What an absolutely reactionary and uninformed take. Like, showering everyday probably doesn't have a direct health benefit, and in fact it is damaging to your hair to shampoo it every day, but perfumes, unguents, bathing habits, and general cleaniness, as well as a general public disagreement with strong body odors has been a thing since well before capitalism has been a thing.

There is a good goddamn reason that frankincense and myrrh were part of the royal gifts supposedly given to the infant Jesus by the wise men. They were ritual perfumes, as good or different smells that have been associated with divinity forever. Unfortunately, the stigmatization of smell has much less to do with capitalism, and much more to do with enculturated practices that extend far deeper than capitalism. Capitalism absolutely takes advantage of that stigmatization, but it is not the cause of it, which means that socialism is simply the first step in addressing it, not a solution in of itself.

[–] Gorillatactics@hexbear.net 3 points 2 days ago (1 children)

strong body odors

Note you acknowledge theres a spectrum of body odors.

Smell is the most stigmatized sense; where if its noticeable its considered bad. Go outside and you will see and hear many different things but smell? Realistically itll just be cars. So smelling anyone (outside of a few highly commodified fragrances) is experienced like when someone plays loud music from their phone in public.

[–] TreadOnMe@hexbear.net 3 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

This has absolutely nothing to do with my point, in the slightest and yet again it is absolutely horseshit.

For one, I don't live in a city, so the most often disagreeable smell that I encounter regularly that is noticable is quite literally if I am downwind of manure.

And for two, people love it when there is a noticable smell of flowers, they love the smell of a bakery. I know some people who absolutely love the smell of rubber, leather, and grease, and others who it will make sick to their stomachs. Some people even love the smell of cigarettes, while others absolutely can't stand it. The smell right before it rains, or fresh earth is absolutely wonderful and agreeable to most people. So it has absolutely nothing to do with if the smell is 'noticable' or not.

A smell is absolutely NOT disagreeable simply if it is noticable and stigmatized to people 'outside of a few commodified fragrances', these fragrances are commodified because they are already considered to be generally agreeable. It is enculturation heightened by commoditization. You are putting powers onto marketing and commoditization that they simply do not possess..