Mum is mortified after discovering why people hang wicker hearts up outside homes – The Mirror
Turns out, those shabby chic wicker hearts people hang on their front doors may actually be sending a rather kinky message to neighbours – and one parent was left red-faced after noticing her entire street is full of them
One mum was left rather red-faced after noticing her neighbourhood's penchant for wicker hearts.
We're talking about those shabby chic-esque decorations you sometimes see hung up on someone's living room wall or their front door – which kind of looks like a bird's nest. For example, there is this £20 one from Dunelm, or this £9.99 smaller version from B&Q.
They skyrocketed in popularity in the late 2010s and became a must-have for any DIYer, but in recent years there's been somewhat of a resurgence for the natural-looking decor. Whilst they may seem innocent – people reckon there is a 'kinky' message behind them. Intrigued? So are we…
Taking to Mumsnet, the anonymous woman explained that she decided to take a walk around her neighbourhood to sort out some errands, and noticed the decorations on several houses. She wondered whether the items were part of a new craze, comparing them to 'sticks-in-vases' and 'pebbly s**t'.
"Over the course of my three-mile walk, I swear I must have seen tens and tens of houses with hearts hanging up in windows, on doors and on gates," the post reads. "All made out of painted punched metal or wicker. They all seemed to be huge, maybe 30cm in diameter. Some of them were quite nice I suppose, but I couldn't help but wonder when I missed that particular memo."
The woman asked fellow parents if anyone else had noticed the 'phenomenon' or whether it was just down to her living in a 'very middle-class suburb of a fairly dull town'.
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Parents flocked to the comments section to share their thoughts – with many suggesting the decor is frequently used to signal when somebody is a swinger. "It's what swingers use instead of pampas grass nowadays," one user wrote.
"You obviously live in a very friendly area. Of course, it's possible that not everything I typed is true." However, the joke seems to have made its way onto X (Twitter) with many claiming the sign is actually a symbol for couples that have sex with other couples.
"Is it true that a wicker heart on a door or in a window means that swingers live there? Someone told me they're the new pampas grass," one person said. Another replied to a question asking what pampas grass is, stating: "Swingers! Everyone knows that, although apparently nowadays it is a woven/wicker heart on the door."
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