# It's OK to smell. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 9, 2011, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-ok-to-smell/599075 "2011-10-09T15:32:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2011, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-ok-to-smell/599075/21 "2011-10-09T18:13:47Z")
I suppose the women who like a nice, smelly man are probably the kind of women who, well, like a nice, smelly man. It takes all kinds to make the world go round; I’m just glad my husband showers regularly. I will agree that a daily shower is probably not absolutely required for most office-working folks. ---
**Author:** ![Tracyfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f14d63/32.png) [@Tracyfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tracyfish)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2011, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-ok-to-smell/599075/22 "2011-10-09T18:57:47Z")
> [@Nostravinci](#): > > Wow, great timing. > > Recently (last four months) I’ve felt the same way as the OP, but even more extremely. I went six weeks (yes, weeks) without showering, then 9 days, then 9 days again, and now I’m up to two weeks. The OP is dead-on when he says females ‘like the way a man smells’ (that old cliche line), for a number of reasons: > > 1.) pheremones from male sweat arouse them > 2.) women like to feel feminine in contrast to their male counterparts, so him being manly and smelly is good for them > 3.) it shows he’s accessible and not snooty or metrosexual (those pussies suck) > 4.) it means they don’t have to worry so much about being clean or anything around him because he’s down with the dirty > 5.) it means he’s probably not easily grossed out, so he’s more likely to, say, eat sushi (and not at a japanese restaurant) > 6.) it makes them feel superior to the man, which women love to feel > 7.) the mommy inside all girls feels affection towards dennis the menace-type rascally, outdoorsy boys > 8.) girls like macho guys who can protect them like a caveman, and a dirty guy is closest to that > > And I never change my clothes, either. I don’t even know where to start with this list, so I guess I’ll just ask when it became snooty to bathe regularly? As far as the OP, I don’t recall ever being turned off by a guy because he smelled good, but I have been turned off by guys who smelled bad. Some women may be turned on by a man’s natural scent, but not all. That said, when I’m working from home (like I am now), I get into a habit of not showering for days unless I’m leaving the house. I think it bugs me more than my husband. Just makes me feel too grungy to go for two days without showering. ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2011, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-ok-to-smell/599075/23 "2011-10-09T19:04:37Z")
I’ve been known to skip a shower here and there, but even I can smell how bad I am after 2 or 3 days without a shower… and if I can smell it, that means other people can smell it 10x as bad. Maybe some people really don’t smell bad, but EVERYONE who I’ve met who is proud of “not having to shower all the time” smells awful. Really, really bad. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2011, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-ok-to-smell/599075/24 "2011-10-09T19:19:24Z")
I won’t skip a daily shower simply because I have very oily skin. If I don’t shower at least once in, say, a 36 hour period ( I can go more than a single day, but less than two ) I feel gross. Particularly my hair. It has not a thing to do with other people’s sensibilities and everything to do with mine. Women and men will just have to learn to tolerate my lack of virile man-stink. And selfish though it may be, I give not a single crap for the resources thus “wasted” - far as I am concerned they are being put to good use :). ---
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2011, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-ok-to-smell/599075/25 "2011-10-09T19:24:26Z")
Sure it’s okay to smell. But that doesn’t make it attractive to others, and it’s also okay for people to avoid those who smell. As far as women liking men to smell like body odor- no. Some women like the smell of their _own_ man, but that doesn’t mean they like the smell of all men who haven’t showered. ---
**Author:** ![Rysdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7cd45c/32.png) [@Rysdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysdad)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2011, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-ok-to-smell/599075/26 "2011-10-09T19:26:25Z")
> [@studmuffin](#): > > It’s OK to smell. No, no, it’s not. ---
**Author:** ![not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_what_you_d_expect/32/3246_2.png) [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2011, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-ok-to-smell/599075/27 "2011-10-09T19:49:47Z")
I admit I’ve been turned on by a good clean sweat at times, but bathing daily is almost mandatory. Most days, I shower twice. I would not want to be in the same room with someone who had not showered in days, let alone the same bed. ---
**Author:** ![Nostravinci](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/41988e/32.png) [@Nostravinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nostravinci)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2011, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-ok-to-smell/599075/28 "2011-10-09T20:21:28Z")
> [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](#): > > I admit I’ve been turned on by a good clean sweat at times, but… I would not want to be in the same room with someone who had not showered in days, let alone the same bed. Stuff like this is why I call women hypocrites. “I like sweat sometimes… except when I don’t.” Gah! ---
**Author:** ![Troppus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a587f6/32.png) [@Troppus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troppus)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2011, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-ok-to-smell/599075/29 "2011-10-09T20:32:28Z")
> [@Nostravinci](#): > > Stuff like this is why I call women hypocrites. “I like sweat sometimes… except when I don’t.” Gah! Theories should be tested. If you haven’t bathed in a few days, **Nostravinci** , roll on out and flirt with a nice sample size of women, and be sure to include a wide age range. Report back with the response. (Hint: if a lover we really dig joins us in bed post-shower and breaks a sweat while making sweet, vigorous love… he smells goood. A clean, hard-working sweaty man on a workday: good. A clean, appealing man in the gym after a sweaty work-out: good. But an inexplicably sweaty, smelly, greasy-haired unwashed stranger picking us up in the grocery: not so much. Back off a few feet, wouldja?) ---
**Author:** ![Kolga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e56c9b/32.png) [@Kolga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolga)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2011, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-ok-to-smell/599075/30 "2011-10-09T21:04:03Z")
> [@Nostravinci](#): > > Stuff like this is why I call women hypocrites. “I like sweat sometimes… except when I don’t.” Gah! So much information in two little sentences and an exclamation. ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2011, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-ok-to-smell/599075/31 "2011-10-09T21:06:08Z")
> [@studmuffin](#): > > Showering daily is a waste of resources, it impresses no-one, a couple of times a week max, anyway, the little ladies get real turned on by a whiffy male oxter. > > Am I right or am I right ? :dubious: I’m a guy. I don’t want to smell your BO. So no, you’re not right. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2011, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-ok-to-smell/599075/32 "2011-10-09T21:22:01Z")
> [@lavenderviolet](#): > > Another issue is that some people’s sense of smell is more sensitive than others. > I have a great sense of smell and it is very noticeable to me when someone is a bit stinky or when their dental hygiene is less than optimal even if others don’t notice. Me too! My sense of smell is extremely sensitive. People, you may not realize it, but: most likely, if you are not an adolescent, you don’t exert yourself, and you don’t spend any time in the heat, absent some kind of bath or shower you’ll begin to stink within 48 hours. If you are a teenager, you exert yourself, and/or you are in hot weather, YOU WILL STINK A LOT VERY SOON. The absolute worst is when people use lots of deodorant in the belief that this will keep them from getting stinky. If they use an antiperspirant, it probably does slow down the fermentation process a little, but not enough. Instead of smelling of human stank, they end up smelling of human stank unsuccessfully covered up with artificial products. This is truly nauseating. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2011, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-ok-to-smell/599075/33 "2011-10-09T21:23:55Z")
I do not want to smell you. If I can, that is a reason to avoid being around you. Unless you smell like flowers. Which you don’t. ---
**Author:** ![brittekland](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aeb1de/32.png) [@brittekland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brittekland)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2011, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-ok-to-smell/599075/34 "2011-10-09T21:38:17Z")
> [@Larry\_Mudd](#): > > people who skip showers generally make a strong impression. What kind of a strong impression that is the question. Once I commented how my date smelled naturally good and that eventually led to break up due to strong odors. But then again there’s something to us missing out on all kinds of chemical reactions and messaging based on the scent that our caveman ancestors enjoyed. Just imagine the smell… There was a thread about evolutionary reason for itchiness; I thought it might’ve been as a bath time indicator. Stop scratching frees your hands and mind to do other more productive things? ---
**Author:** ![Covered\_In\_Bees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ab992/32.png) [@Covered\_In\_Bees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Covered_In_Bees)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2011, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-ok-to-smell/599075/35 "2011-10-09T21:43:27Z")
It means you have too many ticks and obviously not enough social contacts to pick them off you, therefore you’re a loser and cavewomen should avoid you. ---
**Author:** ![rhubarbarin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eb9ed0/32.png) [@rhubarbarin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rhubarbarin)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2011, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-ok-to-smell/599075/36 "2011-10-09T21:46:48Z")
I suppose it’s ‘okay’, but if you stink like a dirty human you make me want to vomit every time I get a whiff, and I will always resent you for it and avoid getting close to you. One does not have to shower _daily_ in order not to smell dirty/bad/like BO. I know plenty of people who manage this. Some people do indeed claim to enjoy the ‘natural’ smell of human beings, encourage their lovers not to wear deodorant, etc. I wish all of you would go live on a commune together so I never had to smell you again. ---
**Author:** ![scootergirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e99b99/32.png) [@scootergirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scootergirl)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2011, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-ok-to-smell/599075/37 "2011-10-09T22:30:01Z")
I shower daily mostly because I have a lot of hair and it is a mess in the morning. I have to wet it, so I might as well shower while I’m at it. I think it depends on your level of activity whether you need a daily shower. I prefer to not stink and would want the same from someone I was intimate with. ---
**Author:** ![brittekland](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aeb1de/32.png) [@brittekland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brittekland)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2011, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-ok-to-smell/599075/38 "2011-10-09T22:36:43Z")
> [@rhubarbarin](#): > > Some people do indeed claim to enjoy the ‘natural’ smell of human beings, encourage their lovers not to wear deodorant, etc. I wish all of you would go live on a commune together so I never had to smell you again. Or [under a rock](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCFMDLakxaY). ---
**Author:** ![Ibanez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a4c791/32.png) [@Ibanez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibanez)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2011, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-ok-to-smell/599075/39 "2011-10-09T22:53:38Z")
No it’s not ok to smell unless your on a camping trip. Taking a shower in the morning is part of my routine. Considering I can smell the funk coming around by mid afternoon. I’m sure my colleagues appreciate the fact I take a shower with soap every morning. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2011, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-ok-to-smell/599075/40 "2011-10-09T22:54:42Z")
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