I work with two guys who go way overboard on the cologne. Its enough to gag a goat. If they are both in the office at the same time, my eyes water, I sneeze, my nose runs and I’m a mess. I’ve mentioned it nicely a few times but they don’t seem to take the hint.
Now some of the students have started to wear it and holy hell its gross.
I’ve noticed it more with women. It’s especially offensive in the gym. Some women don’t want to smell like perspiration; Eeeeeeeewwwwwwwwww! How unlady-like! So they slather on the lavender oil. There’s nothing worse than being in the middle of a set, straining to your utmost, panting heavily, when suddenly someone grabs your windpipe with a pair of pliers, tilts your head back, and pours flower-scented ammonia into your nostrils. At least that what it feels like. Geez, I like the way women smell! Female sweat is chock full of pheromones or something, so why cover it up? At least don’t cover it up with that commando potpourri stuff.
I think people are just going about trying to smell good the wrong way. After I shower, I have a “nummy smellums” routine through which I run, but nothing I use has an overpowering smell…it’s all very heavily alcohol-based, so it fades very quickly. When I dress up (which is damned rare) I wear perfume, but all I do is spray it once on my wrists, rub them together, and then run it down the sides of my neck. I fully understand that I will be quickly desensitized to the smell since it’s, you know, ON me…but that others will still get a faint whiff.
I think a lot of people (as has been mentioned) think that if they can’t smell it, it’s not on them any more, and re-douse. It’s horrible.
I think a lot of people also wear really cheap, nasty, pungent perfume and cologne.
That’s the other thing…perfume tastes bad…real bad…blech.
Look, nowhere in my post did I say that ALL women of any age match the description that I gave.
I am so sorry if I hurt anyone’s feelings. Especially you, Sassy. Why would I do such a thing? I don’t even know you.
Let me put it to you this way:
I wasn’t talking about you! I’m sorry that you feel the way you do, but I was talking about a very specific group of people, and if you are in that group, I don’t care what you think.
If you’re not in that group, then I wasn’t talking about you.
I am sick and tired of whiny ass people, who always want to be like
“Look at me! I’m so pathetic, I have so many problems, I had a bad day, wahhh! You are mean, you singled me out! You’re an asshole, poor me, blah-blah-blah, sob, cry, whine, piss, moan. My life sucks and I hate it and none of it is my fault, there is always someone else to blame…”
And just so you know, I’m not talking about you, Sassy. Your post just reminded me of the type of people who spew crap like that.
You know what? I know several women, some of whom are on this board, who are wives, mothers, sisters and friends.
None of these women are super-models, none of them meet the societal standard of what passes for “beautiful” today.
You know what else? I don’t care! These are some of the most beautiful women I know, because of their confidence, their poise, their candor, their humor, their caring, their consideration of others, and so on. Add to this the not insignificant task of raising a family, some all by themselves. These are women who exemplify everything a strong smart beautiful woman is.
From what you posted, you’re not fit to serve them tea.
Do what you will, but don’t come crying about how it’s my fault that you have the self-esteem of a toadstool. If you want someone to dump on, go start a thread about it in MPSIMS. I’ll come hug you in there, after we’ve been properly introduced, but don’t you dare place the blame on me for your problems. I don’t even know you, I wasn’t talking about you, and I certainly don’t think any of the things you posted are true, such as “one can’t be old and beautiful”.
That is such bullshit. I hope you feel better tomorrow, lady, I really do. Do something that makes you happy. I wish you well, and I hope you have a better week.
But the next time you blame me for your shitty day, I won’t mince words about what I think of people who take no responisibility for their own happiness, and blame the comments of total strangers that were in no way directed at them for their state of mind and/or overall wellness.
What a crock.
Perfume gives me a freaking terrible headache!! There used to be two women at work who wore sooo much it filled the room! (thank god one got fired, and the other is about to get sacked too pretty soon) One day I asked one of the women (loudly) if she had busted a bottle of perfume in her purse…she just glared at me LOL Everyone is an arms-length away from at least two other dispatchers and it’s just fucking impossible to do your job when you’re choking and your head feels like it’s going to explode.
I had a lady like that in my shuttle today. Smelled like she bathed in Tabu in lieu of a shower. I actually retched, but covered my mouth and faked a cough so the cow wouldn’t report me to my (hardass) supervisor.
When I was little, I would spray whole bottles on me at a time…but I was only 10, what can I say?
Now, I just spritz my wrists, neck, and ears…and sometimes behind my knees.
It should be the type where when the person brushes past you there is a wift of fresh scent, and it just ever so gently tickles you…(I should write for a perfume company)
Anyone notice some perfumes remind you of certain people?
I can’t smell Oscar de le Rente without thinking of my mother, since that’s her signature scent.
I have , on three seperate occasions, told office mates that their perfume bothered me. They stopped wearing it.
Its not hard people to look at someone and say: “I am very sensitive to scents, and the musk in your perfume triggers headaches. Would you mind terribly not wearing it to work?”
For the love of Pete people - STAND UP FOR YOURSELVES!!!
Just cuz some think they need to smell like a nickle whore does NOT mean you have to put up with it. :rolleyes:
There have been coworkers who increased their perfume wearing because i was sensitive to it. They apparently found it amusing to see me retch. One went on about her right to express herself.
I am glad i no longer work there.
Lee, that’s when you call her a bitch and burn a bag of dog shit on her desk.
Sassy…forget that. Age isn’t anything but a number. I know how it feels when people don’t realize the extent to which their words, whomever they may be directed at, can hurt.
I don’t give a fuck if it’s the pit or not…
{{{{Sassy}}}}
I tend to forget that if someone posts in the pit, they are allowed to forgo any modicum of human kindness and decency. But you deserve it, Sassy.
In my experience, elevator-gagger scents aren’t limited by age or gender.
But to help make peace, some of the problem could be that tastes in scents have changed. Some of the respected perfumes of yesteryear are pretty heavy and pungent by todays standards. Could it be that older women are wearing what they’ve always worn–and maybe their sense of smell is less acute with age, so they wear more than they think they are.
But they’re no less noxious than the clouds sometimes worn by younger women either.
So can we let the age thing go?
I was taught the “personal space” rule: if a scent is obvious more than about 3’ away, it’s too much. The heavier scents, especially in perfume form, can be tricky to control.
My stand-by is a very light floral scent, mostly lily of the valley. One quick spritz of cologne (not perfume) beneath each ear, then a quick rub of each wrist to the spot does it.
But one quibble: I’ll take the densest perfume over someone with extreme body odor. I’m not talking clean human sweat; I mean the rank, supperating odor of long-term lack of hygiene.
Veb
Everyone should move to Halifax, NS. The city banned the use of perfumes in public places. Really.
The worst scent experience I had was with this male ophthalmologist who was subbing for my usual ophth. Anyway, after keeping me waiting 40 minutes, he opens the door and I am assaulted by a blast of cologne applied in sinus-dissolving amounts. Not only was he late, rude, and condescending, but he pried open my eyes with fingers also doused in cologne! If he hadn’t been holding my eyesight in his hands, I would have killed him.
I can’t imagine the size of the cojones on a smoker who would complain about how other people smell.
It’s my distinct impression that smokers, especially really heavy smokers and chain smokers, have absolutely no idea how absolutely rancid they smell. Many of them smell like they eat cigarettes, live in an ashtray, and work in a used-ashtray factory. Their breath, their hair, their clothes, for crissakes, all reek of tobacco. When I lived in Cleveland and took the bus to work, and a smoker would get on, especially in cold weather, trailing that fucking stench behind them . . . there were several times I had to literally hold my breath or stick my face out the window to keep from vomiting. It was even better if they had been smoking until the moment they entered the bus, exhaling their last foul lungful of smoke onto the bus.
My wife’s former boss just completed a year of not smoking, and she once asked her, “My god, did I smell like that?” Yep, you sure did.
In short, FF, it’s justice served in my book. Now you know how nonsmokers feel. It sucks, doesn’t it?
I dunno man, there’s a difference between just smelling bad, and actually polluting the air with chemicals that some people are allergic to. I mean, when someone’s wearing that heavy perfume, it makes my eyes water, my throat close up and my stomach heave. It’s a bit like having an asthma attack.
How about people who are allergic to smoke? I now a few of them. Seems to me that there isn’t much of a difference.
Myrr21 has a point. I, too, know some folk who are allergic to smoke. As a matter of fact, I believe pldennison is one of them. I’m none too wild about those who wear too much perfume/cologne either, but since I smoke, and I know full well that I have my own peculiar musk, I try not to say anything to them directly.
Waste
Flick Lives!
Addendum: I do really enjoy the scent of good tobacco in a pipe…yummy. But if I was allergic, it would definitely suck. Ever notice, though, how some people can smoke all the frickin time and never have it stick to them? What sort of teflon coating do they have?