this post was submitted on 01 Sep 2026
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I honestly support this. If your future partner dislikes your natural scent, it'll cause all sorts of annoyances downstream. I mean, don't go a week without it, but why do we all peacock so hard instead of just fuckin relaxing with each other? It's not really a wonder the divorce rate is over 50% with modern life, is it?
No, please shower before dates. Please. No need to cover your natural scent with cologne, but the natural scent should be a cleanish one.
Nah. I don't see any need to peacock at all. I'll remain hygenic, but you don't need to shower constantly to achieve that, and "your natural scent should be a cleanish one" is such a privledged position lol. I could go on a tangent, but I honestly just don't see any problem with anyone acting any way they would like at all before a date. If you as the receiving party don't like it, gtfo and move on. That's literally the purpose of dating, to find compatibility, not to change each other.
Basic hygiene is peacocking now?
If you're seeking dates and have the disposable income to meet someone out for dinner and drinks, yeah, take a shower within 24-48 hours of that date.
That's not a wild suggestion.
Showing prior to an event is not basic hygiene. I don't know who told you that but most people in America shower too often and damage their skin, don't take my word for it just do some actual research with dermatologists instead of following whatever dead brain rinse and repeat shower commercial you're rotting your mind with.
Also I don't seek women, I'm gay, and yes a shower every 48 hours is recommended but that's not what is specified here, what's specified is one right before the date, and omg do you have the nuclear hetronormitive mindset π.
Your suggestions are bad and contain all sorts of preconceived bais, so yes, they're wild.
Showering within 2 days of the event is showering too often?
I edited my comment to "people" within a minute of posting instead because you're right, not all men date women.
Do you even read, or just get mad?
Right back at ya. You immediately assumed I was suggesting that one should shower immediately before a date every time without actually understanding my comment.
I'm not fighting you on this. Keep not showering and see how that works for dating.
I never said you suggested that, that's what the post suggested in the meme?... Jfc. Also I'm happily partnered, remain hygenic, and shower when necessary. You're so interested in being upset you don't even gage my position on the manner, but hey, keep being fake. See how well that life works out for you.
Wut... Privileged how? Because some people don't have access to showers? Because some people can't afford soap? I'm not seeing it.
And if you don't see a problem going on a date without showering or changing into fresh clothes or "acting any way they would at all before the date" then you don't get to complain that women are to picky, they have every right to be. There's a stark difference between "being yourself" and "deceiving someone to get laid".
I've also never complained women are picky, and I have a partner. I don't get your position. Seems like you just wanna be right.
Every accusation a confession lol. I wasn't talking about you specifically, but men in general complaining women are too picky yet refusing any modicum of introspection as to why women are not picking them so they just complain. It's like saying "I only eat pizza" and then complaining nobody invites you out for BBQ or something. I could care less about "winning" some internet comment section I'll forget about by dinner.
I just see this incel/male loneliness thing brought up again and again, and instead of knocking them back down i thought I'd try to offer a hand.
Yeah idk what sauce you're lost in but I ain't gonna sort it out.
You can't comprehend my comment?
Some people smell even shortly after showering with extremely strong body oder.
That seems like something to bring up with your doctor tbh. Of course you can bring up some obscure medical condition to try and prove your point "right", since that seems to be the most important thing to you.
Nah dude it's just natural for some people, it's rare sure, but natural especially for certain diets. Mediterranean diets for example often cause specifically strong bo. It's not something I deal with, but it's privledged to treat it like a medical issue or something solvable when it's just something some people live with. Irregardless, it's just one small piece of my overall argument and I don't really care to have it strawmaned lol.
That's a fun way to admit you have no good response lmao
Taking a shower before a date is peacocking? I mean I don't think you're going to be especially smelly if you haven't showered in a day or two and haven't been exercising or something.
However, I think it's just common courtesy to have your genitalia as clean as possible if there is even a slight possibility of them being in or around someone's mouth later.
even if you do exercise within that time, just using a separate change of gym clothes makes a big difference. It's spending a lot of time afterward in sweaty clothes that causes the stink.
Mandating it instead of basing it off your hygiene at the moment is lol. Just be fucking natural and relaxed π idk why this is so hard to grasp.
Who is mandating it? It's just common courtesy.
Idk why you think having a quick shower to at least wash your genitals is some kind of demanding task? Is performing oral sex on someone with clean genitals somehow unnatural or unrelaxing to you?
That's literally the conversation. My argument is that mandating showers before events is not based on any reasonable logic and that the entire meme here screams of shallow peacocking that won't result in long term compatibility or happiness. You're the only one talking about genitals.
Most people don't want to put unwashed genitals in their mouths or their own genitals.
Why are you so centered on genitals?... This is not about genitals or putting them in mouths. Stop making me second hand to whatever fetish this is lol...
Dating is a fetish now?
Sometimes after dates, people decide to have sex. Generally, one might want to be clean enough to not give their potential sex partner an infection or bad taste in their mouth.
Do I need to explain how babies come to be as well?
Then shower before the sex? None of my conversation involves sex or genital hygiene. I'm not discussing it. You are, and yes bringing that into the conversation continually without my consent after I've directly stated I'm not talking about genitals is probably a fetish for you? Unless you're willing to stop talking about it?
Have you ever been on a date that ended with sex? Most of the time you aren't exactly asked to take a shower beforehand, expecting someone to have clean genitals is kinda the norm.
That line of questioning is devastating to my argument, please stop speaking about it. I do not consent to losing this argument.
God you're fucking shallow and a terrible debater. I'm not diswaying from discussing it because it's some sort of crux to my argument, I'm diswaying from it's discussion because it is unrelated to the discussion. If all you've got in your mind is the others genitals during a date, you're chasing smoke, and you'll realize that when you're older or wiser. Plus, I don't really care to talk about genitals or sex with you, I'll discuss hygiene, but that can be in generic terms with no sexual involvement. My entire point to all of this is that it's shallow to change your habits just to persuade someone into a date/relationship, it's not sustainable long term, and you'll end up unhappy. You are clearly someone who needs to learn that lesson yourself with time.
So shallow because I want to be clean before a date......? Part of that cleanliness is obviously going to involve your genitals as you are going on a date which often concludes with sex.
This is unrelated how?
Lol, I'm very confident that I am older than you. Having the forethought to predict that your sexual partner would like you to be clean does not take a lot of processing power for most people.
It's kinda an important aspect of being in a romantic relationship......
Lol, long-term relationships are all about both people changing their personal behavior in a way that makes their partners life easier. That's part of growing old with the person you love. The fact you think relationships are about never making a personal compromise or remaining true to a false image of yourself let's me know you are either in your twenties or have never been in a relationship longer than 5 years.
Bro, I'm glad you've managed to find a husband who is totally cool with all that, but for most people the expectation for a date is best foot forward. This means washing up, dressing nicely, and in general treating it like it's a special occasion. If someone doesn't do that I'm likely to assume either indifference or that they are putting their best foot forward and are less put together normally. It's no different from cleaning your home before bringing someone back to it the first time. It says "I cared enough to clean up, and I don't live in filth or a massive mess"
But additionally, it is absolutely sustainable to change habits for what people find attractive/tolerable. Sure if something makes you miserable it isn't, but plenty of changes for others aren't ones that make a person miserable and absolutely can be sustained.
I just don't see the issue either way. Dating is for compatibility, the normalization of "putting your best foot forward" is not reflective of everyday life. But sure. Continue the trend that's led to a 50% divorce rate in the US and call me crazy π€·ββοΈ.
And to clarify, I've never at any point said to be unhygienic. There's a difference between hygiene and ritual and the cleaning regime of most people falls into the latter category and is actually, perhaps unintuitvely, damaging to your skin.
Your dating partner imo should also be comfortable with you as you are, not under any specific or special circumstances. It's not sustainable over long periods of time such as the decades you'll potentially spend together. Perhaps this is just the perspective of an old soul, but I've been around the block and I've found the more effort you put in outside of your normal self, the more likely you are to find out you're incompatible farther down the line than right away. I'm not trying to give an excuse to the guy who's not showered in a week or who absolutely reeks the second the walk in the room, but to pretend it's something you must do before a date and that going into it smelling natural is obscene is just investing heavily into a pervasive peacocking mindset that's caused everyone to be more shallow in their day to day. It's a side effect of the commercialization of personal health.
Nobody is saying to change your personality or habits so you can PERSUADE someone to date you. You are adding that yourself. It's like dudes not wiping their ass after they shit cuz "touching your butt is gay" and then getting upset women don't want to go on dates with them cuz they smell bad lol.
Why don't you have a date in a Waffle House bathroom if you don't care about smells?
I don't think you know what mandate means? Making fun of people who are confusing body odor with pheromones is not the same as someone giving an official command to always bathe before dates.
What do you think peacocking means? I don't know how someone is going to make themselves stand out of the crowd by bathing.
Do you not think the condition of your genitals may have something to do with why you should take a shower? Especially before going on a date?
I know what mandate means, it's fine you don't understand me I don't wish to clarify.
Peacocking is just changing any set of habits to impress over your baseline, it doesn't require any specific or significant signifer and can be hygiene, dress, financial, or otherwise.
I think that you're too fuckin shallow if you think a date directly ties to sex, but hey, lots of people are.
That is not the commonly understood definition of peacocking......
"Peacocking is a social behavior where someone dresses or acts in a flashy, exaggerated way to grab attention and stand out from a crowd"
Wut? I wouldn't exactly go on a date to acquire a platonic friendship..... Typically dates are tied to a romantic relationship, most romantic relationships include sexual intercourse.
It's hilarious that you think being considerate to your partner makes you shallow. I feel bad for any of your current or future significant others.
Yah, wtf are people on about. How stinky are these mfs where they need to shower BEFORE A DATE?! Iβve NEVER showered before a date. If you shower every day or every other day, you shouldnβt be a stink person, especially not enough to necessitate showering AGAIN BEFORE A DATE. I donβt wanna go out with someone and have them smell like chemicals or flowers or potpourri or some shit. I want them to smell like person.
Iβm with my forever partner now so we wonβt shower for a week, and they always smell good to me uwu
I mean...... Isn't it just common courtesy to be as clean as possible if there is a probability of any sexual activity?
Do you guys not exercise or have sex? I don't even have the gene for underarm body odor, and even I would be smelly after a week.
Yeah idk. I think they're just high on their own ego.
And they're fine just being fake or high effort, like that's maintainable in a long term relationship π. Like fuck bro we all get old, you're gonna be changing your partners drawers or vice versa at some point. Life gets rough, they'll find out eventually.