Welcome Back!
So, we’re a little more than a week through the 30-day Challenge.
As expected, it has been up and down for us. There have been some moments of utterly brutal stench and moments of no BO at all. So far, I feel like I am sweating less than I did when I was wearing antiperspirant but I do smell pretty badly. I continue to use raw apple cider vinegar on my armpits after a shower, which is definitely helping but I haven’t been sold on it as a viable replacement.
I think I have it a little easier than my girlfriend, because I spend a vast majority of the day outdoors where my smell dissipates quickly. She is confined in an office with the same people, all day, everyday. She’s had moments over the past few days where she can really notice the smell. She is teetering on the edge of purchasing a more natural & chemical free deodorant on the grounds of courtesy for her co-workers and that it’s just better to smell nice.
We both can’t help but wonder and worry if others are smelling us and are offput by it. This self-consciousness might actually be the most difficult part of the whole challenge. We had this chat yesterday about people who typically smell. Are they aware, but just don’t care or are they oblivious? Either way, why are we averse to bring it to someone’s attention if they smell? Socially speaking, why are we uncomfortable openly talking about the odors we produce?
I think the main reason we don’t is we’re either afraid that it might cause conflict or we don’t want to bear the responsibility of embarrassing someone. It’s a preventative measure we take in order to avert the triggering of negative feelings. It’s an act of preserving the status quo so that we can avoid a potential problem. The reality is there are innumerable potential outcomes that can occur in these circumstances. If someone has BO, bad breath, something in their teeth, or a booger in their nose, then they are either aware but don’t care OR they’re oblivious and would probably be grateful for the heads up. I don’t think I’m alone when I say I’ve refrained from giving others a heads up in order to maintain the status quo. I also don’t think I’m alone when I say that if it was me, then I’d want it brought to my attention as soon as possible, embarrassment be damned.
Obviously, someone could also be a total jerk about it and try to shame me for how I smell, which is a behavior I’m going to dissect in subsequent posts. To shame another based on how they smell shows a complete lack of willingness to understand their circumstance. To allow ourselves to be ashamed of how we smell demonstrates a lack of self-acceptance, which is not okay. I think it’s perfectly fine to want to smell nice, but it’s also perfectly fine if we’ve found ourselves in a circumstance where we don’t. It makes me wonder if the only reason that I’ve ever worn deodorant/antiperspirant is I can’t bear the thought of smelling unpleasantly. It’s something I’m going to mull over leading up to the next post for sure.
UPCOMING: We’ll see which direction my girlfriend wants to go over the next week. We also have family visiting and staying with us this weekend, so we’ll also see just how much they really love us once they’re exposed to the ancillary effects of the deodorant/antiperspirant free challenge.
Hope you enjoyed reading and please stay with us for Part 2.
