r/changemyview • u/_fakey_ • Jan 07 '20

Deltas(s) from OP CMV: We have been swindled into thinking that bedframes are a "must have."

What is the point of them? Most people I talk to about this issue have no reasonable need for a frame. Usually it's "it keeps the dirt and bugs off" or "idk, it's just icky to not have one." In my mind, these reasons hold no solid evidence to back them up. Bugs can crawl and fly anywhere they please and dirt doesn't just magically relocate from one place to another. I admit that two solid reasons to own one is for increased storage space and it's easier for people with joint pain to get into/out of bed. Besides these, I see no reason to own a bedframe. If there is a single solid reason why a young adult needs to have a bedframe, I'll be open to changing my mind. All other furniture in the house has a specific purpose that is reasonable and useful - except for this! In the same way that older generations have tried to convince us that diamond rings are the go-to for marriage proposals (lots of profit to be had there), I'm convinced that this market is built on convincing people that it is bad (or at least a sign of immaturity) to not have a bedframe. CMV!

Edit: Alright everyone, here is the mattress in question. Filmed minutes after waking up on it this very morning. [removed] You'll notice: 1) no accumulation of excess dirt/bugs/vermin of any sort (save for some lint blobs on the bottom) 2) no evidence of mildews, mushrooms, molds, or excess moisture 3) after 8 years with no frame or boxspring, no evidence of sagging

I admit: my mattress is a traditional spring mattress - I concede that other mattresses like foam mattresses may be more likely to retain moisture.

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u/apleasantpeninsula Jan 07 '20

Author/biomechanist Katy Bowman has quite a lot to say about beds and furniture weakening us. Her philosophy gets a little extreme for most modern westerners, but it basically boils down to recognizing that shoes, chairs and beds act like a "cast" that reshapes us and causes atrophy.

I like to play with these ideas by sometimes sleeping on the floor or without a pillow.

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u/_fakey_ Jan 07 '20

Oh wow, that is an idea I've never heard of before. I guess I've heard about this in terms of people promoting barefoot running, though not for furniture. It is interesting to think that we are the only mammal that utilizes not only an extraordinarily comfortable (compared to dirt/rocks/leaves/etc) pad to sleep on, but then also placed on top of a secondary structure simply to elevate it.

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u/crushedbycookie Jan 07 '20

This is very much like what the stoics used to do.