Junior Minh-Huy Tran’s friend, Martin Thai, sits down and enjoys Tran’s daily earlobe touching. Photo by Suzane JlelatiBy Ivy Duong, Social Media Manager & Elise Tran, Staff Writer
Junior Minh-Huy Tran finds one body part superior than the rest: ears. From greeting his friends to making new ones, his ear addiction has gone to new heights.
He became addicted in fourth grade when his aunt let him rub her ears, and since then, he has been hooked. To Tran, the touch of ears provides an incredible sensation of softness.
Tran will often approach his friends and occasionally strangers by initiating a conversation, then slowly reaching out and start rubbing both ears. Now, he disregards the typical, verbal greeting with his friends and just starts to rub their ears whenever they pass each other in the halls.
“I was doing my homework, minding my own business. From behind me, he grabbed both my earlobes and moved his index fingers only in a circular wave,” said junior Brandon Au.
His addiction has escalated over the years. Many of Tran’s friends have voiced their concern but Tran ignored their remarks.
“In middle school, it used to be once a week. Now every time he sees me, he touches my earlobes,” said junior Martin Thai.
Overtime, Tran’s friends grew to accept or even enjoy his ear addiction. Some claim that Tran’s rubbing is soothing and helps them to relax.
“At first I was weirded out; I told him to stop it, but overtime I got used to it. When he does it, it stimulates my brain and I just love it,” said junior Kent Tran.
Although Tran isn’t extremely picky on which types of ears to rub, he does have his preferences.
“My favorite types of ears are ones with a lot of peach fuzz and like extra lobes. Attached earlobes are generally kind of small, so I like the detached earlobes,” said Tran
However, not every ear is soothing. Tran avoids earrings, because the metal makes it uncomfortable to rub. He prefers not to rub his own as it feels calmer to rub others’ ears.
“It kind of shaped who I am, because people know me for the ear rubbing,” Tran said.
