# Hey, Aftershave Boy! Cut it out! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [May 11, 2004, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-aftershave-boy-cut-it-out/244693 "2004-05-11T21:31:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![calm\_kiwi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc348/32.png) [@calm\_kiwi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/calm_kiwi)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2004, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-aftershave-boy-cut-it-out/244693/21 "2004-05-12T12:40:21Z")
Shit! How the fuck I lost the major parts of that story I don’t know. But yes suck it up. ---
**Author:** ![Angua](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8baadc/32.png) [@Angua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angua)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2004, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-aftershave-boy-cut-it-out/244693/22 "2004-05-12T12:46:41Z")
> [@calm kiwi](#): > > Shit! How the fuck I lost the major parts of that story I don’t know. > > But yes suck it up. Have you any idea just how arseholeish you sound? I didn’t choose to have Aftershave Boy as an office mate. You chose the rabbit. Why should I be forced to be in a situation where I suffer personally, and my work suffers as well? Do I not have the right to do something about it? Do I not have the right that after working all day in my office, I should still be able to breathe? Be able to _talk_? Because, believe me, the other day it had got so bad that I started throwing up as I was talking (not to him, but I was on the phone, and the aftershave managed to affect my throat so badly that even talking was not an option). If you’re working in an office with 10 or so people, you should at least _try_ and be considerate of those around you. Or am I asking too much? ---
**Author:** ![Missy2U](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@Missy2U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Missy2U)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2004, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-aftershave-boy-cut-it-out/244693/23 "2004-05-12T13:13:23Z")
**calm kiwi** , just suck it up is one of the most completely assholish things I’ve ever seen said in response to a problem like this. Good lord, do you have any fucking clue what it is like to have to deal with something like that in an office? I experienced migraines - at one point I was in the freaking hospital thanks to the pain - due to a co-worker and her abundant use of cologne - and it cost me plenty of money, sweetheart. I should “suck that up”? Come on. Get with the program. You and your allergies to your rabbit have nothing whatsoever to do with **forcing others** to deal with allergies to your rabbit. Let me guess, you’re the type of person that will deliberately put ingredients into a dish after someone has specifically told you they can’t eat it and then expect that person to suck it up? ---
**Author:** ![Einmon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Einmon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Einmon)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2004, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-aftershave-boy-cut-it-out/244693/24 "2004-05-12T14:16:14Z")
Yeah, I don’t quite get the “suck it up” either. I mean, we’re not talking about a little spritz of cologne or a dainty dab of perfume behind the ear. We’re talking about a guy who takes a bottle of “Very Manly Scent” and dumps it over his head, spreads it over his whole body and, after gargling a copious amount, takes the bottle just in case the smell diminishes a bit over the day. I am exaggerating, of course, but I knew just such a guy. He kept the bottle of CK Obsession in the glove compartment of his car and when you were some place he’d go out every half hour to put some more on. You could smell him as soon as he entered a room - and that includes a room where a party was in full swing, filled with 50 people. Now imagine that in a smallish enclosed space like an office, where there’s 10 other people. And you’d just go about your business while big clouds of perfume waft around you? Sure, there’s more important things in the world. But being able to breathe while you work is nice anyway. ---
**Author:** ![LionelHutz405](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lionelhutz405/32/536_2.png) [@LionelHutz405](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LionelHutz405)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2004, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-aftershave-boy-cut-it-out/244693/25 "2004-05-12T15:22:37Z")
Ask him nicely not to wear that cologne because you are allergic to it. If he still wears it, ask again, but not nicely this time. It he still wears it, puke ON him, the next time you need to. ---
**Author:** ![jlzania](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/67e7ee/32.png) [@jlzania](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jlzania)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2004, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-aftershave-boy-cut-it-out/244693/26 "2004-05-12T15:48:01Z")
I’ve read that (and no I don’t have an immediate cite), one develops a sort of smell immunity if one keeps applying the same fragrance daily which doesn’t allow the wearer to actually accurately judge how much scent he or she is applying. And the rule of thumb that I learning regarding perfume application is that no one that isn’t close enough to kiss you should be able to smell it. **Calm kiwi** , some of us, (myself included), really do get quite ill if we’re subjected to heavy doses of scent in an enclosed area. Really. Imagine being in an office all day with some one that smoked constantky and made you sick. Would you think it fair if you were told to suck it up in that case? I’ve been next to woman that had doused themselves so heavily, I could actually taste their perfume. Blech. ---
**Author:** ![Angua](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8baadc/32.png) [@Angua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angua)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2004, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-aftershave-boy-cut-it-out/244693/27 "2004-05-12T19:34:50Z")
Well, looks like talking quietly to my advisor has worked. Aftershave boy no longer reeks of the stuff. Hurrah! ---
**Author:** ![plnnr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@plnnr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/plnnr)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2004, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-aftershave-boy-cut-it-out/244693/28 "2004-05-12T20:03:15Z")
Great to hear, Angua. Despite what tons of people here seem to think (not only in this thread, but in the thread about the co-worker who didn’t wear underwear), the best course of action is almost always a quick, to-the-point conversation with the other person. “Excuse, me, Fred. You may not have noticed it, but your cologne is very strong and I’m sensitive to it. Could you make sure that you don’t wear too much? I’d appreciate it.” No need to lie (“I’m allergic” when you aren’t, etc.) - just tell the guy the truth and he’ll probably try to help you out. ---
**Author:** ![Zabali\_Clawbane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ecd19e/32.png) [@Zabali\_Clawbane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zabali_Clawbane)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2004, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-aftershave-boy-cut-it-out/244693/29 "2004-05-12T21:59:51Z")
**plnnr** She wouldn’t have been lying about being allergic to his scent. Or, do you honestly think that anyone will puke at an overabundance of perfume? If she’s puking etc. then yes, she’s _ **allergic** _ to that scent. You must not have much experience with what scent allergies can do to your system. Yes, migraines and breathing problems are more common. However, I too have puked from smelling something. FTR, with me it was because of the constant post nasal drip it caused, (that I didn’t even notice, I got used to it) which upset my stomach and caused me to puke. She also mentioned her throat closing up, which is NOT GOOD. Also FTR, if you read my first post, I advised her to speak to him, with the idea in mind that maybe he didn’t realize he was using too much. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![teleute12](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@teleute12](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teleute12)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2004, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-aftershave-boy-cut-it-out/244693/30 "2004-05-13T06:21:34Z")
> [@duffer](#): > > This has me really paranoid. So when I go into my next job interview, should I risk using cologne? Actually, at my business college, they’ve told us not to wear any perfumes or colognes to a job interview, in case the interviewer is allergic. Since you’ll be going to the interview freshly showered, of course, BO shouldn’t be too much of a problem. ---
**Author:** ![Lars\_Aruns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c68b51/32.png) [@Lars\_Aruns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lars_Aruns)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2004, 10:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-aftershave-boy-cut-it-out/244693/31 "2004-05-13T10:01:32Z")
> [@plnnr](#): > > Despite what tons of people here seem to think (not only in this thread, but in the thread about the co-worker who didn’t wear underwear), the best course of action is almost always a quick, to-the-point conversation with the other person. > > “Excuse, me, Fred. You may not have noticed it, but your cologne is very strong and I’m sensitive to it. Could you make sure that you don’t wear too much? I’d appreciate it.” > > No need to lie (“I’m allergic” when you aren’t, etc.) - just tell the guy the truth and he’ll probably try to help you out. The same thing happened to me while doing librarian duty in my old University in Rome. A guy just bathed in aftershave, and I took the direct route and politely told him. He politely answered that yes, he would see to that, and he was so sorry of the bother. And then the following day he came in reeking of the stuff anyway. After the third time I asked he complained that I was just pestering him and strongly asked to be left alone. I did: after a chat with the lady in charge, she rearranged the shifts and gave him the Saturdays, all alone. Oh, how he complained… 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Idlewild](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8491ac/32.png) [@Idlewild](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idlewild)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2004, 11:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-aftershave-boy-cut-it-out/244693/32 "2004-05-13T11:12:18Z")
Perfume allergies/sensitivities are indeed a pain. I’m glad that the situation was sorted out swiftly and amicably. No one deserves to be working in an environment that causes them to feel sick constantly. Especially not when it’s something as inessential to your co-worker’s comfort as his aftershave. While I’m not deathly allergic to any artificial fragrances, some of them will definitely trigger either a sudden sharp headache or waves of nausea. I’ve pretty much forgone wearing perfume as a result, though I’ve found ones _I’m_ not sensitive to, I really don’t fancy inflicting that nastiness on anyone else. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2004, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-aftershave-boy-cut-it-out/244693/33 "2004-05-13T14:56:04Z")
> [@calm kiwi](#): > > STUPID STORY ALERT Stupid indeed. And irrelevant. You seem to be under the impression that people complain about scents for the mere purpose of wanting to complain about something. You don’t seem to get it that these same people have a medical condition that causes them to be physically ill. They didn’t choose it. In fact, if they had a choice, they would choose _not_ to get sick. The hospital where I work has been declared a scent-free zone. They did so because they realize that some scents will make some people physically ill. They did not do because they just wanted to complain, or because of some lame bunny story. They did it because they realize “just suck it up” is not sound medical advice. And frankly, I’ll take the opinion of a medical community over your lame-ass rodent. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_Doris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5ac83/32.png) [@Sir\_Doris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_Doris)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2004, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-aftershave-boy-cut-it-out/244693/34 "2004-05-13T16:23:38Z")
> [@Angua](#): > > Well, looks like talking quietly to my advisor has worked. Aftershave boy no longer reeks of the stuff. Hurrah! I was going to offer to swap aftershave boy for attention seeking, compulsive talker weirdo. Oh well, keep it in mind, just in case aftershave boy reverts. ---
**Author:** ![Angua](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8baadc/32.png) [@Angua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angua)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2004, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-aftershave-boy-cut-it-out/244693/35 "2004-05-13T17:17:23Z")
> [@Sir Doris](#): > > I was going to offer to swap aftershave boy for attention seeking, compulsive talker weirdo. > > Oh well, keep it in mind, just in case aftershave boy reverts. I have ways to avoid attention seeking, compulsive talker weirdos. I put my cd player on, and have my back to everyone. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_Doris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5ac83/32.png) [@Sir\_Doris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_Doris)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2004, 10:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-aftershave-boy-cut-it-out/244693/36 "2004-05-14T10:41:50Z")
> [@Angua](#): > > I have ways to avoid attention seeking, compulsive talker weirdos. I put my cd player on, and have my back to everyone. 😃 That wouldn’t stop him. One of the RA’s threatened to punch him, but it doesn’t seem to have had any long term affect. He’s outside my office now - he’s barely stopped to draw breath for about an hour. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_Wright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@Steve\_Wright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_Wright)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2004, 11:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-aftershave-boy-cut-it-out/244693/37 "2004-05-14T11:26:37Z")
Solution: when he next _does_ draw breath, make sure Aftershave Boy is standing next to him. ---
**Author:** ![Angua](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8baadc/32.png) [@Angua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angua)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2004, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-aftershave-boy-cut-it-out/244693/38 "2004-05-14T11:56:07Z")
> [@Steve Wright](#): > > Solution: when he next _does_ draw breath, make sure Aftershave Boy is standing next to him. **Steve** , I laughed so hard at that, my office mates wondered what was wrong! ---
**Author:** ![plnnr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@plnnr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/plnnr)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2004, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-aftershave-boy-cut-it-out/244693/39 "2004-05-14T12:16:48Z")
> [@Zabali\_Clawbane](#): > > **plnnr** She wouldn’t have been lying about being allergic to his scent. Or, do you honestly think that anyone will puke at an overabundance of perfume? If she’s puking etc. then yes, she’s _ **allergic** _ to that scent. You must not have much experience with what scent allergies can do to your system. Yes, migraines and breathing problems are more common. However, I too have puked from smelling something. FTR, with me it was because of the constant post nasal drip it caused, (that I didn’t even notice, I got used to it) which upset my stomach and caused me to puke. She also mentioned her throat closing up, which is NOT GOOD. > > Also FTR, if you read my first post, I advised her to speak to him, with the idea in mind that maybe he didn’t realize he was using too much. 🙂 I’m aware that she’s actually allergic. Other posters have a related thread (the one concerning the co-worker who didn’t wear underwear) have suggested lying to management or creating false documentation in order to address their problems with a co-worker. My point is that a simple, honest conversation almost always works. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_Doris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5ac83/32.png) [@Sir\_Doris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_Doris)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2004, 11:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-aftershave-boy-cut-it-out/244693/40 "2004-05-15T11:14:02Z")
> [@Steve Wright](#): > > Solution: when he next _does_ draw breath, make sure Aftershave Boy is standing next to him. 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-aftershave-boy-cut-it-out/244693.md?page=1)