B.O. Awareness

18 Feb 2004 By

Is it worse to have B.O. and know it, or to have B.O. and not know it?

Now, I will confess that I do not shower every single day. Yesterday was one of those days. I showered right before I went to work on Monday, worked all night, came home Tuesday morning, ate, slept, got up Tuesday afternoon, ate, and came on into work.

I never got sweaty. I changed my draw’s. I put on fresh deodorant and clean clothes and brushed my teeth. So I don’t think I smell that bad. I think I smell pretty much like I normally do.

But the guy I’m working with tonight, who smelled just fine last night, is more than a little pungent. Like if he stands in an area and you walk through it five minutes later there’s a cloud of his odor hanging in the air pungent. Not unbearable, but a little sour. I don’t think he’s a dirty guy or anything. I just think he’s a little less than fresh.

But am I? I can’t tell! What if he’s sitting there thinking the same thing about me?

*sniff*sniff*

  • http://keith721.dyndns.org/mt/ keith

    I used to have a co-worker with an endocrine problem. He would shower and do everything possible to freshen up in the morning, and by noon, he’d start to be “not so fresh”. People used to think he wasn’t diligent about bathing daily, but I traveled on business with him, and he’d go back to the hotel room at lunch time, if our schedule permitted. Some people have a problem, no matter how hard they try.

  • http://www.swirlspice.com Erica

    Oh, that poor guy. Not to make light of his problem, but I guess he’s one of those people that really can say, “it’s glandular.” Heh.

  • http://coconnell.blogspot.com Casey

    I used to work with a smelly guy. He was just a non-bather type. We finally hung a pine-tree freshener under his chair. He never knew…

  • http://www.contractorpeon.com/blog/ glenn

    I don’t know if you wanna be advertising that you don’t bathe everyday. IMHO :)

  • http://beenie.highlymoody.com/ Kat

    They say that your own BO is always usually more noticeable to you than it is to anyone else. If you can’t smell yourself, you’re probbaly fine.

  • http://www.kazoofus.com Kathy Howe

    I’ve been in your presence and you do not stink.

    :)

  • http://feministe.us/blog/ Lauren

    My one and only allergic reaction is to deodorant/anti-perspirant. Anything under the arms and I grow ginormous cystic infections. Makes no sense. And is gross, unless you like lancing cysts like I do. (TMI anyone?)

    I’m a regular bather and a big fan of laundry detergent, perfume, soap, scented lotion, oil perfumes, and body spray. It’s the only way to keep the BO at bay.

    Alas, sometimes I stink. But no patchouli for me, thankyouverymuch.

    I used to know a girl who didn’t sweat – she just glowed. Pissed me off.

  • http://www.the-enigma.net/blog Enigma

    nah girl some people just stink.

  • http://swerlspice.blogspot.com Em

    I know a guy who smelled. He was a pretty big guy, so he was always sweaty. And he just never did his laundry. In like November, he said he had done his laundry for the first time since August. *yak*

  • http://people.albion.edu/krc10 krista.

    I know this is an horrible stereotype, but for some reason, the lads in Ireland at the university I attended just didn’t like to make much use of the soap or the deoderant (or either). Not all of them, mind you, but I could walk into a computer lab or the library or just pass them in class, and I would physically cringe on some occasions. And I don’t find that as much here. Of course, I find that I don’t really mind it all that much anymore. A little earthiness is fine on the whole, any way I look at it though. I’ll take that over an overly-scented clean person any day.

  • http://www.swirlspice.com Erica

    I agree about the earthiness. Sometimes people just smell like themselves. Like right after vigorous exercise, for example. But that’s completely different.

    Some other guys I work with come in bathed in cologne every day. It’s totally overpowering and it makes my nose hurt. I think they must be losing their sense of smell. Kinda like how people who are slightly hard of hearing yell at you. It’s too bad because it’s a waste of a cologne I might otherwise like. My philosophy is you shouldn’t be able to smell perfume or cologne until you are (almost) in someone’s personal space.

  • http://www.dawnpennington.com dawn

    I have a friend who bathes every day but after a few hours seems to have an odor. I wonder if they’re bathing and putting on clothes they haven’t washed yet. :)