is it me, am I the stinky?
an Aēsop fable
On a temperate day in April of this year, I walked into an Aēsop store, lured by the earthy scents wafting in the air as well as a strong desire to procure a refill of my favorite hand soap, Reverence.
A charismatic salestwink greeted me, and lo and behold his name was Marco.
He recommended a new organic deodorant he’d been complimented on frequently. The moment my name doppelganger mentioned the rave reviews, I immediately bought it, the credit card could not leave my wallet and float into his delicate hands fast enough. Little did I know this teeny, tiny, expensive deodorant would lead me on an unexpected journey of self-discovery and amusement.
Excited to try my new scent, I applied it liberally. But something peculiar happened: every now and then, I would catch a whiff of an unfamiliar odor, reminiscent of damp gym sock meets onion. It was subtle, yet undeniably present. Wholeheartedly perplexed by the smell, I would sniff around, much like my bernedoodle, Wyatt, nose high and examining my surroundings for the source.
Days went by, and the mystery remained unsolved. The case was getting cold, as the days were getting warm. The elusive stench continued to haunt me, appearing at the most random and inopportune moments. Then one day, while reaching for a book on the top shelf, I caught a strong whiff of the offensive body odor. I looked around frantically, only to realize that the scent was, in fact, me. I was the stinky smell!!!
What in the world?
I have never had body odor a day in my life, why now in my thirties?
Had the universe been plotting this fun little trick on me for decades?
Then it dawned on me that my doppelganger sold me snake oil. Never in my life had I been the source of such an unpleasant fragrance the likes of which a pubescent teen with major microbiome issues had never known.The irony of purchasing an “all-natural” product to enhance my scent, only for it to make me utterly undesirable, even to myself. The horror.
Reflecting on my smelly little predicament, I couldn’t help but tell my boyfriend I had solved this case of the funky smell. He chuckled, which I take as a confession, he knew it was me all along. But in a weird way, the deodorant that gave me the B.O. had led me to confront a new aspect of myself. It challenged my expectations of what my body could smell like and that even the most trivial choices like buying a bougie deodorant with fragrance could have some havoc-wreaking consequences.
In the end, I decided to part ways with the other Marco’s recommendation. AKA threw that stanky deodorant away so fast! While I may have briefly questioned my identity as a stinky individual, I ultimately learned to embrace the unpredictable nature of green products. After all, we are the sum of our experiences right, fragrant and foul as they may be?
PSA: sorry Aēsop love your soaps, not your D.O. also, please don’t send a cease and desists.
A literal nightmare!
and... there's really no good way to tell someone you love about the odor they emit...😬
If you hadn't discovered it for yourself, would you have wanted him to say something?