• Viral badge

15 Things That Are 100% Legal But Feel Illegal When You're Doing Them

Who makes the laws anyway?

We asked the BuzzFeed Community to share some things that are 100% legal to do but make them feel like they're breaking the law. Here are some of the best responses:

1. "Calling a teacher by their first name."

Angry woman with ruler

2. "Taking a right on red."

A red traffic light

3. "Being in an empty classroom back in the day. I felt like I was breaking a law and someone was going to come in and yell at me."

An empty classroom

4. "Every time I have to go through a background check, I’m convinced that they’re going to find out I secretly have a long and sordid criminal history. I’ve gotten maybe four speeding tickets in my entire life and have never had any other brush with the law."

A criminal background check form

5. "My daughter recently had ankle surgery so we had a handicap placard for a few months. Every time we used it, it felt so strange."

A handicap parking sign

6. "Putting my hand in my pocket when I go to a store. I keep a grocery list in my pocket and reaching in to drag it out always feels scary. I’m not stealing, I promise!!!"

A man with his hand in his pocket

7. "Putting your AirPods/earbuds in after taking a shower and your ears are still wet."

A woman smiling and putting her AirPod in

8. "Getting a shopping cart and then realizing later that all you really needed was a basket."

An empty shopping cart

9. "I always get this irrational twinge of anxiety when I overheat while shopping for clothes, take off my sweater, and carry it around with the stuff I'm buying. Especially at thrift stores, I just have this ridiculous idea that I'm going to have to prove that it's actually mine."

A guy taking off his sweater

10. "Going into a shop and leaving without buying anything."

A woman leaving a store empty-handed

11. "I’m 25 and I still get nervous when someone checks my ID."

A bouncer checking someone's ID

12. "Whenever the metal detector goes off in airport security. I'm always nervous I somehow had something really illegal on me and I feel guilty for wasting their time (even though it's usually just my phone in my pocket)."

A bunch of people lined up at airport security

13. "When I had my first baby, I cried multiple times a day while in the hospital because I irrationally felt like the staff weren’t going to let her leave with me and I wanted her so badly. The first few days to weeks after having a baby are a weird time."

A woman feeding her baby

14. "Going to an open house when you aren't looking to buy, but wanting to walk around and check it out."

An open house sign

15. And finally, "Buying weed legally in California."

A weed store

Some submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.