According to Reddit users, eating an orange in the shower is a liberating act of consumption that will bring unbridled joy. The phenomena quickly became a trend, and has made users jump into their showers with an orange in hand.

The internet craze began on Reddit, a social media site, in 2016 when Redditor PHOTO_BANDIT, who has since deleted their account, made a post claiming shower oranges are “the most liberating, carnal, and best feel-good thing you can ever experience.” The post garnered thousands of shares and gave birth to the sub-Reddit ShowerOrange, a community that has over 64.8 thousand members. Many have posted on the sub-Reddit about their enlightening experience accompanied by pictures of their peels in the shower.

Before deleting their account, PHOTO_BANDIT recounted when their camp counselor praised the shower orange experience. The counselor claimed, “Tearing apart a cold fresh orange with your bare hands, just letting the juices run over your body. Not worrying if you’re going to get sticky, or anything. Just ripping it in half and tearing into it with your teeth like a savage cannibal who hasn’t eaten in a week. Yes… this is the most carnal, ferocious, liberating thing a man can do.”

User MetalManII, a new member of the ShowerOrange community, posted a photo of orange peels on his shower drain after completing his first shower orange.

“I usually meditate in the shower each morning. Today, I ate my first shower orange. Gotta say I feel pretty enlightened now,” MetalManII said.

Member, Dawn_Don, felt so enlightened by eating an orange in the shower that they felt
compelled to share the life-changing event with their loved ones.

“My mind is clear, heightened to peak enlightenment. Connected to the source; a resolution dawned upon me. The ones I love must be saved as well. Chanting the esoteric hymns of the divine fruit. Opening the door and passing the baton. She has been saved. By the grace of Hesperides, SHE HAS BEEN SAVED!” Dawn_Don stated, coupled with a video of the user handing an orange to a woman in the bathroom.

While many doubt the claims of internet users, blaming the phenomena on the placebo effect, some argue that it has been scientifically proven that citrus has calming properties, and heat can amplify smell. In NPR’s investigation, Johan Lundström, an associate member of the Monell Chemical Sense Center in Philadelphia, backed up the argument.

“Heat makes the orange odors more volatile, and this, merged with the increase in mucosa humidity, makes the orange odor smell more in the mouth,” Lundström said.

For journalistic investigation purposes, I decided to put eating an orange in the shower to the test and see if my soul would transcend the physical world. The first thing I would like to note is that the sensation of digging into the cold orange under the scorching water felt refreshing. When I first bit into the orange, I was met with a hot water pooling into my mouth, which I did not enjoy. However, the orange itself was delicious, and the hot water in my mouth almost made me appreciate the taste more. I don’t know if it was the placebo effect or quarantine delirium, but my senses felt heightened, and that was honestly one of the best oranges I have ever eaten. While I may not have been enlightened, the hilarity of the situation definitely made me happier. So, to everyone wanting to try it, eat up because you’ll be orange you glad you did.