This Blackhead Popping Video Is So Bad — And Yet So Very Good
If you like Doctor Pimplepopper, you'll LOVE this video.
Anetlanda / Shutterstock If you find blackhead popping videos soothing instead of disgusting, then you’re going to absolutely love this one. It’s nothing but in-your-face, close-up, oozing, pimple popping goodness.
And if the number of times this video has been viewed is any indication of how awesome it is, I’d say it’s a safe bet since it has been watched over 13 million times.
It’s one of those things that people love to do to one another. You’ve probably either been in a relationship where someone chased you down to pop your pimples or maybe you were the person chasing someone down to get theirs.
It’s an odd thing that many people find soothing, even while many other people are absolutely grossed out by it. What's so gross about it? It's like your skin giving birth... but less bloody and intense.
The relief after watching someone eject nasty pus from below their skin is palpable. You can even tell their skin appreciates it being gone.
Regardless, the pimple popping video trend online doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon.
Going to YouTube and searching for those magical words will bring you back a disturbing number of videos (seriously, the amount is mind-boggling!), either done by professionals at work in the dermatologist’s office or by amateurs at home (usually with some kind of alcohol involved).
Some of them range from years-old cysts that explode with satisfying violence, and others are acne-like pimple removals, where the poppings are many.
Many viewers of popping videos have claimed that it's the "rush" factor that draws them in and fascinates them about these videos. They can get a thrill from watching these videos without the added threat of danger, much like riding a roller coaster.
Professor and author of Yuck!: The Nature and Moral Significance of Disgust, Daniel Kelly, explains why people are so drawn to things that disgust them.
"It's the same kind of thrill people get from, say, riding a roller coaster or bungee jumping — it activates the experience the typically comes with a real kind of danger while actually being protected from the harmful effects typically associated with those situations. One of the main functions of disgust, the heart of this particular emotion's primary job or core mission, is to protect us from infectious diseases," he says.
He also explained why this phenomenon has become so popular and why others are still absolutely revolted by videos like this and can't even look at them:
"Disgusting things tend to capture the attention pretty easily, and (surprisingly) it's been found that people are more likely to pass along and tell their friends about something that's disgusting versus something that isn't. Some [people] are just more 'disgustable' or squeamish across the board than others."
Author Nina Strohminger explains that some people are just in it for the experience, saying, "I don't think there's anything straightforwardly masochistic about it. Rather, negative sensations are interesting, particularly when you're in a context where they can't hurt you. You're probably not going to step in dog s*** just for the experience, but maybe you'd click on a link to watch someone else doing it."
Like them or hate them, there’s clearly something to these pimple popping videos, and it’s reassuring that we know that, as long as people exist, these videos will probably keep popping (get it?) up online.
Merethe Najjar is a professional writer, editor, and fiction author. Visit her website, MeretheWalther.com, or follow her on Twitter and Facebook.
Editor's Note: This article was originally posted in December 2016 and was updated with the latest information.