September 8, 2000

Personal Hygiene - Not just a good idea!
   by stacy <pfftnet@stacy.pfft.net>

Wouldn't it be great if failing to use deodorant or take baths was against the law? Granted, it would mean that all French people visiting the US would be arrested, but nobody would get too upset about that. Jails are probably the best place for people like that anyway (those who don't use deodorant I mean, not necessarily French people), since how you smell isn't really the top priority there, and can probably even help you out in the long run.

I've had to do some work with a guy the past couple of days who smells absolutely terrible. I was a computer science student in college, so unfortunately, this was something I used to be used to. In some of my geekier classes, half the people in there smelled and looked like they hadn't showered in years. All those silly TV ads for Right Guard, Speed Stick, Degree, Sure, Ban, and even Secret(!) were completely wasted on these people, whose noses probably adapted and stopped working about the time they quit taking those showers.

My company insists that I show up for work looking presentable. We have a casual dress code, and jeans and t-shirts are the standard outfit, but you can't look like you just slept on the sidewalk all night. The same should apply to more subtle things. I think it would be kinda nice if the guy's supervisor could send him home if he smells too inhospitable. Of course, he would probably take that as some kind of discrimination against him because he's not American. I would be the first to assure him, all olfactory offenders are treated equally!

Published: September 8, 2000
Editor: stacy