‘He wore Fila sneakers’: Women reveal the ‘weirdest’ things men have done to give them the ick. But are they warranted?

Apparently, some romances in 2025 can survive bad communication, emotional unavailability, and even a questionable Spotify Wrapped. However, it cannot survive Fila sneakers, knock-knees, or the wrong gait on a sidewalk.

One innocent TikTok asking the internet to share the weirdest things that ever gave them the “ick” has opened Pandora’s box with the wildest stories gracing a single TikTok’s comments section. What started as a harmless prompt quickly snowballed into an 8-million-view roast session where women aired their most microscopic dealbreakers. Now, some are even asking: “Is the Male Loneliness Epidemic even enough?”

‘The Ick’

Who knew Jessica’s (@jessicakinkead) simple prompt would unleash chaos across 8 million For You Pages. Even more shocking is its sheer number of 27,500 comments. Of course, the internet has always been the place to share any type of experience, but this specific shade might have just struck a nerve.

An innocent photo of herself with a text overlay reading: “I need to hear the weirdest thing that ever made you ick on someone” seemed to do just the trick. She also clarifies that it’s for “research purposes.”

Her caption also gives an example for first-timers: “I’ll go first… I went out with a man who didn’t know what an optometrist was. Shout out to my now husband who works in the medical field and knows all the different doctors.” Now, anyone who stumbles across Jessica’s post has hours of entertaining content to parse through. But some might first be wondering, “What is an ‘ick’?”

What Does Getting ‘The Ick’ Mean?

Attributed to one of many new phrases Gen Z has formed and popularized, ‘The Ick’ has been so prevalent in the past few years that Merriam-Webster added it to its dictionary. Overall, it is described as “a sudden feeling of disgust or repulsion that causes a permanent reversal in feeling toward a romantic (or potential romantic) partner.”

For example, it’s typical that on a first date, one might encounter icks since it’s the first time meeting with the intent to date. Unfortunately, actions such as chewing with their mouth open or treating the servers rudely might give the ick. Of course, this can sound pretty obvious to some people. However, the slang has snowballed into exposing icks people think are unfair. For some, simply ordering a salad may be an ick, or choosing to go for coffee as a first date. Therefore, this is where Jessica’s little social experiment comes in. Who has gotten the ick from random actions? 

In an email to the Mary Sue, Jessica shared more about the “genuinely nice” guy who didn’t know what an optometrist was.

“That moment stuck with me, and I thought, ‘There have to be other people out there with weirdly specific icks like this,'” she says. “So I posted the prompt on TikTok with some dramatic reading music and hoped others would relate.”

And they related, indeed.

Absolutely Bonkers Stories

At the top of the comments section stands a mountain of downright hilarious and baffling stories about the ick. One viewer shares, “He pretended he could speak Italian and then proceeded to speak gibberish from time to time thinking I fell for it.” OK, weird… but not unheard of, right?

How about the viewer that says, “I made hard-boiled eggs and he couldn’t figure out how to get the shell off so he put the whole thing in his mouth with the shell and ate it. Hearing the crunch was one of the most painful things I’ve experienced.” Jessica, as if speaking for the whole crowd, replies, “WAS HE RAISED IN A BARN WHAT ON EARTH.”

Another shares, “We were playing mini golf and he was keeping score. At the end when I asked him who won, he ate the paper.” 

Last but certainly not least, one viewer shares, “We went to Olive Garden where he proceeded to play Falling in Reverse on full blast on his phone while we sat and waited. I was mortified.”

Justified Icks

Not to be the judge and jury, but some of the stories shared cannot be argued as anything but icky. For example, one viewer shared that “we were about to kiss after an awesome date and when I was .5 inches away I could see buildup on his teeth like he never brushes them. body rolled away and asked as. gently as I could about it. he said he doesn’t believe in toothbrushes.”

Another says, “He talked about how his sister is the most beautiful woman in the world and how he wanted a girl who would be willing to fight other girls for him in public like his sister.”

“First date – pulled out an entire container of hot sauce from his pocket and poured it on his chocolate muffin,” says a third. 

Icks People Might Protest About

Some people truly delivered on Jessica’s question and gave odd icks. Some people might even choose to argue whether it should be an ick or not. Such as one viewer saying, “He left me a voicemail in a British accent.” Similarly, one shared, “He spelled cool as Kool everytime.” 

Another viewer simply says, “Said his fave band was maroon 5.” 

“I couldn’t get over the fact his name was Cliff. I hated saying it,” shares another. 

Lastly, one viewer says, “His sock was hanging off his foot so weird when we woke up I immediately left.”

Jessica herself was “absolutrely floored” by the icks people shared in her comments section.

“I was expecting people to share minor quirks or funny little things that tipped them off, not some of the truly wild stories that came through,” she shared. “A lot of the responses went far beyond weird and into genuinely shocking territory.”

Jessica says she felt some of the icks people shared were perfectly reasonable. Some even made her “lose faith in humanity, more specifically, men.”

Can you recover from an ick?

According to Jessica, it would be difficult. She herself has never gotten the ick and recovered from it: “In my book, once you get the ick, there is no going back. I can’t unsee it.”

She continued, “I am very grateful that I have been married for three years and am no longer dating, especially after reading some of those comments. Let’s just say the TikTok made me even more thankful for my husband.”

People in Solidarity

All these anecdotes have people clutching pearls and apologizing on behalf of the perpetrators. One viewer correctly names the trainwreck of stories, writing, “I’m physically ill reading some of these but I can’t stop.” 

Another mentions that some of these are not outlandish in the least. “So far, these all seem valid and not weird at all,” they say.

Some men also chime in to say these situations are legitimately odd. One says, “As a man who was curious…these icks are all 100% valid. Please. Continue…”

“As a man, these are frying me. I’m reading them all aloud to my wife & we’re [dead]. You’re right, ladies. Men aren’t lonely enough,” says another. 

What is the ‘Male Loneliness Epidemic’?

The acknowledgement of male loneliness has been at an all-time high recently. In 2023, it even gained the label of an epidemic. For what it’s worth, the study conducted found that both men and women are grappling with loneliness at a much higher rate than 30 years ago. However, social media has seemed to focus on the male aspect. In 2025, the American Institution of Boys and Men published a report where they discuss certain aspects of the epidemic, such as “social isolation, emotional support, friendship, and participation in different social activities.” Therefore, when viewers online are commenting that men aren’t “lonely enough,” they mean that their lack of romance and friendships correlates to their behavior. 

The Mary Sue reached out to the creator via email.

Have a tip we should know? [email protected]