Fact or fiction, the poop in the purse has us hooked.

The story of one Twitter user hiding her poop in her purse on a first date has, it’s fair to say, been a big old hit with the internet since it first went off earlier this week.

But after the initial reactions of laughing until we cried, feeling somewhat nauseous and having a sudden urge to run to the bathroom ourselves, the inevitable question came up. Was the story really real or is the poop in a purse story a hoax?

Makela’s tale came to us all as one of those online nuggets that just struck a chord of horror and delight. It was entertaining, even if it was embellished.

It’s hard not to be a cynic online, and you know what they say: if it smells like, looks like and sounds like s**t, chances are it probably is.

So even as the poop purse conquered the internet, questions were being asked about its veracity.

The main point of contention is the striking resemblance between Makela’s story and that of a 2002 Tropfest film called Boomerang. 

A short film that tells the story of a woman who poos at her love interests house, only to be unable to flush it and decides to hide it in her handbag.

Post continues after video. 

While there are similarities between the film and the tweet-saga, there are also differences.

Where the film sees the woman’s bag being stolen and eventually found because, who puts a poo in a bag? Makela’s story allows her to eventually return to the bathroom and flush her nightmare goodbye.

So after spending a better part of this morning trying to get to the bottom of Makela’s bowel bonanza, I’m still not certain. But you know what I am sure of? No one actually gives a sh*t as to whether or not this story is real.

People don’t love this story because of its authenticity, they love it because it’s too good to be true.

It also captures how utterly ridiculous the obsession with rules around when a woman can and can’t confidently use a bathroom around someone they’d like to have sex with later are.

Those rules have always has been ridiculous. And this story proves it.

The tweeter who sparked the whole thing isn’t backing down though. She was still tweeting about the experience on Thursday.

The poop in the purse has made millions of women laugh about the situations that we’ve all feared about being in. Because let’s face it, there is no greater terror than an unsuccessful first flush…

And despite how little we really talk about it, people find poo to be hilarious.

Maybe Makela’s story is true. Maybe it’s just entertainment.

Either way, I know that next time I have a terrifying bathroom encounter, I’m going to think of this story and laugh, and know that the bathroom window is always a better option than the bag.

Bathroom horror stories come in all shapes and sizes.