Flossing in Public: Acceptable or Not?

I recently overheard an interesting debate between a husband and his wife. The topic of their discussion was on the appropriateness of flossing in public - not the new popular dance move, but the act of cleaning between one’s teeth. The wife did not find it appropriate for anyone to clean his or her teeth in public, yet her husband did not seem to think much of it. Even after the wife mentioned that she had seen this on the bus, he still did not think this was problematic. I could tell from their accents that they were British. This was confirmed when I heard the wife try to contextualize this by bringing it closer to home, and giving an example of this happening on the tube in London. She still did not win him over! Having spent a number of years commuting in London myself, I just could not wrap my head around someone comfortably flossing their teeth in such a public space.

With that in mind, I thought I would address a few questions I am often asked, on what is and not appropriate to do in public in regards to grooming:

First, if we have food stuck between our teeth, the best place to take care of it is in the bathroom. Some restaurants have toothpicks easily accessible at the entrance or table. This does not mean we get to use them there. We can pick a toothpick, head to the bathroom, dislodge what is between our teeth and get back to our party with a cleaner smile.

Second, it is best to ensure we are fully made up before leaving our homes. If we get into the habit of applying makeup before leaving the house, we will not find ourselves in situations where we are desperately trying to balance driving, and applying the last of our mascara. What a dangerous act that is! Wouldn’t it be awful to get a distracted driving ticket for making ourselves look presentable whilst driving? I can just imagine the conversation now: “Sorry Officer, I was running late this morning and didn’t get a chance to apply the last of my makeup before I got to work.” This certainly would not fly. In the event that we cannot groom ourselves adequately at home, we can always carry an SOS kit to use in the bathroom when we get to work or any other destination. Alternatively, we can rock an “au naturel” look that day, and explore something new and different. Who knows, we might actually appreciate the new look.

Still on the subject of self-grooming, touching up our lips at the table is not appropriate either. If your lips feel dry, it is okay to excuse yourself and freshen up in the ladies’ room. The mirrors in there are also perfect to ensure precision with the job!

Finally, it is always awkward to pull out a brush and start brushing one’s hair in public. I have experienced this with someone brushing their hair at the table. It was an awkward situation, and I secretly hoped that none of his hair had found its way into my plate.

Whenever in doubt, the safest rule of thumb is always to keep our grooming routines a private affair. There was once a time when both men and women seemed to always look picture perfect. Yet we never knew when and how they accomplished the look. The recipe behind their style was always a mystery. This kind of magic still exists today, and oh, how less awkward it would be if more people kept their beauty routine a mystery!