Rain can take on many different meanings. Symbolically, it can mean renewal. On its face, it can mean it’s a good day to relax and watch some movies. For Emily Stetson, though, rainfall creates deep feelings of nostalgia — the rapidly pouring, refreshing water reminds her of when she used to shower.
The Woodbury, New Jersey native has not showered for over two weeks — pushing three. Though the streak initially began because Stetson was worried her skin was getting too dry, the trend has extended a further 17 days. The Slug Report hurried to speak to Stetson as she reached the two week mark.
“I took the one day off from showering, but then I just wondered who I was doing it for,” said Stetson. “I don’t have a boyfriend, I work remotely and my friends are pretty busy right now. Why would I shower, because I got sweaty? I don’t think I’ve gone beyond a brisk walk since 10th grade.”
When the 27-year-old woke up to rain the next day, her stance softened a little.
“I usually have a hard time waking up because there’s nothing I want to do, but I had to go to the bathroom. And as I sat there on my toilet that also hasn’t been cleaned for some time, I found myself listening to the raindrops fall outside,” remembered Stetson. “I could so clearly picture myself in the past, becoming revitalized by water just like the trees and grass in my backyard.”
The peaceful rainfall soon evolved into a powerful thunderstorm.
“Once I heard the first big boom, I started to think about what I didn’t like about showering. Like when I’d get near the end of my shampoo and worry that my roommates thought I was farting when I was just squeezing the bottle.”
Stetson continued, looking progressively less wistful.
“And shaving. I probably spent more time on that than anything. I so clearly remember that feeling of dragging a month-old razor across my skin. The way it left me with razor bumps on my bikini line and sometimes ended with me bleeding all over the bathroom rug when I didn’t notice myself get nicked,” noted the administrative assistant.
Despite the promising start, Stetson seemed to be debating whether it was really worth it to go back to practicing a more hygienic lifestyle.
“Pro, it saves time. Con, I’m dedicating that time to snacks. Pro, people don’t want to be around me. Con, that includes me.”
Ultimately, Stetson decided to go out in the rain — while the water was not so impure as to make matters worse, it was not so clean as to weaken the increasingly challenging stench.
Despite no true change having been made, there is a silver lining — the rainy, dreary weather pushed Stetson to go outside. Had it been bright and sunny, she probably would’ve fashioned herself a cocoon out of blankets from Target and hid in it all day.
Photo courtesy of Frank Vincentz via Wikimedia
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