This thread is a spinoff of the "patient won't shower" thread.
Well you know, you just can't make someone have your standards of hygiene if they don't want them.
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In lots of cultural settings smells and odors are percieved differently. I am sure you tried your hardest, don't feel a failure, what did you fail at?? Not getting someone into a shower??!!
I think within certain limits we need to be tolerant of cultural differences in hygiene practices (say, once a day vs. once a week), but at what point do you say, sorry, buddy, you got a PROBLEM? Is there any culture in which it's the norm to go weeks without bathing?
Yes. It's the hair under the armpits that traps odor, rather than the lack of deodorant.
not true, or all men would stink....what we call B.O. is the result of bacterial breakdown of sweat predisposed by the contents of that sweat....fear and anger produce different chemicals,,, etc
not true, or all men would stink....what we call B.O. is the result of bacterial breakdown of sweat predisposed by the contents of that sweat....fear and anger produce different chemicals,,, etc
Yeah, that is true - I always shave my armpits and when I get sweaty (working out, running hard at work, etc.) I get B.O.
not true, or all men would stink....what we call B.O. is the result of bacterial breakdown of sweat predisposed by the contents of that sweat....fear and anger produce different chemicals,,, etc
I dont know about that but I always have shaved armpits and sometimes when I'm in hurry I forget to put the deodorant and even if I'm in sweat I never seem to stink....
Shaving is a cultural thing, though, as well. Women do not shave their armpits or legs in some countries.
About 10 years ago, I worked briefly in Waterloo, Iowa which had a large Bosnian refugee population. The "had" is deliberate; I understand a large percentage of them went back home when the situation improved there. One of the first questions women always asked was, "Is it really true that American women shave their legs and underarms?"
They found it awfully amusing that we did. I worked there during the summer, and noticed that most of the Bosnian women, especially the younger ones, did shave their underarms.
I dont know about that but I always have shaved armpits and sometimes when I'm in hurry I forget to put the deodorant and even if I'm in sweat I never seem to stink....
Well, you are lucky . . . . .deodorant doesn't work for me . . I need antiperspirant. And if I get sweaty, I smell like sweat. I wouldn't always characterize sweat as stinky though . . . probably depends on how long you let it go.
About 10 years ago, I worked briefly in Waterloo, Iowa which had a large Bosnian refugee population. The "had" is deliberate; I understand a large percentage of them went back home when the situation improved there. One of the first questions women always asked was, "Is it really true that American women shave their legs and underarms?"
They found it awfully amusing that we did. I worked there during the summer, and noticed that most of the Bosnian women, especially the younger ones, did shave their underarms.
There is a subset of women in American who do not shave . ... when I was in college waaaay back in the 80's and majoring in Social Work, I hung around a lot of "granola chruncher" and "Birkenstock wearers" who never shaved underarms or legs and thought it was cool to pass gas in public since it was NATURAL.
You dont really need to use deodorant if you shave your armpits like everyday or every other day...I rather have a shaved armpits than hairy armpits covered with powder...
HMMM not quite. . . .Everyone's body chemistry is different. For some folks whether their armpits are shaved or not, they'll need deodorant.
As far as whether cleanliness is "cultural", I think you have to first look at the word "cleanliness" because the term itself can be interpreted in SO MANY different ways. This, my interpretation of clean (from a hygienic perspective) may be quite different from yours.
A good analogy would be the Bible. Every group/individual has their on interpretation of the bible; and therefore, who are we to judge???
So, if you encounter B.O. take short breaths and practice your poker face.:chuckle
HMMM not quite. . . .Everyone's body chemistry is different. For some folks whether their armpits are shaved or not, they'll need deodorant.
As far as whether cleanliness is "cultural", I think you have to first look at the word "cleanliness" because the term itself can be interpreted in SO MANY different ways. This, my interpretation of clean (from a hygienic perspective) may be quite different from yours.
A good analogy would be the Bible. Every group/individual has their on interpretation of the bible; and therefore, who are we to judge???
So, if you encounter B.O. take short breaths and practice your poker face.:chuckle
Hmm you might be right that cleanliness may be interpreted in many different ways...lets take for example some Hindu people living back in India,they wipe their butt with clean hands and to them this may seems like a "clean" task!:)
Hmm you might be right that cleanliness may be interpreted in many different ways...lets take for example some Hindu people living back in India,they wipe their butt with clean hands and to them this may seems like a "clean" task!:)
Yep you're right. But - - butt wiping is done w/ water and only with their left hand ---not the right. Hence, they NEVER eat with their left hand.
You see, tt would be a challenge for me to be PC in their culture because I'm a lefty.
I disagree with most of the postings. I believe if you are a nurse in this country and your body odor is offensive to co-workers or especially patients, then the situation should be addressed. It is not to say you are disregarding their cultural beliefs - but they are no longer in their own country, and acceptable standards of cleanliness do vary.
How about I put it another way. We had a nurse who worked two jobs, he had a day position and then came to our ER for an evening position. He was born and raised in the USA, white guy, etc... His body odor was offensive to staff and patients alike. There were numerous complaints. Our NM addressed it with him, he was embarrassed because he didn't notice it. Once spoken to, it was never a problem again.
If you wouldn't hesitate to speak to an American co-worker, then you shouldn't hesitate to speak to a non-American co-worker. When in Rome.......
I disagree with most of the postings. I believe if you are a nurse in this country and your body odor is offensive to co-workers or especially patients, then the situation should be addressed. It is not to say you are disregarding their cultural beliefs - but they are no longer in their own country, and acceptable standards of cleanliness do vary.
How about I put it another way. We had a nurse who worked two jobs, he had a day position and then came to our ER for an evening position. He was born and raised in the USA, white guy, etc... His body odor was offensive to staff and patients alike. There were numerous complaints. Our NM addressed it with him, he was embarrassed because he didn't notice it. Once spoken to, it was never a problem again.
If you wouldn't hesitate to speak to an American co-worker, then you shouldn't hesitate to speak to a non-American co-worker. When in Rome.......
Blessings
You bring up an excellent point.
Wonder how I would be treated in another country if I had some funky smell to their standards??????
redranger
363 Posts
I have lived in Philippines and England.
English people tend not to bathe every day
Philippines tend to take 2 showers per day, Wake Up and Before Bed.
As far as people from India - Some tend to have a distinct smell, but I thought it was a combination of no deoderant and the spices they cook with.