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submitted 11 months ago by Zahille7@lemmy.world to c/asklemmy@lemmy.ml

Like, I travel around for work and I've met plenty of people from all backgrounds.

Why is there a demographic of people who don't seemingly bathe regularly, or at the very least wear something to cover up their BO? I could understand if it's an allergy, or even religious reasons (though the people I've met that smell bad are usually you're average American young adult man) but recently (like in the past week, recently) I've met a concerning number of people who don't seem to wear any kind of deodorant or possibly don't even bathe regularly; it's starting to become an issue for me, as I don't even want to interact with them when I can smell them walking up from 3+ feet away yet I need to for work.

Does anyone have any possible insight?

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[-] squiblet@kbin.social 101 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

People should shower regularly, but I find the aromas wafting from people who use many fragrance products far more offensive and offputting than someone smelling like a human. Some people's shampoo, laundry detergent and deodorant (not to mention body spray, cologne or perfume) are so strong that I can smell them from 5 feet away, and the odor lingers for several minutes after they leave an area. I don't really care what it smells like as much as that I seem to be allergic to these fragrances, and sneeze, get red eyes, my nose starts running my lips swell a bit. This is why some places have instituted a fragrance-free policy - as many as 25% of people have an allergy to various components of these perfumes. Unfortunately it's a very touchy thing to explain to people as the average person thinks they're doing something virtuous by wearing a bunch of fragrances and it makes them more appealing to be around.

[-] impudentmortal@lemmy.world 29 points 11 months ago

People become nose blind to their perfumes and deoderants so they put on more and more over time to smell the same (from their perspective). My mom has the same issue but claims it's all in my head.

[-] squiblet@kbin.social 9 points 11 months ago

My mom and dad's hair products are about the worst thing imaginable. After they take showers I can hardly go in the same room as them for 3-4 hours and the scent even lingers for 5-10 minutes after they walk out. She said 'huh? it has a scent?'

[-] claycle@lemm.ee 20 points 11 months ago

Every single day, when I am out walking my dog, a jogger comes by smelling of like a shit-ton of soap/perfume/deodorant/body spray - I nearly gag. These guys (and sometimes girls) are so terrified they might smell sweaty when doing something, you know, sweaty, like jogging a couple of miles...it boggles my mind.

Who taught people we have to smell like artificial bouquets of flowers all the time, even when exercising, ffs?

[-] squiblet@kbin.social 4 points 11 months ago

Yeah, and when your body wants to sweat, you MUST stop it. I've wondered with all the different scented products people wear at the same time, why they want to smell like the average of 12 different synthetic flowers.

[-] const_void@lemmy.ml 4 points 11 months ago

Who taught people we have to smell like artificial bouquets of flowers all the time, even when exercising, ffs?

Detergent and perfume companies

[-] shalafi@lemmy.world 7 points 11 months ago

I had a really weird thing years back, never since then.

Middle-aged white women wearing something, no idea what, would gag me out. I don't mean it was merely offensive, I mean I'd hold my breath near them. Made me low key nauseous.

Had that problem for a couple of years, haven't smelled that for maybe 10 years. Anyone have a clue what I mean or what it might have been?

LOL, and you would hate my wife. She's Asian, so I'm not sure she's capable of body odor, but she's so paranoid about it she bathes twice a day and hoses herself in perfume, hair too. I love it up close, but I don't think you would pick it up from 5'.

[-] squiblet@kbin.social 5 points 11 months ago

I've become familiar with several different classes of horrible fragrances that people use. There's the one that smells like salty roses, one that smells like 'old ladies' (this gross light flower-lavender scent?), one that's like a bunch of synthetic grapes and other fruit, the 'cotton candy' kind of dryer sheet scent, some that smell like flowers mixed with burning plastic... not sure which one you might have encountered. I find if I take antihistamines it's more 'huh, I smell that' vs. a toxic emergency, but I prefer to just avoid it. I do hold my breath in some circumstances, like if I have to walk down the laundry detergent aisle in the grocery store.

I actually can smell many people's scents from 5 feet away and still smell their fragrances after they exit an area. I'm probably more sensitive because I don't wear clothes coated in this stuff and sleep in sheets soaked in it.

[-] 0x4E4F@infosec.pub 5 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

And this is why I don't do deodorants and perfumes.

And I don't explain as well, I just steer away from that person.

[-] jeffw@lemmy.world 14 points 11 months ago

You can find unscented antiperspirant, FWIW

[-] qooqie@lemmy.world 3 points 11 months ago

That’s what I do and if I need to smell nice for a fancy gathering I’ll put on a small amount of something nice smelling (beard balm, cologne, or something else)

[-] 0x4E4F@infosec.pub -1 points 11 months ago

Yes, but they're a lot more expensive than the mainstream ones.

[-] jeffw@lemmy.world 2 points 11 months ago
[-] d3Xt3r@lemmy.nz 11 points 11 months ago

Holy mother of URLs, Batman!

Here's a cleaned up version without all those nasty trackers attached: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Arm-Hammer-ULTRA-MAX-Solid-Antiperspirant-Deodorant-Unscented-2-6-oz/10810917

[-] 0x4E4F@infosec.pub -3 points 11 months ago

Yeah, I clicked it though, cuz... it's from Wallmart, what are they gonna track here, I don't live in the US, lol 😂.

[-] 0x4E4F@infosec.pub -2 points 11 months ago

Dude, I don't live in the US 😒.

this post was submitted on 08 Dec 2023
181 points (89.2% liked)

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