"Can you afford deodorant?" is not a respectful way to begin a conversation with another person. It reeks of assholitude far more than the small degree of completely natural and human B.O. that I put off on a hot and muggy day. It's hot and humid, and my job requires me to move around a lot. It doesn't surprise me then that I will occasionally have some B.O., in fact I've just come to accept it. I also don't feel the need to hide B.O. with applied chemical treatments like deodorant, as most of the time it isn't 'offensive' or strong.
A dental assistant on the 9th floor, an aging solidly built woman with cropped silver hair, glasses and a mean face, pulled me aside today while I was working in the 9th floor north clinic. She began a conversation with me that started with "Can I ask you a question?" which led into "Can you afford deodorant." Anything else she said after that is meaningless, any kind of apology goes unheard. She's now anathema, below human in my eyes. If she was offended by my smell, she could have either kept it to herself, or politely mentioned that it was strong. But, by opening the conversation with the audacious "Can you afford" line, it's like she's asking me if I can afford to be a part of human society.
Needless to say, since I have had problems with her in the past, this incident has nailed the lid in the coffin. I will no longer speak to her anymore than is absolutely necessary for my job duties, and I will avoid her in any situation that I can. This woman is not worth my time or any other thought.
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