Michelle made an interesting comment the other day that reminded me of an entry in my husband’s smell dictionary. There’s an entry called Body Odor (Heather’s). And since I know you are curious, here’s what my beloved husband wrote about how I smell:
I wish I could sugarcoat this, but the fact is nobody’s
body odor is peaches and cream, exactly. That’s why pharmaceutical companies make deodorant. But on the scale of offensiveness (which ranges from irritating to downright piercing), you’re somewhere in the middle. The smell is mostly gray, with streaks of brown mixed in. It’s a somewhat sluggish smell, and lazy. Fortunately, it is almost always absent. Level of Intensity: 10 (12-22-04)
So Michelle got me thinking, does everything in my house smell like this? It can’t possibly, right? So, this question is for you Michelle…is one’s body odor different from the unique odor that clings to one’s personal belongings?
Just curious.
- Jun 24, 04:07 PM
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1 · Alan · Jun 24, 07:00 PM
As the beloved husband in question, I can assure you concerned readers (and, in some cases, potential house guests) that the odor described above does not, in fact, cling to all of our worldly possessions—although it might if hygiene took a holiday. See, I initially wrote this entry because Heather wanted to know what she smelled like after exercising, gardening, or otherwise working up a sweat—you know, those moments when people stink. One perk of twenty-first century living, however, is that people don’t stink very often, and thanks to modern marvels like indoor plumbing and high-activity deodorant Heather’s typical aroma is much more neutral. Perhaps I’ve grown accustomed to her smell, the way you grow accustomed to most things about a person, but unless she’s wearing perfume Heather is actually rather odorless. And while that still might not be the most flattering description, I just wanted to set the record straight—for her sake and my own!
2 · Michelle Pendergrass · Jun 24, 09:26 PM
Alan is right, a person’s scent after exercise or being outside all day in the heat is different than just hanging out and being around the house.
What Alan is describing is what I would call body odor.
Some of this may be too much information, but you asked. Certain parts of the body emit odors that are unpleasant. Armpits and genital areas are the biggest culprits. This is generally where most of what we call body odor comes from.
The scalp has an odor that (to me) is pleasant when I sniff the top Phil or Zane’s head. Phil has said to me on numerous occasions that if I would tell him to smell my hair when he’s mad, he’d never be upset again. I’m guessing that’s because of pheromones, but I’m not certain.
Here’s a very interesting article: http://www.answers.com/topic/body-odours?cat=health
So when I talk about people’s houses taking on the scent of the people living there, it is generally an okay thing. (If the people are dirty, have a ton of animals, or other offending odors, it’s not so good for me.)
You and I are on opposite ends of the spectrum. Where your mother tried to make you smell that scratch and sniff gas sticker—well, I’ve had a gas leak that I smelled and thought was huge and the guy that rushed to check it out said it barely registered on his gas-o-meter-detector-thingy and he can’t believe I even smelled it.
Funny thing: I glanced over at the ads on the bottom right corner of this blog and it says “Sense of Smell Ringtone—Download to your cell phone instantly” LOL!!
Anyway, unless you’re in a constant state of exercise and sweat and never clean your house, I doubt it smells bad. And Alan says it doesn’t. In general, women seem to have a better ability to detect the scent of their family members than me. I think I read somewhere that scent ties in with some emotional part of the brain and links things forevermore.
Anyway, the scent that clings to one’s personal belongings is more of a compilation of that hair scent, soaps and shampoos, laundry detergent, fabric softener, and other things.
Old people and sick people have scents that are unmistakable as well. (at least to me) I don’t know if everyone can distinguish this, but I can. These are not pleasant scents in most cases.
Is that clear as mud now? Let me know if I need to explain further.
3 · Michelle Pendergrass · Jun 24, 09:28 PM
That one part should read “In general, women seem to have a better ability to detect the scent of their family members than MEN. (not me. I hate typos.)
4 · Heather Ackmann · Jun 25, 01:28 AM
Clear as mud…naw…it’s getting better though! Still really paranoid about smelling bad…
5 · Michelle Pendergrass · Jun 25, 08:13 AM
I’m really paranoid about smelling bad too. I brush my teeth a lot, eat a ton of Altoids, use deodorant, and shower daily.
I used to drive a semi with Phil and uhm, wow, there are a lot of people out there who don’t shower. ICK!
6 · Janet · Jun 25, 09:30 AM
I don’t think there is anyone under the sun who doesn’t worry about smelling bad. Even the people with the working sniffers smell bad at various times, and these are moments where we get really paranoid. Working out, camping, nervously sweating all day through a stressful situation, eating tuna for lunch, etc., all might contribute to moments of smelliness. The fact of the matter is, many people can’t tell if someone smells bad, even after doing the above activities, unless you walk right up to them and sniff them directly. As long as someone bathes regularly and wear deodorant, then even after a hefty workout people around that individual generally won’t notice a bad smell. We tend to notice our own smells the most because we are the closest to them. It’s amazing what standing a foot or two away from somebody can do. For instance, when my husband comes in from a few hours of heavy yard work, I can’t smell his sweat unless I stand right up against him or give him a hug. The same goes for bad breath. For most people I never get close enough to be able to detect bad breath. People with periodontal disease, however, I can smell from a normal conversational distance.
There are, of course, those who do not bathe regularly or have medical issues that make them smell offensively a yard or two away. Those are the people who are uncomfortable to be near. You are not like that; in fact, no one in my immediate circle of friends, family, or coworkers are like that. We probably all know someone in the community who smells that bad, but generally there aren’t that many in one given area…you might run into one foully smelling person in a crowd of people, but generally I can run errands all day and hang out with friends without running into an offensively smelly person.
Unless, of course, you are in an area where there might be a high concentration of people who smell bad, such as a group of hog farmers who just got off their shifts, then there might be a horrific stench that can be smelled a block away. Most of us, however, never reach that level of smelliness, even though we might be paranoid that we do.
7 · Heather · Jun 25, 10:53 AM
Thanks! That makes me feel better. But, the tuna fish comment…that’s what I’m afraid of…well…not tuna fish, but eating something where I don’t know if it smells bad or not and walking around smelling all day or something. I always forget that some foods can still smell after you’ve eaten it.
8 · Janet · Jun 25, 10:15 PM
I didn’t mean to make you more paranoid! Tuna generally isn’t bad once you eat it, but I have been around people who didn’t wipe their mouths or something and ended up smelling fishy. It could have been because they just happened to smell like fish anyway. There was a girl in my grade school like that. I don’t think you have anything to worry about!
9 · Amy · Jul 20, 06:22 PM
I have never smelled anything off anyone that was truly offensive except for the “I don’t floss and there are dead pieces of animal flesh rotting between my teeth” breath, which you can’t get just from eating tuna or something: you have to be truly negligent and let it rot.
I actually enjoy some body odor (this might be because I grew up in Florida without a/c and am just used to people smelling sweaty?), and I really can’t stand the smell of people who over-do the products: the noxious chemical smells of all their perfumes (in their laundry soap, in their body soap, in their shampoo, in their DO, in their makeup, in their actual perfume…) just make me gag and hold my breath.
I did once know a guy who had a medical condition that made him smell like mothballs (naphthalene), no matter how often he bathed (and he bathed OFTEN). It was horrible. He was really sweet, smart, good looking, rich, and well-connected (related to Michael Dukakis), and no girl would go near him, and I do mean NEAR him, because of his smell.
10 · Amy · Jul 20, 06:25 PM
Looking back at my comment, I think its purpose was to say, “people with anosmia have some serious advantages over the rest of us!” Because none of that bother is even an issue. :-)
11 · Term Papers · Jan 27, 09:44 AM
One perk of twenty-first century living, however, is that people don’t stink very often, and thanks to modern marvels like indoor plumbing and high-activity deodorant Heather’s typical aroma is much more neutral.