The sun is back. I can finally wear my super cool, white Armani Express coat. I am not that obsessed with brands, but this thing really looks like Armani and I wish I had more time to wear it in Spring/Fall season. Alas, the sun will burn us before we know it and soon we will get glued to marshrutka seats and smart kids like me will seek a refuge in subway.
The problem is that no matter what transport you choose, you will encounter stinky riders. I guess the aroma is present all year long, but in summer it gets bigger than life. Let’ ask: why do we (o.k. they, not me) smell?
When I was in school, I had this horrible soviet biology book. Hygiene chapter gave following advice: do not grow long nails, since bacteria like to nest there (made me mad, I already had long nails), wash your hair once a week, washing your hair too often dries it out, washing your skin often dries up your epidermis…
Was it that Soviets made rough, primitive products that really did destroy human’s outer shell? Was it that the Union did not make enough soaps and shampoos and discouraged people from using it? What’s up with these standards?
Of course, now we have all the soap we can afford, from cheap Turkish stuff to fancy Yves Rocher bars, priced more than an I-pod. We have hot water. We are bombarded with soap/shampoo ads. Is it that the habits of not washing-- since we had no water/gas/electricity in 1990s-- are hard to overcome? Kinda like people that lived through great depression and kept diluting milk with water even in better times?
Is it education? That we don’t have health classes that would stress the importance of being bacteriafree, hence pleasant to smell?
Are we too lazy to take a shower? Especially, if some of us live in countryside and spend all day working and sweating on land. Maybe such person does not see any point in getting a shower if he has to go back to sweat and dirt the next morning? And keeps ignoring water and soap, unless a special occasion?
Or maybe we just don’t think that smelling nice is a priority?
These reasons would make sense, if all of us stank. But usually, it’s one or two people in marshrutka. The rest of us are bothered by it. So what, why?
I have a list of things I would change, if I had a magic wand. Some issues are really important and sound like interview answers of a beauty pageant contestant: no more street children, no more homeless animals, peace in our country…but along those grand, never-to-be-fulfilled dreams, I have these small dreametts…like being able to sit in a marshrutka in summer, without being forced to stick my head out of the window and consequently walking around with a hairdo of a small lion meets Cyndi Lauper.
I wanna breathe free!
P.S. the pic: my very nice-smelling hubby.
გიგა ნელ-ნელა პოპულარული ხდება :-)
ReplyDeleteyou know, I have given a lot of thought to this and I think 1) the Soviets did make crap things that would destory your hair and skin 2) shortages 3) technology 4) after a while no one notices and 5) isn't this why we have perfume? However, I have found that most Europeans don't shower as much as we do. Perhaps we are the ones obsessed with hygene and showers. If this is wrong, I don't want to be right. : )
ReplyDeletehe, absolutely understand what you mean!
ReplyDeletebut one option also is that some people just dont have showers, and no washing machines. I guess that might be on occasion a reason too... (too much of a hastle to clean yourself that often). And you know what they say: you don't smell yourself when ur smelly. :/
I believe people are just being "naturalists" :)))) Why I have seen many French or German people not taking shower for months not to waste water and be eco-friendly. Seriously, it is disgusting walking stinky.
ReplyDeleteI can't imagine not taking a shower everyday! Heck, I take 2 or 3 showers in a day during summer. It's just too hot and I don't like to feel sticky or sweaty at all. Hence, I also need to moisturize a whole lot more for my epidermis' sake.
ReplyDelete