Few things in this world are as frivolous or blatantly consumerist as the vanity smartphone case. And, like all beautiful and good things in this world, they are probably going to kill you one way or another. The Daily Dot reports that a nine year old named Olivia Retter in Cambridge, U.K. learned this the hard way when her new cell phone case, purchased at a store called New Look, broke and left a scar on her upper thigh in the shape of an iPhone, which will probably be there for the rest of her life. Apparently it was a water-fall case.
In a since-deleted Facebook post, Olivia’s mother, Karly explained that her daughter snuck her phone into her room at bedtime and fell asleep on top of it, as we are all wont to do. When she woke up in the middle of the night complaining of leg pain, her mother sent her back to bed but it was an entirely different story the next morning, when she woke up.
The post, which was up on Facebook January 8 and has since been deleted, alleges that the phone case itself contains “acid” and if it cracks and leaks out onto your bare flesh, will leave painful burns that will leave whimsical adults and earnest children with permanent scars in the shape of an iPhone.
The case in question was a “waterfall” case, clear plastic with a layer of glittery something-or-other that sloshes around, easily found on Amazon, or, if you’re a cool and sullen teen, at ShopJeen. I had one of these bad boys, and it cracked after being knocked off my bedside table too many times by my cat. I threw it in the garbage yesterday, not because I was afraid that the liquid contained within would leak out onto my flesh, but because it was no longer functional.
So, burn your waterfall glitter cell phone cases in a trash can tonight, if you have one. Or, if you prefer to court danger, live on the edge, man, and keep that case on your phone. I’m replacing mine tonight, because what is life if I don’t fear chemical burns every time I pick up my phone?
New Look released a statement and removed all the phone cases from their shelves. Rest easy, friends. It’s gonna be okay.
Original by Megan Reynolds @mega_hurt
