# Why do Americans bathe daily? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 5, 2006, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-americans-bathe-daily/375427 "2006-10-05T20:21:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Hostile\_Dialect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e495f1/32.png) [@Hostile\_Dialect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hostile_Dialect)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2006, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-americans-bathe-daily/375427/21 "2006-10-06T01:50:10Z")
Can you please not screw about with the font in the future? Thanks. > [@jtnewsom](#): > > I have thought that it may have come from Asia where some folks bathe more than twice a day. I don’t know how often they bathe there, but people from many Asian nations don’t stink when they sweat, and I’ve known Japanese international students who were completely befuddled by the notion of deodorant–it wasn’t available in their hometown because it wasn’t necessary (assuming there weren’t many gaijin in their hometown, that is). Take a ride through Arizona, though, and you’ll find plenty of people who shower 2-3 times a day because they work up that much of a sweat. > [@jtnewsom](#): > > I’ve also heard that it came from the plague in Europe causing those who did not bathe to die out leaving the ones who bathed. 1. If you think Europeans don’t bathe much _now_, you shoulda seen 'em back when the plague hit. 2. Native Americans were using soap regularly to wash their bodies and their clothes before anyone else really caught on to the idea majorly, IIUC. That alone could have influenced American culture enough to make a lasting difference. 3. Your plague theory seems to rest on a specific chain of events: a. Plague hits. People who don’t shower die. People who shower live. b. Europeans keep showering for years and years and years, because the fear of the plague is so ingrained into their culture. c. European settlers come to America and keep showering, and sometime after the colonization of the Americas, the folks back home become disinterested once again in daily bathing. Sounds dubious. Why would showering pick up during the devastation of the bubonic plague, and then last significantly longer, but arbitrarily stop sometime after the colonization of the Americas? Then again, AFAIK the last place in the world where the bubonic plague is even remotely active is New Mexico. But if you live in New Mexico you’ve got lots of other reasons to shower a couple of times a day. Some people may _feel_ nasty after not showering for a couple of days, but I _am_ nasty after not showering for a couple of days, especially when I live in hot climates; I sweat a lot. I had to shower at least twice a day when I lived in Arizona, and I absolutely must shower daily here (east of San Diego) in the hot months or else I’m sticky and nasty and nobody wants to be around me (although I could’ve pulled it off when I lived in the city proper, which is on the water and has a more moderate clime). > [@Spectre of Pithecanthropus](#): > > Also, I like to wear jeans more than once between washings, and that’d be pretty hard to defend if I didn’t shower daily. Yup, same here. ---
**Author:** ![cerberus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@cerberus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cerberus)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2006, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-americans-bathe-daily/375427/22 "2006-10-06T01:54:21Z")
The sponge bath has two major non-hospital applications: in the field, and at home in the absence of a working water heater. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2006, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-americans-bathe-daily/375427/23 "2006-10-06T01:56:31Z")
Capitalism. In the 60s and 70s everyone I knew showered every other day at most. Now almost everyone I know showers every day. We use a huge number of shower/bathing/“hygiene”-related products that we did not use until the mid-80’s. Men did not formerly put “product” on their hair or skin. There was no such thing as “hair gel,” just pomade, which was not a female product. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2006, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-americans-bathe-daily/375427/24 "2006-10-06T02:03:33Z")
[QUOTE=Sonia Montdore] I’m here to tell you that that the Germans are fanatical about bathing and personal cleanliness. [/QUOTE] How does that mesh with all the kinky scat stuff we all hear about over here? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2006, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-americans-bathe-daily/375427/25 "2006-10-06T02:08:13Z")
Well it’s not necessarily a topic of conversation, but since the 50’s everyone in England I know of bathes or showers daily. If I have friends over, there’s an amicable discussion whose turn it is next. In the old days, you might have to wait for the boiler to heat the water, but it was still standard. So where did the OP get the idea about European habits? ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2006, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-americans-bathe-daily/375427/26 "2006-10-06T02:09:18Z")
> [@](#): > > How does that mesh with all the kinky scat stuff we all hear about over here? See, they _wash_ after. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2006, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-americans-bathe-daily/375427/27 "2006-10-06T02:20:40Z")
[QUOTE=Shoshana] Men did not formerly put “product” on their hair or skin. There was no such thing as “hair gel,” just pomade, which was not a female product. [/QUOTE] Don’t know what your definition of “product” or “pomade” is, but American and British men have been regularly putting stuff in their hair since at least the 1890s. Example: [Cary Grant](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Dap0036.jpg). The dry look didn’t become popular among men until the 1960s and early 1970s. [Murdered “Bog Men” Found With Hair Gel, Manicured Nails](http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/01/0117_060117_irish_bogmen.html). ---
**Author:** ![Sonia\_Montdore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/90ced4/32.png) [@Sonia\_Montdore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sonia_Montdore)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2006, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-americans-bathe-daily/375427/28 "2006-10-06T03:04:31Z")
[QUOTE=Shagnasty] How does that mesh with all the kinky scat stuff we all hear about over here? 🙂 [/QUOTE] Not into into that and have no information or opinion. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2006, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-americans-bathe-daily/375427/29 "2006-10-06T05:21:19Z")
The “stuff” was pomade. They didn’t use gel, blow-dry (and therefore need dry-hair conditioner), moisturizer, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Enter\_the\_Flagon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Enter\_the\_Flagon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enter_the_Flagon)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2006, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-americans-bathe-daily/375427/30 "2006-10-06T05:57:58Z")
Glad you asked. I’ve found that if I don’t bathe/shampoo every day, my pillowcases rapidly discolor. So I do it to save money on pillowcases. ---
**Author:** ![Fish\_Cheer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fish_cheer/32/17179_2.png) [@Fish\_Cheer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fish_Cheer)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2006, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-americans-bathe-daily/375427/31 "2006-10-06T06:15:40Z")
[QUOTE=Shoshana] See, they _wash_ after. [/QUOTE] This gets downright hilarious if you take into account that “after” is the German word for “anus”. ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2006, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-americans-bathe-daily/375427/32 "2006-10-06T06:35:46Z")
[QUOTE=glee] Well it’s not necessarily a topic of conversation, but since the 50’s everyone in England I know of bathes or showers daily. If I have friends over, there’s an amicable discussion whose turn it is next. In the old days, you might have to wait for the boiler to heat the water, but it was still standard. So where did the OP get the idea about European habits? [/QUOTE] Mainland Europe perchance…yanno that place where female armpits are hairy :eek: ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2006, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-americans-bathe-daily/375427/33 "2006-10-06T06:56:45Z")
Plenty of hairy armpits right here on the Dope, my friend. ---
**Author:** ![ignoramus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c6cbf5/32.png) [@ignoramus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ignoramus)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2006, 8:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-americans-bathe-daily/375427/34 "2006-10-06T08:27:36Z")
Chalk up another European (Brit) for daily showers. Now if I could only understand why people think it’s a good idea to bathe in the evening… ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2006, 8:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-americans-bathe-daily/375427/35 "2006-10-06T08:37:15Z")
[QUOTE=ignoramus] Now if I could only understand why people think it’s a good idea to bathe in the evening… [/QUOTE] I had this conversation with a Chinese friend, as many Chinese only bathe in the evening: “You must feel dirty during the day,” I said. “Yes,” he replied, “but you must have a dirty bed.” ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2006, 9:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-americans-bathe-daily/375427/36 "2006-10-06T09:36:22Z")
Trust me, there really are plenty of Europeans who don’t bathe daily. Maybe not in Germany, but they exist. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2006, 9:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-americans-bathe-daily/375427/37 "2006-10-06T09:41:44Z")
[QUOTE=chowder] Mainland Europe perchance…yanno that place where female armpits are hairy :eek: [/QUOTE] Where have you been living, dearie? Not _my_ mainland Europe… I’ll admit to seeing hairy female armpits when the weather’s crazy (we’ve been known to have heatwaves with temperatures over 30C in December) but not when we’ve had time to wax, nosiree. Or maybe Spain’s still Africa and the guv’mint’s been lying to us. ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2006, 9:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-americans-bathe-daily/375427/38 "2006-10-06T09:49:47Z")
[QUOTE=Nava] Or maybe Spain’s _still_ Africa and the guv’mint’s been lying to us. [/QUOTE] Editing by moi. Spain was part of Africa? I think I missed that memo. ---
**Author:** ![jackdavinci](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackdavinci/32/3259_2.png) [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2006, 11:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-americans-bathe-daily/375427/39 "2006-10-06T11:03:38Z")
[QUOTE=Marley23] This has nothing to do with Darwin unless you are suggesting that there’s a genetic component to frequent bathing. [/QUOTE] Darwin didn’t know about genetics, just inheritance of traits and natural selection. Which is something that happens in memetics as well as genetics. ---
**Author:** ![Hostile\_Dialect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e495f1/32.png) [@Hostile\_Dialect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hostile_Dialect)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2006, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-americans-bathe-daily/375427/40 "2006-10-06T11:06:20Z")
Didn’t mean to be snippy about the font, **jtnewsom**. To expound on this, don’t think you did anything against the rules or “wrong” per se–but many Dopers frown upon the use of non-default fonts, colors, sizes, etc. and find it annoying because it breaks from the clean, organized appearance that sets us apart from most other message boards. Again, I apologize for being a bit of a prick about it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-americans-bathe-daily/375427.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-americans-bathe-daily/375427.md?page=3)