If people’s arpit hair is there to help retain the “armpit perfume” and that same perfume “has a direct stimulatory effect on the…libido.” as you said, then why do we sweat when we are nervous? Doesn’t sweat keep people away and not attract them (I know from experience it does keep people away!)? Also, if sweat is there to help get us a mate, then why would countless teeming millions wear underarm deoderant? It boggles the mind.
Because Americanshave been brainwashed by the big-money interests of the Personal Care Industry to believe that there is something bad about the natural scent of a human being. If sweat were really a deterrent to attraction, we would have bred ourselves to extinction before we moved out of the caves.
Dr. Fidelius, Charlatan
Associate Curator Anomalous Paleontology, Miskatonic University
“You cannot reason a man out of a position that he did not use reason to reach.”
Because Americans have been brainwashed by the big-money interests of the Personal Care Industry to believe that there is something bad about the natural scent of a human being. If sweat were really a deterrent to attraction, we would have bred ourselves to extinction before we moved out of the caves.
Dr. Fidelius, Charlatan
Associate Curator Anomalous Paleontology, Miskatonic University
“You cannot reason a man out of a position that he did not use reason to reach.”
Here, as in all things, there is a difference between enough and too much. People who’ve just come out of the shower are much too clean (besides, they get more of the bed wet than they ordinarily should…) It’s like kissing a bar of soap. Of course, folks who smell like cattle are not terribly pleasant either. What you’re going for is some sweat. We are going for a happy medium here.
Well said, Matt. I’ve never been particularly fond of “just showered” lovemaking. Then again “just mowed the lawn on a 90 degree day” sessions aren’t so great either. Perhaps that’s why so much lovemaking occurs at bedtime? Just long enough to work up a pleasant natural scent without crossing over into that nasty morning funk. 
I’m very unlikely to have sex unless I’ve just showered. I refuse.
>^,^<
“Cluemobile? You’ve got a pickup…”
The Teeming Millions Homepage: fathom.org/teemingmillions
Gotta sweat to release some of that heat as water.
Some people really need that under arm deoderant cause the bacteria that breeds there has quite a nasty smell if it gets lots of moisture.
Why women need feminine sprays are beyond me.
Slightly off the topic, but I now know what pubic hair is for. I recently had an operation, preceding which, my pubic hair was all shaved off. I assume I am a normal guy, and I never had a sweaty, stinky crotch until now, as I tend to bathe daily. Boy, does my crotch stink now. I can only assume that one thing pubic hair (and, probably, armpit hair) does is wick away sweat. That may not be its main purpose, but it sure is something that it does. Hope you weren’t eating dinner while you read this.
We’re too clean. We shower and wash our hair too much and use way too much soap. Trust me on this, even if it grosses you out.
As others have pointed out, we’ve been brainwashed by the Clairol mob to keep showering and using soapy products to the extent that it’s unhealthy.
Now, I’m not saying that we should throw out hygiene thru the window, just be a little more moderate.
What happens, is that if you use excessive amounts of soap, we de-hydrate the skin, which is extremely sensitive in the groins and in the armpits. Deodorant doesn’t help the situation either.
So then we, or at least women, use a lot of moisturizing creme to re-hydrate. And the evil treadmill begins. Believe me, as a guy with psoriasis since 25 years, I know about skin, and my dermatologist is disgusted with what we do to ourselves.
Of course, if one gets dirty or works up a really hard sweat, getting clean is a good idea. But for an office-worker with a nine-to-five in AC environment, too much soap is just dumb. Shower with plenty of water, use a liquid soap with a low pH (around 3.5) under arms and in the groin and skip synthetic fabric in your clothes. Also – try to pick clothes that let the sweat evaporate. It’s when it accumulates that it starts smelling bad.
You’ll be able to live without deodorant, should you want to.
Oh, and I think that sweat from a clean body doesn’t smell bad at all.
ct
<< Believe me, as a guy with psoriasis since 25 years, I know about skin, and my dermatologist is disgusted with what we do to ourselves. >>
He should move to France.
Sorry. Your point is lost on me. Please explain.
ct
As Gr8kat said recently in the “Worst commercials” thread, “Then quit sniffin’ it.”
Charlie, Dex is referring to the long-running American joke that says, essentially, French women don’t shave their underarms and don’t bathe very regularly. Generally, most American guys (being used to American women who shave and bathe compulsively), find this amusing and disgusting at the same time, whether it’s true or not.
Carpe Diem!
This is not exactly true. My sister lived in Paris for 6 months going to the Sorbonne (sp?). Anyway, she said that the French would wear the same clothes every day for a week or so. That’s because it costs about $15 to do a load of laundry!
I think the confusion comes because there’s a gap between evolution and civilization. The odor of underarm sweat may have been a boost to the libido during our so called cave days, but these days most people find it offensive.
That said, I’m very sensitive to smell, and am sure that I’m not the only one. One of the most important senses in sexual attraction to me is smell, and it doesn’t necessarily mean clean and just showered, or even showered-this-morning-and-haven’t-worked-too-hard-since. The sexiest man I’ve ever been with sent me through the roof, arousal-wise, one morning when he woke up extremely pungent. Don’t ask me what does it. I only know that I sometimes get turned on or turned off on the basis of smell alone. This may not be something that I’d mention on the first date, but it’s something that certainly influences my life.
And yes, too much soap is bad for you. As someone who has very dry skin, I shower every other day, and only use gentle soap under my arms and in my groin. Otherwise my skin just sloughs away.
Water (or at least heated water) is very expensive in France. This was quite a shock to me (I like to stay in the shower a long time, it’s relaxing) when I had to jump in and out after only a few minutes. But, alot of the French people I knew showered more often than I did. Nicolas, this one guy who didn’t have a shower in his tiny summer apartment, walked to his grandmother’s house every morning just to bathe.
The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.
– Henry David Thoreau