you know, one side issue has been hinted at and danced around a bit in this thread, but not really approached head-on.

There seems to be wide divergence of opinion about what constitutes 'clean'....Some folks bathe or shower every day, and sometimes twice a day, and some only every other day or two.

I know that different occupations often dictate what is needed, but there is also a notion, strongly promoted by soap and shampoo manufacturers, that the only acceptable body odor is NO body odor. It is a fairly new concept in human history, and may be actually changing the way we relate to each other, since very frequent bathing removes some the signals by which we once used to identify and bond. Pheromones, for example, are not as important to us as they are to other animals, but they are still part of our heritage and do play a role.


I, for one, do not usually mind if someone has a 'natural' odor....I can tell when it goes beyond this to stake and offensive....and I DESPISE heavy perfumes, whether used to disguise OR enhance natural odors.
I'm curious if others have opinions about how much B.O., if any, you are willing to tolerate in others...or in yourselves.

Yes, it's a delicate topic...feel free to be a 'guest' if necessary.