BO or body odour can be a serious problem, not so much for the person suffering from it, but for those within sniffing distance. An article on an Iranian beating an Indian in an odour competition caught my attention. The winner of this rather ludicrous contest has not bathed for the last 60 years while the runner-up claims a priest guaranteed he would have a son if he stopped bathing. Notwithstanding the failure of the prediction, this man has kept away from water ever since.
Many of us have had to deal with a friend who is freshness-challenged, but it is difficult to tell the person what the problem is and how we feel about it. We are afraid of hurting his or her feelings or of being accused of being insensitive. But although I can understand the misgivings of acquaintances, what baffles me is how family members have never told him or her off. You know how brutal a sibling can be, especially when it comes to personal hygiene.
“You stink” or “Have you really had a bath?” are comments and questions we have been confronted with from time to time. And although we know there is no basis to the criticism, we have defended ourselves vigorously, challenging the other to prove his point and, if that doesn’t work, going on the offensive and questioning that person’s cleanliness credentials.
Both the contest winner and the runner-up seem to have embraced the avoidance of water due to emotional issues. For them, cleanliness is obviously next to oddliness. However, how not having a bath can help clear your mind is difficult to understand.
As children, we were constantly reminded to wash our hands, have a bath and not slouch around at home in our night clothes even on a Sunday. We were taught that the only way to start a day was fresh. So, whatever the weather, we came clean.
And we were as meticulous about keeping our pets clean. Dogs have a sixth sense when it comes to bath time. Perhaps the preparation for the momentous task (especially if the dog is a big breed) alerts them to the danger and they retire to places where it is difficult to retrieve them such as under beds. A lot of coaxing has to be done to make them emerge from their safe place and they are known to scoff at treats that they usually drool at. By the time you manage to capture them and lead them to the bathroom, they play hard to get. But after a vigorous scrubbing, shampooing and towelling, they are even dusted with fragrant powder. But you must be careful about keeping them confined for some time after this operation as they think nothing of going outside and rolling in the grass or mud to show their feeling of relief.
I hear that the skunk is becoming a pet by choice in the US. All you need to do is avoid raising its hackles or alarming it. But the skunk doesn’t smell per se. Its glands secrete the foul-smelling spray when it is confronted by a predator and it is an instinctive reaction. This is different from some human beings who emit an offensive odour due to personal hygiene issues. And, of course, no one would dream of keeping them as pets!
So, how do we resolve this dilemma of getting our point across to those who desperately need a smell check? Perhaps we eventually resign ourselves to enduring the assault on our olfactory nerve. That is somehow easier to do than confront someone with home truths even you wouldn’t like to face.
Smells can bring back memories of another time or place or even person. But this experience is always pleasant.
But if there’s nothing you can do about the source of the smell, all you can do is hold your breath and hope this too will pass.
