Scents and Sensibility

Let's talk about fragrances. Perfume, bathroom sprays, and the now popular Glade scent dispensers. I hate them all. Who wants their room to smell like something specific (besides a fabulous dinner cooking with lots of garlic and onion and bacon?) All it does is remind me of a bathroom where someone has done something they wish to cover up so they spray the fragrance. ICK.

I hate the commercials, too. You walk by the dispenser, and it automatically squirts a stream of roses and vanilla beans into the air, which dance around and all of a sudden the room is clean, redecorated, and everyone is having a good time. Really? If I defile my room with your scent, then it's clean, I get a new sofa, and my kids are happy? Aren't you stretching the bounds of truth in advertising just a bit?

I also hate perfume. Yes, I used to wear it. When I was younger and didn't know how many people are allergic to it and what it can do to someone with asthma (or as we now know, vocal chord dysfunction.) (If you want to hear me whine about my health instead of scents, there are plenty of stories...and a search box. I do also have stories without whining.) Perfume makes me gag, not be able to breathe well, and irritates me because people wear such horrid scents, like “grandmas' house which hasn't been cleaned in a while but when she did, she found an old bottle of perfume, long since gone rancid”.

I end up wearing those scents, as well. Hug the wrong person at church and you will smell like their perfume for the rest of the day, unless of course you completely change clothes and wash your hair. There's bad cologne rampant out there, too. Hug the wrong man and woman on the same day and you'll be heading to the shower as soon as you get home. Yes, our church is full of huggers. If it weren't for the scent thing, I'd rather like it. It's better than shaking hands, which hurts my fused wrist. (Yes, you can read about that too. A lot about it.)

I do know of a place you can go where there is a “no scents allowed policy”. When I was spending so much time at National Jewish Health, we had to adhere to guidelines which allowed no lotion, perfume, deodorant, “or scents of any kind.” It was a rather refreshing place to be, well, if you don't count all the tubes shoved in uncomfortable places and other torturous tests. So while the air was clear and nice, what happened there wasn't, so it's not like I'm recommending you seek it out.

So what do you think about the rampant need to change the smell of everything? Do you wear perfume or cologne?

~Tina, who prefers the smell of a sidewalk after rain, but does admit that Colorado really doesn't need any more rain at this time...