Opinions about being considered 'the smelly one'

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I will admit that this might be better suited to a sub-forum about socializing.

When I younger and not in high school, I in probably had bathing/hygienic habits which did not also produce favorable outcomes *unwittingly to me*.

Hence, there were several times when I heard or at least wonder whether persons were saying in a 'behind my back'/'hush-hush' tone that ~'I was smelly'*. My habits have mainly changed but it is still inevitable that during the summer season even with deodorant applied daily, that I will sweat enough that the after effect will remain on my clothes which I might not get around to changing sooner than I would like to.

In addition, a part of me feels that even if I do shower it is not always as effectual as I would like it to be (maybe it won't change until I say use a different product).

* At worst, I've heard of this projection happening for when it comes to the perception of entire ethnic groups.

When it comes to (arguable) 'self-image', I find scent to be problematic in that people realize it is important but I have a feeling a criticism of someone as 'the smelly one' would remain on someone short of being a cologne aficionado or something to that effect.

I mean goodness knows how *most* of the time, I 'can't smell myself' or at least pick up on my own scent when it's not 'pungent' (~two days ago I think I did and it was a reason for why I showered). Habits like not putting away still odorous clothes in a drawer with non-odorous clothes helps...but as a far as 'self-image' goes..

..the overlap between personal hygiene and aesthetics seems unexpended upon in my opinion .

It helps to make a habit of eating citrus fruits, especially lemons and oranges.

a lot of precious lil "people" are superficial and materialistic.

When I was a preteen I developed a chronic mastoid/ear infection where a foul-smelling discharge was constantly coming out of my left ear. Other people noticed it and kids at school would yell out "smmmm-ELLY!" wherever I went while adults thought I was not washing myself and caused me shame and embarrassment. I tried using scented products to cover up the odor, but it didn't work. I was afraid to tell anyone the real reason because I had so many surgeries done on my ears in the past and was hoping it would somehow clear up on it's own. It didn't. I had to get more surgery done until I was in my late teens. But that's okay because the kids found other ways to make me miserable.

when i was twenty four years old, in superficial materialistic homophobic san diego, went for 216 (two hundred sixteen) consecutive days without showering

part of that time, joined San Diego Bulldogs Wrestling Club

went to uc san diego, undergrad, at that time, in la jolla

My showering habits weren't the greatest when I was a teenager. I showered every other night. My clothes always had this sat in the dresser too long smell even though I washed my clothes every week. My parents bought the cheapest laundry detergent they could find. I never liked the way it made my clothes smell. My sister and I like to use Downey unstoppables to make our clothes smell good. We shower every night, but we live in an extremely hot and humid climate so we start stinking towards the end of the day. Deodorant and antiperspirants can't overcome my sister's body odor. We spray on body sprays and perfumes to keep our body odor under control. Kids were mean to me about my funky smelling clothes. They had the nerve to tell a male teacher that I smelled and that's why they wouldn't sit by me in class. The male teacher had a couple of my female teachers talk to me about it. They didn't think I smelled, but they gave me some body spray to be on the safe side.

Try growing up with both Eczema AND Trimethylaminuria.

Even the teachers openly complained that I looked and smelled like a  leper  person with Hansen's Disease.

Now add Asperger's, and even I have to wonder how I made it out of childhood alive...

Underarm odor is caused by a bacteria. Deodorant and antiperspirants can't overcome the smell. Baking soda kills the bacteria. I recently began creating my own deodorant that doesn't mask the odor but rather kills the bacteria that cause the odor. Basically I put in some baking soda in a jar and then add Organic coconut oil (from the cosmetic section) and make a paste. I add a few drops of Lavender essential oil to the paste and mix it in. I have been using it for a couple months and I am pleased with the results. The effects also last longer at least a couple days per application.

I have come to realize the importance of never underestimated the 'accumulated scents' within the blankets and pillows used and how it's important to do laundry on them.

Plenty of precious lil "people" have had the nerve to tell me that I stank

The human senses are not perfect

olfactory hallucinations

Besides, there are some aromas that some people like and some people hate

Genetics plays a big part in how you smell. Most Koreans have very little body odor.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_odor
Frequencies of ABCC11 allele c.538 (One nonsynonymous SNP 538G > A)[24]
Ethnic groups Tribes or inhabitants AA GA GG
Korean Daegu city inhabitants 100% 0% 0%
Chinese Northern and southern Han Chinese 80.8% 19.2% 0%
Mongolian Khalkha tribe 75.9% 21.7% 2.4%
Japanese Nagasaki people 69% 27.8% 3.2%

Not only do regular showers reduce body odor, but shaving will also reduce body odor.

Shaving does reduce body odor, particularly the armpits. Armpit hair actually traps pheromones and increases the intensity of one's personal scent signature to the opposite sex. However in a culture where any body odor is considered unpleasant it tends to have the reverse effect on people.

Fnord, I apologize if you already know this but just in case you don't and it can help.... Many people with your condition find major relief by taking activated charcoal and chlorophyll supplements. Not sure how long it takes to start noticing results but it could be worth looking into if you are interested. Eating red meat, eggs, dairy and soy tends to exacerbate it though, as certain compounds in those foods are odiferous and those are the same compounds your body has difficulty breaking down.

Shaving seems to reduce the how often I get attacked by mosquitoes while working the yard. Fortunately my reflexes are still fast enough to stop the attacks and there are never more than few of them that need to be stopped in my yard each evening.