Just when you think you have seen everything on the New York subway, guess again. One female rider took the subway ride as time to catch up on a little personal grooming. She gets a little too aggressive for some, and takes her hygiene routine too far, leaving others nauseous and disgusted.
In a moment that defines everything odd about the New York subway, one woman whipped out what appears to be a foot file, or a cheese gater, the jury is still out on that one. She begins aggressively removing calluses mid-commute.
The device, grater-like and gleaming, is applied with enough gusto to suggest deadlines or deadlines. The weird part? It’s not even in your bathroom. It’s on a rattling train car with passengers just inches away. Nobody asked for this kind of “self-care,” but in New York, the bar for social weirdness is staggeringly low, and somehow, this still topples it.
The video shared on Reddit gave Redditors something to consider. Many quickly began filling the comment section with amusing jokes, while others were horrified and disgusted by the subway female’s lack of awareness, personal space, and dignity.
Riders React with Visible Disgust
“That is disgusting. Thank you.”
“Just ZERO self-awareness…”
“She’s going down to the bone.”
“Gross 🤢 it’s dead skin and funk🤮”
“I’m not risking my face getting slapped by that cheese grater. I think I’d puke, and I’d rather just get off at the next stop,” adds another.
Someone even compared the filing scraps to “Forbidden Parmesan,” a metaphor so cruelly perfect you can’t help but quietly sympathize with the subway car’s collective cringe. The subway is less of a ride and more of a social experiment at best.
Where personal boundaries float away like tumbleweeds. You’ll see everything from theater-grade comps to subway choral rituals on your way home. But nothing quite levels the playing field, or the gag reflex, like someone sharpening their sole in public transit.
So here’s your new rule for navigating the wild on the New York subway. Keep a safe distance from anyone brandishing personal grooming tools. And if you ever find yourself muttering, “Is this actually happening…?” It is, and the next person who gets on will likely top the last, so have your camera ready because social media awaits.
Hunter Spears 
