Some people have an even harder time with this scenario than average.
* Some people's bodies exude smells beyond the usual range, which are distressing to them and/or other people. Extreme flatulence, bad breath, body odor, and sweating are examples. Sufferers may experience this as a life-wrecking problem due to the social disability it causes, even though the condition itself is not life-threatening. Anxiety, depression, and suicide are comorbid risks in some cases, more likely as severity increases. - Most of the treatments for these problems also smell, but it is less distressing to self and others, so it is preferred. Some treatments actually solve a problem; others are just there to cover it up so it doesn't bother people as much. - It is not reasonable to demand that these people give up treatment for their problems or avoid public places.
* Social anxiety is very common and becoming more so as civilization degrades. These people are extra-sensitive to pleasing others and to criticism. If you force them to stink, they will quite likely cease to function in that environment. All their energy will focus on how bad they smell (or think they smell) and what other people think about them. They will probably also be distressed by other people's smells and completely unable to address that issue in any way because the idea of confrontation shorts out their brain. And just to make things extra hellish, the more stress they feel, the more they sweat, so the more they stink, so the worse they feel.
* Probably less common, but nowhere near rare, are people who need to apply substances onto or into their body that affect smell. - For example, many antibiotics cause the body to reek of mold for 1-2 weeks. Some other people are allergic to mold. This might be a physical or psychological problem for them. - Almost all topical medications smell, and some of them smell downright horrible. The vast majority attempt to cover the medicinal stench with perfumes, which often just cause the stuff to stink of something else like flowers, and may render it unusuable to those who are allergic to artificial fragrances. One memorable example, Resinol, smells loudly of a campfire in the rain. - People may feel distressed about these smells and need to cover them up with some other smell that is more socially acceptable. - It is unreasonable to demand that people not use these products which are safe and effective for them, just because not everyone could use them.
* Some people are incontinent. This is universal among infants up to toddler age, a fairly common temporary problem in pregnancy due to pressure on the organs, and also fairly common in old age as body parts begin to break down. Some wheelchair users or other people with disabilties need equipment to accommodate eliminatory needs. People are extremely sensitive about these scents and nobody wants to smell them. Only so much can be done to contain them; mostly they have to be covered up with stronger, more pleasing fragrances. Consequently, not all of these products even have an unscented version, and they are not things that people can do without even briefly.
* The vast majority of Americans use personal care products. Almost all personal care products include scents to render the human body acceptable to the American public. This is a cultural thing, but it is overwhelmingly dominant and violating it can have consequences. Toothpaste, mouthwash, shaving cream, aftershave, shampoo, conditioner, soap, deodorant -- those are all things that many people consider necessary for health and presentability in public, and almost all of those things have different smells. People who choose not to use one or more of them for personal reasons (allergies, religion, feminism, etc.) can enlighten you about the social cost of not doing so. - It is possible to find unscented versions. These are consistently more expensive than the commercial scented ones. Not everyone can find or afford unscented products. - It is possible to make your own unscented personal care products in some categories. This requires intermediate to expert crafting skill, a lot of time, and equipment that you can't use for anything else. Not everyone can do this. - Let's not forget that some people need different products. Do white people want to look at black people's natural hair? They do not, it makes them aggressive and sometimes violent. Do white people want to smell the harsh chemicals required to straighten nappy hair until flat? I sincerely doubt it, and black people prefer to cover it up too. (It is nobody's business what anyone else's hair is like, but that's an unpopular opinion too.) - It is unreasonable to demand that people spend a lot of extra time, money, and effort on personal care products. It is also unreasonable to demand that people forgo personal care altogether. - It would be helpful to make unscented, natural personal care products more widely available and affordable but this is not very compatible with current business practices. - It would also be helpful to make unscented, natural personal care products freely available to employees at workplaces that seek to minimize smells. I have yet to see anyone else suggesting this. The closest reference I've seen was in a novel ... where the characters pointed out that said products were very expensive and hard to get. Other characters assisted in making them more available at a lower price.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dancing_serpent
Re: Well ...
Date: 2021-10-03 04:47 am (UTC)* Some people's bodies exude smells beyond the usual range, which are distressing to them and/or other people. Extreme flatulence, bad breath, body odor, and sweating are examples. Sufferers may experience this as a life-wrecking problem due to the social disability it causes, even though the condition itself is not life-threatening. Anxiety, depression, and suicide are comorbid risks in some cases, more likely as severity increases.
- Most of the treatments for these problems also smell, but it is less distressing to self and others, so it is preferred. Some treatments actually solve a problem; others are just there to cover it up so it doesn't bother people as much.
- It is not reasonable to demand that these people give up treatment for their problems or avoid public places.
* Social anxiety is very common and becoming more so as civilization degrades. These people are extra-sensitive to pleasing others and to criticism. If you force them to stink, they will quite likely cease to function in that environment. All their energy will focus on how bad they smell (or think they smell) and what other people think about them. They will probably also be distressed by other people's smells and completely unable to address that issue in any way because the idea of confrontation shorts out their brain. And just to make things extra hellish, the more stress they feel, the more they sweat, so the more they stink, so the worse they feel.
* Probably less common, but nowhere near rare, are people who need to apply substances onto or into their body that affect smell.
- For example, many antibiotics cause the body to reek of mold for 1-2 weeks. Some other people are allergic to mold. This might be a physical or psychological problem for them.
- Almost all topical medications smell, and some of them smell downright horrible. The vast majority attempt to cover the medicinal stench with perfumes, which often just cause the stuff to stink of something else like flowers, and may render it unusuable to those who are allergic to artificial fragrances. One memorable example, Resinol, smells loudly of a campfire in the rain.
- People may feel distressed about these smells and need to cover them up with some other smell that is more socially acceptable.
- It is unreasonable to demand that people not use these products which are safe and effective for them, just because not everyone could use them.
* Some people are incontinent. This is universal among infants up to toddler age, a fairly common temporary problem in pregnancy due to pressure on the organs, and also fairly common in old age as body parts begin to break down. Some wheelchair users or other people with disabilties need equipment to accommodate eliminatory needs. People are extremely sensitive about these scents and nobody wants to smell them. Only so much can be done to contain them; mostly they have to be covered up with stronger, more pleasing fragrances. Consequently, not all of these products even have an unscented version, and they are not things that people can do without even briefly.
* The vast majority of Americans use personal care products. Almost all personal care products include scents to render the human body acceptable to the American public. This is a cultural thing, but it is overwhelmingly dominant and violating it can have consequences. Toothpaste, mouthwash, shaving cream, aftershave, shampoo, conditioner, soap, deodorant -- those are all things that many people consider necessary for health and presentability in public, and almost all of those things have different smells. People who choose not to use one or more of them for personal reasons (allergies, religion, feminism, etc.) can enlighten you about the social cost of not doing so.
- It is possible to find unscented versions. These are consistently more expensive than the commercial scented ones. Not everyone can find or afford unscented products.
- It is possible to make your own unscented personal care products in some categories. This requires intermediate to expert crafting skill, a lot of time, and equipment that you can't use for anything else. Not everyone can do this.
- Let's not forget that some people need different products. Do white people want to look at black people's natural hair? They do not, it makes them aggressive and sometimes violent. Do white people want to smell the harsh chemicals required to straighten nappy hair until flat? I sincerely doubt it, and black people prefer to cover it up too. (It is nobody's business what anyone else's hair is like, but that's an unpopular opinion too.)
- It is unreasonable to demand that people spend a lot of extra time, money, and effort on personal care products. It is also unreasonable to demand that people forgo personal care altogether.
- It would be helpful to make unscented, natural personal care products more widely available and affordable but this is not very compatible with current business practices.
- It would also be helpful to make unscented, natural personal care products freely available to employees at workplaces that seek to minimize smells. I have yet to see anyone else suggesting this. The closest reference I've seen was in a novel ... where the characters pointed out that said products were very expensive and hard to get. Other characters assisted in making them more available at a lower price.