What Was that Smell?

Yesterday's blog about was about 'political correctness.' Today I was having lunch with my parents in an little cafe. We were sitting in a pleasant little garden outside when a couple sat down at a table near us. It wasn't really next to us. There was a decent amount of space between our table and their table. Suddenly this waft comes crashing down on us and it becomes hard to breath. My dad starts to talk about 'who is it that smells so bad?' My mom starts to sneeze. My eyes start to water. The woman (or it could have been the man) was wearing a very offensive fragrance. My dad started to complain loud enough that I'm sure the couple could hear and of course, I was a bit embarrassed, until my nose became so overwhelmed that I insisted that we leave.

My dad kept saying "I'm just not used to that anymore." At one time wearing perfume was so common that no matter where you went there was someone wearing a scent, but these days it's much less common to notice someone by smell instead of sight. And it seems like there's a lot more people who are adverse to the smell of perfume than ever before, either not liking it or in more drastic circumstances, being allergic to it.

So if twenty years ago, lots of women wore perfume everywhere and it was completely acceptable, but today it's much less common and many more people have allergies, where will we be twenty years from today? Will perfume be illegal? Will there be new allergen free, more subtle fragrances that are marketed as being easier on the nose?

And on that note -- Happy Valentine's Day!

and this blog will be on vacation until after President's Day!