'm afraid of bad things happening to my loved ones.
-Psychological terror is the form of horror that most gets to me.

Last edited by ArwendeLuhtiene (September 14, 2014 1:33 pm)

My fear of clowns is really getting out of hand.

Every Tuesday at the pediatric ward we get a visit from the same two clowns, and of course I have to go and perform some tests with some of our patients every Tuesday. Just the thought of it scares me.

Last week when I was going in to pick up a patient one of the clowns stopped me and I honestly felt like I was having a heart attack. In front of the little patient he asked me what I was going to do with the kid and I could barely speak... I almost started crying. 
Hopefully no one noticed though... but it's really unfair!

Today they were there again... the male clown was alone and had given the boys ballon pistols and one of them was really happy about shooting me with the thing... I saw the clown too but tried to ignore him as much as I can.

I really need to do something about this. I love my job! I especially love when I get to spend time with the patients... 

Last edited by This Is The Phantom Lady (October 7, 2014 7:14 pm)

Oh... I just remembered it's not just clowns... it's mall Santa's too...

I have never sat on Santa's lap, even as a little girl I started crying if I saw one. I actually like the idea of santa, I'm a HUGE fan of Christmas and as a kid I happily believed in the real santa (I still do actually, very much so). but show me a mall santa and see me run!

2 years ago my mother and I came across one, and she knew the man in the suit and asked him if I could shake his hand. I was so scared. My mother told him my story and the man gave me two toffees from his sack since I had been so deprived as a kid. Lol.

I was more ashamed than afraid... I was 22!

Last edited by This Is The Phantom Lady (October 7, 2014 7:27 pm)

Fear of clowns is surprisingly common. My daughter is much the same (she even had to shield her eyes from the glass model clowns in Murano, Venice). Johnny Depp is petrified of them. The Santa/clown thing is very similar as both have faces which are changed in their appearance. 

Discovered something new my daughter is afraid of.   My mom had a huge collection of ceramic dolls.  We've moved into her house but I haven't finished rearanging anything so all the dolls are still in their big case in the sitting room.  Daughter says they completely freak her out.  She says they are looking at her! 

Haha, guess the dolls will have to go. Wasn't there a time in horror movies that ceramic dolls were used as scary images. I vaguely remember something like that. It probably has to do with the uncanny valley. 

And I don't see the point of clowns either, they're not funny, if I want to laugh I go see a comedian, not a clown. They don't look and behave like humans, even though they are. Weird, creepy, another uncanny valley. The worst is when they improvise, it always seems a bit unhinged.

Maybe it would help Phantom if she would have a chat with the clowns in her workplace when they're not in character. Then when you see them in character, you'll also see the person behind and that might break the spell. 

I never liked the 'funny' clowns as a child.  Agree they were/are never funny and I did find them a bit weird. Funnily enough I have no problem with the Pierrot type clowns, you know the ones with the white and black only makeup. Some dolls are definitely spooky!

Pierrot are black and white mime artists.

We used to have a Christian clown(I know, hold me back!) coming into school....
Thank goodness we stopped that rubbish.
It's bad enough having the clown in the dog collar coming in!