I'm sure at one time or other you would have experienced someone with 'strong' body odour. Yesterday I went grocery-shopping at my favourite hypermall. While I was going up the escalator, there were these two guys ahead of me happily chatting away (who are employees of the mall) emitting this pungent body odour. It lasted for about 20 seconds or so (for as long as the escalator took to reach the top) and I nearly fainted!! Can you imagine the escalator going up and with me ending up in the slipstream of their B.O.Sometimes I wonder if they even realise that the smell stinks like rotten onion with some chillies thrown into it!! Don't they know that someone out there invented deodorants?? From most of my experiences, I noticed that those who have B.O. are mostly foreign workers (no offense meant to them). It never fails whenever I go shopping I'm bound to end up smelling at least one person with bad B.O.
At times I wonder whether I'm the only one who can smell it because everyone else around them seems unaffected. I have this very sensitive sense of smell that the slightest whiff of anything foul-smelling would drive me crazy. I'm not criticizing or generalizing anyone, even myself sometimes when I'm home doing the chores, I easily perspire and I can smell my own B.O!! So how can these people not realise that they stink???
Would you tell someone you know they have B.O. or would you put up with the smell so as not to embarrass that person? Do you think by just squeezing your nose shut would get the message across to the 'guilty' party? Maybe someone should tell them instead of just keeping mum (unless of course you like the smell of stinky armpits). But I just don't have the courage to tell anyone off, you never know they'll take offense and you just might go home with a black eye!
So what about you guys, tell me your smelly experiences if you have any:)
I don't think I will ever have the guts to tell someone (unknown) concerning their B.O, most of the time I had to endure the pungent smell or hold a deep deep breath till that person is out of sight.
ReplyDeleteA long time ago I worked in an office setting where one of my co-workers didn't use deodorant so you can well imagine how bad she smelled! Her aunt was also working there & since I had a better relationship with the aunt, I told her in a nice enough way that her niece smelled. About a week later the problem was solved. Would I have had the courage to tell this person about her body odor, that's a question I don't know but I was also only 19 at the time. What I don't get are people who think they smell ok. U.A.C. (under arm charm) is not pleasant to smell. Anyway, I think now I would muster up the strength to tell someone they smell.
ReplyDeleteI know exactly what you mean. I've been out there myself and the amount of people who don't realize they emit B.O. are so huge that I'd need one of those NASA space helmets just to work around safely ... LOL!
ReplyDeleteI had a classmate who had this problem and I was cursed to sit next to him all school term. The gods must have not liked me very much!!!
Hi Nessa, of course you're not the only one! I bet others smelled those 2 guys too, but like u said, we just can't bring ourselves to tell them LOL!
ReplyDeleteAs I told Nick earlier, I once had to share a bus ride with a b.o. colleague of mine... all the way from Subang to Bangsar.... how?? And after we got off the bus, walked with her for another 5 minutes to get to office...suffer or not?? He he he!! ;)
I dont have the guts to tell them in the face that they have B.O unless they're close to me ,why cant they notice their own B.O?hmmm..
ReplyDeleteI dare not tell that person he/she smells because I didn't wanna embarrass them, but at the same time, I had to endure the smell!
ReplyDeleteJust last week, when I was packing lunch for myself (tahpao), there's a lady standing beside me who have this VERY bad b.o. that I thought I was gonna faint. She looks kinda pretty but she have that kind of smell. Oh geez, I lost my appetite right after - especially after my friend kept reminding me of her b.o. She said: "Eh, that girl kan.. the smell so asam lah! Not actually asam but.. eeeee.. bau-bau asam lain-lain like that!"
*sigh*
I think most of us will not say but some might make an obvious sign, like picit hidung which I will do and hopefully they'll get the message! I kind of notice that about foreign workers also, I wonder why too...could it be their diet?
ReplyDeleteAnn - Just don't wait until you turn blue sis!!
ReplyDeleteCulinary Chase - Yeah, if you know someone whose related to the 'smelly' person, I think it would be easier & relaying your message in a nice way is definitely a wise thing to do:)
MD - And I thot boys would be more direct! Must have been awful having to put up with the odour one whole term!
Mariuca - Oh, the sufferings we had to endure in the name of friendship:)
Shana - Same here... not nice kan to 'drop their water face!!'
Cindy - Asam, pahit, masin... macam-macam ada!! Hehehe
Jewelle - I suspected the same:) Or they didn't bathe in a week!!
Nessa, you're right, sometimes these people really don't know that deodorants do exist. My own colleague has this weird B.O smell and everytime he walks past I have to hold my breath ... LOL!
ReplyDeletehi nessa, thanks for dropping by my blog.
ReplyDeleteas for B.O., my colleague has it, but i am the too-nice type and keep quiet, just try to stay far away from her as possible :P
another worth puking over is the tiny white snowflakes u see on shoulders on dark coloured clothes! yucks!
I think I belong to the silent sufferer too. My hub has a ex lady colleague, her B.O is so serious that we can smell her existence from a distance. Her case is the worst that I have encounter so far, the ultimate one. She still likes to go clubbing so much. I really pity those dancers beside her.....Wah kaoz ;)
ReplyDeleteHi there,
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Cenk
Nick - Good thing he doesn't sit next to you!!
ReplyDeleteSweetpea - Staying away from smelly people is the best option! Yeah, if one has dandruff refrain from wearing dark-colored tops. Thanks for the visit:)
Janice - Everybody seems to be suffering in silence:(
Sonmce - Thanks for dropping by!
I never have the nerve to tell someone they have BO, unless it's my husband or REALLY good friend.
ReplyDeleteMy friend worked with me and a programmer in a corner office. The three of us were working on a project, so there was a lot of close interaction. She was pregnant at the time and sensitive to smells. She told me years later that the combination of my vanilla scented body lotion and the programmers BO made her sick every day.
When I asked her why she didn't tell me she said it was because she didn't want to hurt my feelings! Silly woman.
Even telling friends is difficult at times. My mother never had a problem telling me how bad my feet smelt when I was going through puberty. Thankfully I grew out of it. At least I think I did, maybe people are just being polite :)
ReplyDeleteLindaf - Yeah, I think if it was a person's perfume/lotion, I would be brave enough to tell them. My sense of smell was super sensitive when I was pregnant with my 2 boys. It was awful... everything smelled bad. I even used a non-fragrant soap 'Simple' cos I couldn't stand the other soaps.
ReplyDeleteHi Loz! We can't be mean with friends unless they're like brothers or sisters to us... hehe
There's this gurl in my class back in secondary school who has really really bad B.O. So once, I went shopping with another friend of mine. We wanted to buy a deodorant for her because we really couldnt stand the smell from her especially after P.E. We didn't buy it in the end because we were afraid that she would feel offended later so we changed our mind after that. Lol!
ReplyDeleteWe have a guy at work who always smells like arm pit odor. It drive me nuts..somedays it is real strong other days not to bad.
ReplyDeleteI have a very sensitive nose and I smell everything!! It's like a curse sometimes. At work there was a dead squirrel in the duct work and I could smell it before everyone else. They thought I was nuts when I told them that I thought there was a dead critter up there...turns out I was right!
LOL! It depends, if it is someone I had to be around all the time. Yeah, I will tell them to shower! My Mom hosted a foreign exchange student from Belgium and he only showered once a week! I explained if he wanted to sleep in my room on the top bunk instead of the garage, he was going to need to shower AND us deoderant! For real it was unbearable! If it were just some random on an elevator, no I probably wouldn't say anything! After I work out I am always stinky and I know it, so they have to know they are less than fresh! You are too funny!
ReplyDeleteAngeline - I'll think really hard first before I buy anyone with B.O. a deodorant. While we may mean well, that person may not feel the same. You know how easily some people can get offended, right?
ReplyDeleteDS - Now that's what I call the power of the nose:) Always trust those with super nose power! LOL!
Barrett - Once a week? You gotta be kidding me. I don't think I could stand someone who only showered ONCE a week! Phew!! The odour... Oh I don't mind those who sweat after heavy work or exercise, it's understandable:)