Re: they ask...doggbreathFebruary 12 2005, 16:23:07 UTC
I can't smell, never have been able to. It's called "congenital anosmia", that means that you were born with it. There's no way to fix it that I know of, not even surgery. I try to find unscented shampoos etc. because I don't want to smell like something that I wouldn't like if I could smell it. Plus, most scented toiletries today are made from petroleum byproducts that aren't good for you. I don't wear perfume. Why would I? Then again, I don't wear makeup either, it's just my personal style/preference/philosophy, so I don't think I would wear perfume or use scented shampoo even if I could smell. I don't know if I stink so I just try to keep myself really clean. I don't know if my dirty clothes stink so I never wear anything more than once, I wear it and wash it.
When I first hit adolescence my mom said "well, it's time for you to start using deoderant". I was really against the idea of putting chemicals in my armpits, and since I'd never smelled B.O., I didn't have the horror of it that most folks in our society seem to share. I made a deal with my mom. I would try to keep myself really clean, and she would tell me if I smelled stinky. If I offended her nose (and she has a really sensitive sense of smell), I would use deoderant. If not, I could live chemical-free. And I gave my mom explicit permission to tell me if I smelled bad. (Most people don't want to tell you if you have B.O. or bad breath, it's too embarassing for them. I had to repeatedly reassure my mom that I wouldn't be embarassed and she shouldn't be either.)
Decades later and my mom has never had to tell me that I smell bad. And I have never had to use deoderant.
When I first hit adolescence my mom said "well, it's time for you to start using deoderant". I was really against the idea of putting chemicals in my armpits, and since I'd never smelled B.O., I didn't have the horror of it that most folks in our society seem to share. I made a deal with my mom. I would try to keep myself really clean, and she would tell me if I smelled stinky. If I offended her nose (and she has a really sensitive sense of smell), I would use deoderant. If not, I could live chemical-free. And I gave my mom explicit permission to tell me if I smelled bad. (Most people don't want to tell you if you have B.O. or bad breath, it's too embarassing for them. I had to repeatedly reassure my mom that I wouldn't be embarassed and she shouldn't be either.)
Decades later and my mom has never had to tell me that I smell bad. And I have never had to use deoderant.
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