Talk:Body odor

Links deleted without reason

Why were Body Odor support forum and CureZone links removed? They can be extremely useful to some people, including me, and should definitely be included on the link list. Explanation please.—Preceding unsigned comment added by 85.157.132.220 (talk • contribs)

The links were deleted because they led to discussion forums; you can see our guidelines regarding external links here. The links you posted would fall under #10 in the "Links normally to be avoided" section. Thanks for your participation, though, and I encourage you to add sourced content rather than links. Kafziel ^Talk 17:30, 1 December 2006 (UTC)

I understand that but then should not the french forum be also removed? And those forums I added were in english so many more could take advance of them.

If there's a French forum, then that should probably be removed as well. Removing your links was nothing personal; the rules apply to everyone. I'll take a look. Kafziel ^Talk 17:36, 1 December 2006 (UTC)

I see. Well, rules are rules but I feel pity for the people who'd wish to find answers to their body odor problems but can't.

Well, there's always Google. Wikipedia isn't really here to offer advice or direct people to good websites. See this guideline for more information on that. By the way, I removed the French link you mentioned. Hope I've been helpful. Kafziel ^Talk 17:44, 1 December 2006 (UTC)

Misleading

the link to corynbacterium should not link to cornybacterium diptheriae, that could be misleading....

a redirect link from a B.O. or B. O. entry would be useful

NPOV vio?

The section "Social History" doesn't seem very NPOV to me:

In the period of 1910-1920, the American advertising industry concluded that anxious, discontented consumers were better customers than satisfied ones.

N0YKG 16:29, 8 August 2005 (UTC)

This claim is cited in media studies textbooks. I saw it in at least one. --Shaddack 04:25, 18 October 2005 (UTC)

Illnesses

Someone ought to add material about the effects of various illnesses on body odor, most notably, alcoholism.

Actually, it's the alcohol that gives off the odor in an alcoholic, not the illness. The bacteria that cause alcoholism do not produce a smell. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.176.146.161 (talk) 00:37, 2 November 2008 (UTC)

"The bacteria that cause alcoholism" (quoted from 75.176.146.161's statement above)

Alcoholism is caused by bacteria? Is that a proven fact? Is it possible to obtain a citation for this fact?

(I hope this is the correct place to ask and the correct way of asking about this!?) — Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.191.200.254 (talk) 17:48, 17 January 2019 (UTC)

Stinking of butter comment

I've trimmed down the comment a little bit to bring it closer to the truth: I have heard it said before (in Japan, not by Japanese people though) that there was a very old, common, term used to describe foriegners that had to do with the way they smelt. Not only is the term not used today (in any common sense), it is completely unknown to even older generations (Tokyo area). I'm not sure the term actually existed, and even if it did, it may have just been a one-time occurrence that perculated through generations as a joke, though it was never used. The source provided gives a really week reference to it, and it certainly doesn't discount the facts existance as a mere old joke. I'm going to ask some more people that may know a little more about it. In the meantime I'll resist from deleting it completely.  freshgavinΓΛĿЌ  10:55, 23 May 2006 (UTC)

http://www.webexhibits.org/butter/countries-japan.html seems to think that " The terms Bata-kusai, “stinking of butter,” is still a derogatory term for things obnoxiously Western." —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.88.106.175 (talk) 19:58, 2 April 2011 (UTC)

It can be used in that broader xenophobic way in Japan, but the smell of rancid butter is a very distinctive one, caused primarily by butyric acid or butyrate salts. It's added to Hershey's chocolate to give it a distinctive flavour and texture, but many people who have not eaten it in childhood find this chocolate to taste and smell like bile or vomit - an acrid, unpleasant, distracting and off-putting aroma. It wouldn't surprise me if this compound was identified on the smell of the foreigners in Japan (or a smell approximating it), especially if it were earlier in the 20th century when deodorant products weren't as widespread or effective. Of course, it could always be an easy target for people who don't like foreigners in Japan in general. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Meconium (talk • contribs) 09:50, 14 March 2023 (UTC)

Europeans and personal hygeine

"Most Europeans at that time bathed only once or twice yearly. When European traders and explorers came into contact with Asian cultures, the Europeans were considered barbarians due to their stench."

Would it be possible to obtain a citation for this fact? I'm not doubting its authenticity - I'm sure a bath was a luxury that the vast bulk of Europeans could ill-afford - but some further elaboration would be nice.

Indeed. It sounds like typical Protestant/Enlightenment-era anti-Medieval propoganda to me.

Typical what? BonniePrinceCharlie 00:25, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

It's been a long time since I studied this but I do distinctly remember reading about this, from memory it was the first Portuguese that arrived in Japan and they were known to smell like butter. There is an old japanese word meaning "butter stink" which was a derogatory term for europeans in the 1700's or 1800's I believe. Hayaku (talk) 03:02, 31 August 2010 (UTC)

It’s important to remember that back when ships were powered by sails, fresh water was a luxury needed for hydration, and there were no Suez or Panama canals, sailors spent many months at sea to get from Europe to East Asia, with little or no opportunity to bathe. The sailors probably did smell bad when they got there. But it’s questionable how applicable that is to people living on land in Europe at the time. Svtcb (talk) 15:03, 9 August 2022 (UTC)

Reference template

Should I add...

...to the article? I've found six 'citation needed' tags in there. I thought I should get a second opinion before adding it to the article. M.G. In Da Hizzhouse 17:41, 11 March 2007 (UTC)

There definitely should be some checking. The genetics section is misleading about the Vomero-Nasal Organ receptors, since the page is chiefly human oriented and the VNO's own page insists the jury is still out on humans even possessing a functional one. One or the other needs to be cited, clarified and up to date. MuJoCh (talk) 04:29, 21 March 2008 (UTC)

isn't that true that if you eat junk food your body expells a bad odor when u sweat?

Lynx

I dont really think that this is relevant.. should it be removed?

"Lynx have recently launched a new fragrance called beodrant"

Mijcsmu (talk) 03:11, 11 March 2008 (UTC)

"Body odor (spelled body odour outside the United States)"

Shouldn't that be "Body odour (spelled body odor in the United States)"? Compared to every other country on earth combined, the United States is a minority. I think it would make more sense for the United States to be the exception to the rule, not "every country that is not America". —Preceding unsigned comment added by 60.234.30.50 (talk) 08:36, 13 August 2008 (UTC)

Please read Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style#National_varieties_of_English. Cacycle (talk) 22:46, 13 August 2008 (UTC)

I read the manual of style and I still don't know why it's the american spelling is the article title instead of british spelling. can someone change this?--86.41.172.162 (talk) 04:11, 8 May 2009 (UTC)

I agree, America is just one country, this is an international encyclopedia. 86.6.93.134 (talk) 16:56, 17 August 2009 (UTC)

That would be encyclopAEdia, then. Take care to learn what you preach! Aadieu (talk) 08:05, 11 December 2009 (UTC)

I wasn't preaching, I was just voicing my opinion. By the way if we are flinging insults "Take care to learn what you preach!" Isn't grammatically correct. 86.29.78.31 (talk) 20:36, 5 April 2010 (UTC)

I would be inclined to allow them to keep the American spelling, in-line with Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style#Strong national ties to a topic. 84.92.169.252 (talk) 15:37, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

Ho ho, very funny :) Seriously though, the variation in national spelling should be noted. I'm stitching in a bit in parentheses borrowed from the Foot odor article, which seems to me to do the job in a neutral manner. Vilĉjo (talk) 23:14, 12 September 2010 (UTC)

Body odour

there is an identical article titled Body odour that I have redirected to this article. There may be a need to merge any information that is not contained in this article Jay Waxman (talk) 20:19, 14 August 2008 (UTC)

Nose?

Why don't we remove this from the first paragraph? It's obviously someone who's trying to be funny. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.151.45.235 (talk) 05:46, 15 June 2009 (UTC)

Olfaction?

The term olfaction is not widely known and would be better replaced with 'sense of smell'. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.1.56.254 (talk) 20:15, 30 April 2014 (UTC)

Effect of foods

Maybe add a section on foods which change the body odor, such as garlic, asparagus, onion, etc. 71.139.160.146 (talk) 17:31, 14 August 2016 (UTC)

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Wiki Education assignment: Introduction to Chemical Ecology

This article was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment, between 23 August 2022 and 9 December 2022. Further details are available on the course page. Student editor(s): Eb1002 (article contribs). Peer reviewers: Donmicdav, Teenuh1.

— Assignment last updated by Symbiologist (talk) 15:14, 4 October 2022 (UTC)