A case of who will bell the cat. How do you tell a man that has an offensive odour and that he smells bad? Worst still, how do you tell a smelling married man this? Do you mean his wife is useless also? Is it his wife’s duty to tell him? If she summons courage and does, will he not think she is trying to pick faults with him? After all, she had known this if it was actually true. Or is it because she has seen someone nicer or better or that she is indirectly saying something else? Is it a fellow man’s duty to tell a man this ugly truth in a bid to save him from embarrassment? If a strong muscled man is told this ugly truth and he thinks he is being insulted, would breaking our nose because of his raw strength be justified?
Manliness indeed produces smells and male habits produce more smells. Women look at the mirror often so they can see what they do not like and thus remove it. But how many men have time for the mirror to see or know that they need to shave an ugly moustache or soiled beard? How about the armpit or the groin full of hair?
Men care less for themselves and would rather care for a woman regularly. This habit makes some men repeat the use of one shirt for as long, as they do not have time to think of it as unfashionable or good hygiene to change their shirt daily.
It is very common to see men use one pair of trousers for as long because they do not need to attract anybody (even women because they believe they can get women if they flash money.) So he needs the money and not the looks. The habit leads further. Some do not even iron their dresses or polish their shoes.
Male energy produces sweat and when this happens around hairs that he has no time to trim, he smells. It gets worse if he repeats the same clothes for one week; let’s not blame the invention of jeans.
When a male urinates, he shakes off residual urine in his urinary tract. Women do better by using a tissue to dry up. The male forgets that urine drips on his underwear and after a day’s use, the underwear smells.
So imagine if such a male favours oral sex and would not find water to wash his groin due to high ecstasy or the woman feels she might hurt his ego if she complains of his smell. The chances are that such a man repeats the use of the same pant the next day. Do we blame the invention of boxers? Do you buy a man soap to indirectly tell him to wash his dirty dress? You might breed an earthquake if you try.
Have you noticed that some parts of the body produce their peculiar smell? The armpits give the body odour we use to identify an individual. The scent is overwhelming. The groin produces a fishy odour on its own. Now imagine if it gets a share in a drop of urine. Sweat contains water, body salt and some secretions from glands. Some of these chemicals combine with the atmosphere to produce peculiar smells. So with eyes closed, it is possible to smell and say you have put this finger here or there. The issue remains, who tells the man and avoids a beating?
For mouth odour, the cause is a reflection of male habits; beer, peculiar food, cigarette etc. In summary, let us tell the male diplomatically, “Richard, supposing you do not repeat a dress because your sweat becomes too pronounced.”
Or “Don, I think you’ll need a mint.”
“Do you mean I have bad breath?”
“No, I never said so!”