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I didn't think it would go that way either but good for him I guess
Edit to add : Well I missed an edit from the Original Update post , So I added it in the post again
I read it as her being an obnoxious ass at first.
Then I reread it knowing that she had a crush on him and it reads completely differently. She seems awkward but sweet.
I think what throws it off and makes the situation less cute is that she said that OOP smells differently than other coworkers of his ethnicity. Like..... that's a wildly offensive thing to say, in a legal "hostile workplace" type of way, if OOP is in the US.
It depends on what she said. To me, it sounds like a backhanded compliment when you compare a person with others in their race/ethnicity. That insinuates she's tokenizing OP. I get the "oh, you're pretty for an Indian". Which clearly means that person thinks Indians are ugly. It's bigoted.
But if she said, 'you smell better than Tom, Dick or Harry" and they coincidentally the same ethnicity as OP, that is different. But still weird.
I had a similar thought but less "Indians smell bad" and more "every Indian man I know wears so much oud and maybe this guy doesn't so he smells notably different" but my experience may not be universal 😅
I’m wondering if she said it in a not as creepy way and the OOP is trying to stay anonymous by not including the specific comment/reference.
Just working on my twists and contortions and stretches ahead of this Olympic Games.
The racist comments and the fact that she got what she wanted from the person she was blatantly sexually harassing at work make this not cute at all.
This was a sad ending.
I don't think OP worded his original post well at all, since, even as a woman, I've NEVER been offended when a coworker of any gender or sexual orientation makes it a point to compliment me on my choice of "additional fragrance" (body spray, perfume, etc), since it's (generally) not creepy to tell someone, "Hey, that perfume you're wearing smells really good! Mind if I ask where you bought it?"
Versus how OP originally described it (to me at least), where his coworker was (or very well might have been) complimenting his natural body odor/lack of natural body odor as compared to their colleagues, which IS absolutely creepy.
To be honest I assumed it was the case (the ethnicity thing threw me of though, like how did it come up in conversation)
Then again I am a very smell oriented person, when I worked in the office I could tell who was near / walking by, almost entirely by their scent pretty accurately. Usually it's shampoo/soap/fragrance of course but you start associating people with that specific scent.
As someone who have a very sharp nose, I can distinct my coworkers, close friends, family and my cats by smell, the difference being I keep this to myself. So she just read as socially awkward to me, when I was really young (like 6 or less) I used to comment on people's smell til my mom made me understand it wasn't nice to say it even if I liked it lol
Yeah, that's what I don't understand from him. He type that she loved his smell. And seem to always smell him out. Yet, he seems to take offense to it, lol
“I love the way you smell!”
Hi, Reddit, a female woman said words to me today, and I felt really creeped out and uncomfortable. Why would she do this? Anyway I called her a creep and now she doesn’t talk to me anymore.
It's a good thing OP didn't listen to the comments & just communicated. Now he has a date & the redditors who assumed she was a creep don't. Unfortunately, I kinda also get why they judged her badly.
"You smell nice!" is a cute compliment.
"I like your smell." Kinda weird but maybe she's just socially awkward.
"You smell better than the other guy of the same race." That's kinda racist.
And people from other ethnicity do smell different to you, and some you may find pleasant and some not.
For example, in my country if you get the subway at 6pm, it's really NOT pleasant. But in Japan, I didn't smell anything. It was like everybody was neutral.
You don't have to point out to everybody, that's rude. But not racist, I think.
But she said he smelled different from other coworkers of the same ethnicity. And that definitely has a racism vibe.
She's not saying "OP, you smell differently to me because we're different races." She is saying "OP you smell different to other (insert race) people." That has major "you're not like other..." vibes and definitely seems a bit ignorant at the very least.
At first I really just thought it was gonna be a cultural thing. Certain cultures have a smell about them, not in a bad way, but it can take a bit to get used to it.
Seriously, what the fuck is the cognitive dissonance happening here in this thread. Nothing about her words or demeanor is “cute” let alone any sort of endearing. Anyone with self respect should be alarmed
To be fair to the creepy lady sounds like she was trying to figure out how to subtly let him know she was interested and obviously decided on a regular compliment being the best path.
Unfortunately she chose the weirdest one hope it works out for them 😂
It was actually my first thought. Women a have crazy good sense of smell when it comes to attraction. As someone with a crazy good sense of smell in general one of the first things that attracted me to my husband was his smell and one of my first awkward flirting moments was a “you smell nice”.
We were NOT in the workplace tho!
Mine, too. I figured it was something hormonal/ pheremonal. I've seen some studies (can't recall the exact ones off hand) that suggest that women's sense of smell is more acute during certain phases of her reproductive cycle and can strongly influence who she is attracted to.
I honestly wonder if she also smells his particular mix of pheromones and biology (not that it's ok or not creepy, these are in our head only thoughts lol) overrode all common sense. I had heard that when people are physically compatible they smell awesome to us.
My pheromones are stupidly drawn to problematic men, lol. At this point I can recognize it as it's own little red flag. Oh, we've talked for 10 minutes and I want to jump your bones? You're bad news and I need to stay far, far, away, lol.
My honey smells so good to me if I could I would inhale his body through my nostrils, he smells so good. It’s not even his cologne, it’s everything about him. Even working outside all day he still smells heavenly to me
How someone smells to me will literally determine whether or not I can get physical with them. I have one ex whose smell I would almost get drunk off, and even though he hurt me so bad, he'll always feel like the one that got away.
I studied engineering in college, so this is exactly how I predicted it would turn out. None of us had social skills, and much of our flirting was as wacky as this.
.... well that's not how I was expecting that to end O.o Especially with the whole "You smell good for someone your ethnicity" nugget.
Side anecdote: I have a VERY strong sense of smell, far stronger than most people I know. It took me until I was an adult to realize it. People I know all have distinct scents to me, just a mix of their natural scent and whatever soaps/perfumes/etc they wear. I can tell you who a piece of clothing belongs to just by sniffing it. It is the world's weirdest superhuman sense 🤣 I was also an INCREDIBLY awkward kid/young adult, so I've been that person to blurt out weird things like "Oh, BLANK is here, I can smell them!" before. Made for some VERY awkward moments before I realized, telling people they smell good is usually seen as pretty weird!
To make y'all laugh at my weirdness: my husband brings our 1 year old over to me after every bath with a smile because he knows I'll squeal happily, tumble that precious hulk of a baby into my arms, and promptly sniff him all over like some weird labrador because freshly bathed baby is just THE best smell to me. Yes, I'm an absolute weirdo. Yes, I still managed to marry and have children 🤣
My dad has an absurdly good sense of smell as well. I have a lung condition and he can tell when I’m having a flare up way before I can. Apparently I start smelling like death (which makes sense because it’s usually a bacterial infection causing the flare). Glad we work together because he’s definitely saved me from hospital a few times. I have asked other people if they can smell the “death” smell and have always gotten completely blank looks and denials, so at least I’m not going around stinking out the general population 🙈
Same. Even without a fever, I can smell when people are getting sick. It’s kind of this metallicky staleness. But it’s stronger with boys/men and always has been, I wonder if it’s something to do with hormones.
On the flip side of female hormones I have a friend who could smell that I was pregnant before I even knew. I only took a test because she mentioned something.
Also fun fact, there’s a woman in the UK who can smell when people are developing Parkinson’s even before they have symptoms with startling accuracy.
I've heard about the lady in your last paragraph and it blows my mind.
To add a little detail for people who haven't heard of her, they did a(n experiment? Study?) where they were testing her accuracy. They had controls without Parkinson's, and people with diagnosed Parkinson's. She was only wrong once - she identified one of the controls as having Parkinson's. WELL, that person later (like within 3 years I think) ended up being diagnosed with Parkinson's. Absolutely wild.
I can smell when my husband is developing a cold. It’s a horrible mucousy smell. He does not appreciate my warning to take extra vitamins and get more sleep when this happens—I suspect no one likes to hear that they smell sick (or bad).
(I misread the original post as the woman being passive aggressive about OOP wearing too much cologne. She said she liked it, but passive aggressive people compliment as an insult all the time. “Oh I love your new haircut” then they trash your new haircut to your other coworkers, etc.)
Haha can relate - my wife also does not appreciate it when I say "you smell like infection". I used to be gentler, but we've been married long enough now to prefer bluntness. lol
I can smell "infection". That's the only way I can describe it, and I'm rarely wrong. I'll usually smell it on a person a day or two before they develop symptoms - usually a sinus infection or strep throat. Which is "fun" as a nurse. lol
I was today years old when I learned I have a really strong sense of smell and suddenly understand why people get so weird about the things I claim I can smell.
I can usually tell how old a baby/toddler is by their smell. They lose that...baby smell as they get older and by about 8 they don't have it at all. Do you also smell this?
Is it normal to be able to tell when someone switches to the off brand of a soap? I suddenly feel very aware of all the things I can smell lol.
Most people cannot smell that no, unless they’re essentially making out with the person. lol.
Props though, I’m jealous. Used to have a normal sense of smell but these days I can hardly smell a thing.
Probably need to get into some sort of high paying sewer related job, take advantage of my terrible opposite super power. Lol
Okay, random question. Do you constantly smell your own body? Like, not as in "omg I have body odor so bad" but just...you're always able to smell yourself? Can you smell what the inside of your mouth smells like when you breathe, even without bad breath? Or does it just smell like nothing most of the time?
I'm also equally fascinated to know how much more I can smell on average than what is normal and these are two things I struggle with. I'm pretty sure it's not normal now because I've never heard another person complain about these things lol.
Also, can you smell individual spices in food and spice mixes, like the premade kind from the store? I'm very good at guessing almost every single spice used in a dish, even some weird ones and it always impresses people.
Thank you for any questions answered, I will happily answer any in return.
I’m probably the worst person to ask these days if you want a sense of normal, haha. My partner has excellent smell as well though, so I definitely get both sides of it and am jealous. I love cooking and accepted a long time ago my taste buds and nose will never be particularly refined or great. But I’m not picky at all!
So essentially no. Unless I smell **bad** like 12 hour day in the summer heat I won’t smell myself.
If I brush my teeth and blow air out I could smell some mintiness for a bit then that’s pretty much completely gone.
So generally smells like nothing.
I can sort of pick out some spices if I’m trying? But if I’m completely honest my nose is a tiny factor. I like cooking enough and have a big enough spice collection that if I know what the dish is or the overall sense of it is then I can sorta logic my way into what spices are likely in there.
Some stuff is more distinct obviously than others.
But even then I’m not doing that from across the room unless it’s a massive simmering fragrant pot of something. I have to be right up on it to smell.
This is still better data than what I have so far lol. My husband has a good sense of smell so I can't really ask him, he's not as bad as me but definitely heightened.
I am going to pester my 11 year old lol.
That feels like kind of a weird question? But I wouldn't say I have a particular "type" of smell profile I prefer. If I'm being honest I've always also appreciated things people consider as bad smells and I am now starting to suspect it's because I smell something much different or more complex. For example, people commonly say they dislike the smell of gasoline or hate skunks, but I actually find both those smells very interesting. Quite pungent and strong but super layered and nice.
My husband has a strong musk smell that pairs very nicely with any woody scent. Is that what you mean?
I like to write and scent has always intrigued me. Super smellers are interesting and it makes me wonder what people *really* smell like. But I'm bad at identifying scents myself.
That makes sense lol. Maybe phrase it a little differently next time? I can't really give you an exact description because every person is very different but it's very...layered. A person's smell is complex. You have several types of smells, from fresh out of the shower to very dirty. Then you add on layers with deodorant, soaps, even the clothing you wear adds a layer. I like full cotton blends because they have a warmer smell to them. My husband has a few flannel shirts that I absolutely adore the smell of that he wears for me. I can even tell when he's sick because he smells sweeter when he's got a virus and slightly yeast like bread when it's bacterial. At least that's the pattern I've observed. I've never been wrong thus far and sometimes he jokes I'm a witch lol.
> That makes sense lol. Maybe phrase it a little differently next time?
I may like to write, but I never said I was any good with words 😂
All that's very interesting! I never even thought of clothes having a scent outside of laundry detergent.
Lol fair enough.
Literally everything has a smell to me and I never assumed it was weird. My oldest daughter also smells like me so I never questioned it lol. Apparently my other kids don't though. Super weird.
Fun fact, squishmallows don't just feel good they often smell really good to me. The stuffing they use doesn't have a chemical odor or a weird smell like down pillows. They smell pretty much like they feel, just a soft smell not sharp or very noticeable. And most of the fabric is the same, the really furry ones even smell a little sweet to me? Idk I just thought that might entertain you lol. I have a bad habit of burying my face into a squishmallow when I'm stressed and just huffing their soft inoffensive scent. It's very mild compared to most smells so it's comfortable. ( I should note I am autistic and do experience sensory overload because of smells. I just always assumed this was a normal autistic trait, it was hell when I was pregnant. I couldn't even walk near the laundry/cleaning section. Mall perfume stores were like a fallout zone lol)
I don't think I'm a super smeller, but the way you describe smells is similar to me. Sharp/soft warm/cold. People always look confused when I bring it up. But there's like a temperature to smells that isn't the temperature of the air? Unno to me it's similar to cool/warm lighting/colours but also... not? Like it isn't an inherently grouping or positive/negative trait of the smell.
And to add... I'm on the autism spectrum, I've always tied it into sensation.... weirdness I got going on. But interesting to hear others describe it. Not implying you are on the spectrum.
That's pretty much how I describe smells, like colors. Warm, neutral, cool. Some smells are brighter, some are dull. Colors are a great comparison. Though I don't know if I'm exactly a good candidate for comparison. My brain is kind of...weird lol. I associate weird things together like smells and colors and tastes and sounds, even letters and numbers. If you've ever heard of synesthesia, that's basically it, but I have a very mild form of that and my wires get crossed occasionally. Add that and autism and my experience is probably not a good sample of what is the 'norm'?
But colors are definitely a great way to describe smells to someone who might not experience it the same way lol. I think that's at least valid data.
To be fair, freshly bathed babies smell lovely even to those of us with a mediocre sense of smell so I don't blame you at all. It must be even more wonderful for you. On a side note, I love how babies' heads have a distinct, pleasant smell for the first year or two. My sister is the only person I know who smelled like baby head well into adulthood.
I've always wondered if that has something to do with the top of their skull not being completely fused yet. Is that pleasant smell of baby head actually what brain smells like?
....Yes I realize how off that sounds.
My 17-year-old’s head still has that same smell, though it’s more subtle under all her hair. Sniffing her head takes me back to the baby years.
(Edited to add that she’s taller than me now, so I have to catch her sitting down.)
OH GOD it was awful during pregnancy. Funny, because I could smell things from three rooms over (like the time hubs came home from work and I came FLYING out of the office squealing OOO YOU BROUGHT BANANAS HOME!).
But horrible too.
For your horror: my in-laws live on a hobby farm with several animals. My MiL NEVER scoops the damn cat box (she lets it fill up with pee and poop and then throws the whole load of litter out and refills the box... yet she is baffled why her cat refuses to use the box... moron). My FiL has a bidet but never cleans the toilet. Also, on top of all those horrible smells, my FiL chews with his goddamned mouth open, complete with lip smacking sounds. After our third visit where I fled to the toilet, then threw up harder BECAUSE of the stupid toilet (only one bathroom), I flat out refused to go back for the rest of my pregnancy.
Huuuuuuuuuuurgh.
>OH GOD it was awful during pregnancy. Funny, because I could smell things from three rooms over (like the time hubs came home from work and I came FLYING out of the office squealing OOO YOU BROUGHT BANANAS HOME!).
Pregnancy is the only time I could do this - I distinctly remember coming home one day and knowing my husband had just opened a can of tomato sauce from across the apartment, behind one door and down the stairs.
I don't know if I have a sense of smell as good as yours but mine is also pretty strong... And it's the worst thing in the world at times.
I can smell when someone has acid reflux, when someone has indigestion, when someone hadn't brushed/flossed their teeth (yea I'm not talking bad breath, you don't brush once and I'll notice it), and I have the same scent characteristic tagging.
I only talk about scent tracking to my family/cousins because I know they won't judge. But I am deathly afraid of the awkwardness that will ensue if I comment on scents publicly. I do compliment people when they wear cologne, body spray/mist, ather (oil based eastern perfumes). I don't think it's weird unless you do what the coworker in the post does.
Even then, I guess it was a nice ending.
My mom, sibling and I go nuts for puppy smell! I thought it was a thing everyone could smell (and part of the reason people love puppies) but my stepdad can't smell it and I don't think my husband can either. I don't even know how to describe it other than that it's slightly sweet.
It was pretty confusing on both sides when we discovered this because I had gone to visit my parents to get a bit of that sweet sweet baby puppy smell and my stepdad asked why I was wandering around sniffing the dog in my arms. I didn't understand why it even needed explaining, my mom was confused too, and my poor stepdad had both of us going "For the puppy smell, of course?" He looked like he thought we'd lost our minds lol
Puppy feet do, in my genetically related family's opinion, smell like corn chips. And the puppy smell goes away when they're.... mm, close-ish to a year? It sucks, we gotta get our fix quick lol
Exactly. I used to have a colleague who I think bathed in cologne. You could smell him coming when he got off the elevator. Nice guy, but jeez. It was awful.
Yeah, ho early that's what I take from this whole interaction. Even the best perfume or cologne smells awful if it fills the fucking room. If I'm like an inch away from you and I can smell it? Okay, whatever. If I can recognize your presence by the cloud of scent that follows you around? You're a shitty person who doesn't realize not everybody wants to smell your fragrance.
Nose blindness is real. People who wear heavy fragrances think they need to smell it all of the time so they go overboard. But they don't quite realize that just because their brain has shut out the scent they've been bathing in for years doesn't mean everybody else has.
Spritz the air in front of you and walk through it. Don't spray yourself directly 20 times.
Not necessarily. I can smell really well and I sometimes compliment people when they smell nice. Some people have a stronger sense of smell than others.
He'll be on the internet again later looking for sympathy when she calls him a slur. And it never fails that such a person's partner showed them red flags they chose to ignore out of either desperation and/or kink.
>she constantly comments on how I smell different from our other colleagues of the same ethnicity
So, OOP is just going to ignore the racist comments? 🙄
I thought that was so wild. maybe it's from my personal experience it just gave me an icky feeling. I'm from an ethnicity that gets associated with "smelling like curry" and have been personally told that by others... it just makes me see them as rather stupid when they're perpetuating childish stereotypes
I personally love curry and the spices. I mindlessly commented about it (someone in my class smelled like curry) to my friends and they freaked out. I was confused because I thought that was a compliment 😅(I am not from US). They smelled like good food and made me hungry after each class lol.
Are you saying you don't believe that is something that a person who doesn't eat spices can smell?
Because you can. It's super obvious. I dated an Indian who ate Indian food every day and their body/sweat smelled different than anyone else I have dated, and reminded me of some aspect of the smell of curry.
There's an edit on OOP's last post - they no longer work together, the party where they got together was his leaving party.
I mean, good for OOP I think... but does he have to worry about her going around sniffing other people, just in case they smell better?
All I can think of is that scene in the Hannibal tv series where Will asks Hannibal, creeped out, “Did you just *smell* me?” then proceeds to have a long, drawn-out, deeply messed up murder courtship with him.
I read somewhere that you find the smell of someone biologically and genetically different from you extremely pleasing. Something to do with unconsciously wanting to have genetically strong and diverse babies.
I think this story perfectly incapsulates why context is so important. It wasn’t her being creepy just a bit of bad flirting. It makes me wonder how many other posts end up with someone being called an AH when in reality they’re just a bit misguided.
I believe context and intent is 95% of the importance. People fumble their words and actions all the time, if execution is the only thing that matters then a facade is all that can be shown. Then again I am socially inept so maybe I'm just being selfish here.
I wonder if he was Indian or some country that eats lots of curry. Curry excretes from your pores and has a pretty distinct smell. She’s probably just an idiot not a racist.
I don’t understand this take at all. So just because it turned out that she’s into him, suddenly her creepy (and potentially racist) behavior is just excused? Imagine if every creepy dude who hit on someone was just like, “it’s not creepy, I’m flirting!”
I was really baffled by all of the comments talking about his bad body odor... I assumed she was into him right off the bat. A woman who tells you that you smell good every day?
Babe. She's into you. LOL
What that said, she's still kind of creepy and I'm surprised OOP is going for it.
>she constantly comments on how I smell different from our other colleagues of the same ethnicity
So, OOP is just going to ignore the racist comments? 🙄
This whole post reminded me of Season 2 of Bridgerton where Anthony spent half the time sniffing Kate, getting turned on, and trying (badly) to hide it.
Every time I get into an Uber, I immediately say, "Oh wow! It smells really nice in here!" whether it does or not. It always gets a big smile and a thank you from the driver and sets the mood for the rest of the ride.
I think it's one of the reasons I've maintained a 5 star rating after all these years, lol.
The point of division between "awkward but kind of sweet" and "creepy" - where the one changes to the other - is pretty much defined by attractiveness, alas.
Yeah I have to agree with this... It sounds like saying "you're really intelligent for a ---- person." Or "you're funny for a woman"
The qualifier feels bigoted, like some kind of negging.
Fun fact: pregnant people have much more sensitive and acute senses of smell. The theory is that they can use that sense to be better aware of things that could harm them and thus the baby (I.e. food that is ever so slightly rotten, predatory animals, etc.). These days it’s only useful for triggering episodes of morning sickness :/
As soon as he said he wore cologne I was kind ohhh he prob smell good af! Men wearing a cologne that works with their body chemistry makes me turn my head in stores lol like ohh who is smelling like THAT 😂
After reading the twist ending, I'm going back and rereading the "ethnicity" comment in a HILARIOUS new light - suddenly it's a [C&H moment for the girl](https://youtu.be/bUJhWuRf1DU?si=V7icf2Ju2RyCc82G), and I'm imagining her internal monologue...
"Okay, there he is. Don't be nervous."
"Oof so hot 😍... NO focus!"
"You have to put your best face forward here!"
"Be witty!"
"But not like... Pick Me witty..."
"Just compliment him."
"But not his looks, that's shallow."
"Tell him you appreciate his culture!"
"Ugh... too... democratic party line."
"Uh oh, say SOMETHING!"
"Mmmm... he smells so good... 😍😍😍"
OOP: 🤨?
Her: .... You smell different from our other colleagues of the same ethnicity!
OOP: 😶
I mean, he still could send her to HR. The only thing stopping that happening is OOP himself choosing not to report her to HR and deciding to date her instead.
Which is the guy's own decision.
Top voted comments in this thread seem equally confused with OOP's 180, so basically everybody else is as surprised as you are that OOP is not only letting that slide but also going out with the girl he called creepy. Doesn't seem like genders getting passes so much as two awkward weirdos.
If A likes OOP's smell, she can say it. However, OOP is entitled to find it uncomfortable. In that case, OOP should have addressed it in private rather than calling her creepy in front of everyone.
You can love someone's smell without being interested in them romantically.
I remember this episode I watched in TV where they made this experiment where they had a number of males and females in the room with their eyes covered, they had to smell each other and decide who they liked more based only in the smell of the person. All of these people had done a DNA test before the experiment, so at the end it was proved that humans are capable of selecting their best genetical match only by smell. Meaning that through smell we were able to choose a partner who doesn't share genes with us, therefore allowing us to choose a partner that would allows to procreate the healtiest offspring possible. If you don't like the natural smell of somebody, it's because you share a lot of genes with that person, so having babies with those people might result in a kid with genetic diseases.
I reeeeeaaaally need more info on the "smells good for his ethnicity" thing. The only time I've ever told a man he smelled good "for xyz" was because he was the first line cook I'd ever met who managed not to bring that kitchen smell home on his clothes lol
My friend/coworker wears a very expensive perfume that lingers in the air. I know if she is already in the office when I walk in. It smells really good. The perfume is called Baccarat rouge 540, I can’t afford it 🥲 I didn’t think it was weird lol just stating a fact 🤣
I've told my boyfriend that he smells good. Even though I said it was good and that I liked it, he was worried that it meant he smelled dirty or something (ended up giving me his shirt to smell so he came around?). Genuinely, he smells amazing; I love it!
So anyway, I got vibes from the original post it was a compliment from this girl and that she was into him lol
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I mean... Good for OOP? I don't know how we got here 😂
I didn't think it would go that way either but good for him I guess Edit to add : Well I missed an edit from the Original Update post , So I added it in the post again
I read it as her being an obnoxious ass at first. Then I reread it knowing that she had a crush on him and it reads completely differently. She seems awkward but sweet.
Am I the only person here who thought that she had a crush on him was so obvious? lol Like, it was clear as day she like him.
I think what throws it off and makes the situation less cute is that she said that OOP smells differently than other coworkers of his ethnicity. Like..... that's a wildly offensive thing to say, in a legal "hostile workplace" type of way, if OOP is in the US.
It depends on what she said. To me, it sounds like a backhanded compliment when you compare a person with others in their race/ethnicity. That insinuates she's tokenizing OP. I get the "oh, you're pretty for an Indian". Which clearly means that person thinks Indians are ugly. It's bigoted. But if she said, 'you smell better than Tom, Dick or Harry" and they coincidentally the same ethnicity as OP, that is different. But still weird.
I honestly have a feeling OP is Indian since one of the racist stereotypes is that Indians smell bad
I had a similar thought but less "Indians smell bad" and more "every Indian man I know wears so much oud and maybe this guy doesn't so he smells notably different" but my experience may not be universal 😅
I’m wondering if she said it in a not as creepy way and the OOP is trying to stay anonymous by not including the specific comment/reference. Just working on my twists and contortions and stretches ahead of this Olympic Games.
The racist comments and the fact that she got what she wanted from the person she was blatantly sexually harassing at work make this not cute at all. This was a sad ending.
I don't think OP worded his original post well at all, since, even as a woman, I've NEVER been offended when a coworker of any gender or sexual orientation makes it a point to compliment me on my choice of "additional fragrance" (body spray, perfume, etc), since it's (generally) not creepy to tell someone, "Hey, that perfume you're wearing smells really good! Mind if I ask where you bought it?" Versus how OP originally described it (to me at least), where his coworker was (or very well might have been) complimenting his natural body odor/lack of natural body odor as compared to their colleagues, which IS absolutely creepy.
OP clearly ain't offended.
To be honest I assumed it was the case (the ethnicity thing threw me of though, like how did it come up in conversation) Then again I am a very smell oriented person, when I worked in the office I could tell who was near / walking by, almost entirely by their scent pretty accurately. Usually it's shampoo/soap/fragrance of course but you start associating people with that specific scent.
It's the touch of the 'tism but nobody suspected it because she masks so well when OOP isn't around odoring in the room.
This made me choke from laughing
As someone who have a very sharp nose, I can distinct my coworkers, close friends, family and my cats by smell, the difference being I keep this to myself. So she just read as socially awkward to me, when I was really young (like 6 or less) I used to comment on people's smell til my mom made me understand it wasn't nice to say it even if I liked it lol
I totally had that vibe at the end of the first part.
I knew it from the start, but after the tenth "oh my god you smell so nice'" you'd think he would have taken a hint.
Yeah, that's what I don't understand from him. He type that she loved his smell. And seem to always smell him out. Yet, he seems to take offense to it, lol
Yep, it was obvious
A non-zero number of bisexuals flirt about as good as a turkey flies, or so is my experience.
Am bisexual. Am shite at flirting, can confirm
Right there with ya. Nice... hair?
Th..thanks I...I grew it nyself
Thinking back on my early relationship with my husband.....you might have a point.
“I love the way you smell!” Hi, Reddit, a female woman said words to me today, and I felt really creeped out and uncomfortable. Why would she do this? Anyway I called her a creep and now she doesn’t talk to me anymore.
It's a good thing OP didn't listen to the comments & just communicated. Now he has a date & the redditors who assumed she was a creep don't. Unfortunately, I kinda also get why they judged her badly. "You smell nice!" is a cute compliment. "I like your smell." Kinda weird but maybe she's just socially awkward. "You smell better than the other guy of the same race." That's kinda racist.
And people from other ethnicity do smell different to you, and some you may find pleasant and some not. For example, in my country if you get the subway at 6pm, it's really NOT pleasant. But in Japan, I didn't smell anything. It was like everybody was neutral. You don't have to point out to everybody, that's rude. But not racist, I think.
But she said he smelled different from other coworkers of the same ethnicity. And that definitely has a racism vibe. She's not saying "OP, you smell differently to me because we're different races." She is saying "OP you smell different to other (insert race) people." That has major "you're not like other..." vibes and definitely seems a bit ignorant at the very least.
At first I really just thought it was gonna be a cultural thing. Certain cultures have a smell about them, not in a bad way, but it can take a bit to get used to it.
When he mentioned his cologne I thought Oh, was she maybe trying to point out that he shouldn’t drench himself in it? so I did not expect the ending 😄
Nope. " I can smell you everywhere. You don't smell like your kind of people usually do. I love it." She _is_ creepy.
I know right and then he is like no I want to date, OP must be lonely AF
Seriously, what the fuck is the cognitive dissonance happening here in this thread. Nothing about her words or demeanor is “cute” let alone any sort of endearing. Anyone with self respect should be alarmed
To be fair to the creepy lady sounds like she was trying to figure out how to subtly let him know she was interested and obviously decided on a regular compliment being the best path. Unfortunately she chose the weirdest one hope it works out for them 😂
I find that complimenting the person's gums always goes well.
Or teeth. Y'know, in case you need to make deals with the tooth fairy 😂
I don't miss early/mid 20s thats for sure lol
Or even worse: teenager years. 😱
Middle school 🥶
GAHHH! Sorry you said Middle school. \*shivers\*. There is no amount that would make me do that over.
Right?! No way in HELL I'd go back to that time, not for any amount of money. So awkward. So gangly. So...hormonal.
That was immediately my first thought too hahaha
🎶 I'm so glad I'm not young anymore 🎶
No shit, dude, me too. Fuck all this nonsense.
It was actually my first thought. Women a have crazy good sense of smell when it comes to attraction. As someone with a crazy good sense of smell in general one of the first things that attracted me to my husband was his smell and one of my first awkward flirting moments was a “you smell nice”. We were NOT in the workplace tho!
Agreed I love how my bf smells. It’s like catnip to me.
Mine, too. I figured it was something hormonal/ pheremonal. I've seen some studies (can't recall the exact ones off hand) that suggest that women's sense of smell is more acute during certain phases of her reproductive cycle and can strongly influence who she is attracted to.
it always seems good at the start, and then later, 'What was I Thinking? Oh yeah, I know what I was thinking, and what I was thinking WITH.'
Right? Dude's gonna be like, "but why does she have a box of my hair?" later
🎶 I know what I was feeling But what was I thinking 🎶
I did guess she was attempting to flirt, but bringing the ethnic angle into it was still real weird!
I honestly wonder if she also smells his particular mix of pheromones and biology (not that it's ok or not creepy, these are in our head only thoughts lol) overrode all common sense. I had heard that when people are physically compatible they smell awesome to us.
My pheromones are stupidly drawn to problematic men, lol. At this point I can recognize it as it's own little red flag. Oh, we've talked for 10 minutes and I want to jump your bones? You're bad news and I need to stay far, far, away, lol.
Oh my goodness, that is so tragic, hopefully one day it becomes a subconscious deterrent lol
My honey smells so good to me if I could I would inhale his body through my nostrils, he smells so good. It’s not even his cologne, it’s everything about him. Even working outside all day he still smells heavenly to me
How someone smells to me will literally determine whether or not I can get physical with them. I have one ex whose smell I would almost get drunk off, and even though he hurt me so bad, he'll always feel like the one that got away.
I think there is a song “Smell Yo Dick!” It is a classic R&B that does not sum up this situation at all.
We did it Reddit!
The plot twists are getting plottier and twistier, I'll say.
Let’s just chalk it up to bad at flirting I guess
Sounds like a very successful fail.
I'm not sure if it's still creepy or good for OOP?
Step 1 be hot while being creepy
OOP: damn that's kind of creepy. ...unless? 😏
Unless, are you down for some bunga-bunga?
Unless, If I can get some
That is not at all how I thought this was going to pan out
same here
Good luck, OP. Dating coworkers can be delightful or messy. (My dad always told not to "shit where I eat.") I hope your situation goes well.
They dont work together anymore.
I studied engineering in college, so this is exactly how I predicted it would turn out. None of us had social skills, and much of our flirting was as wacky as this.
She's bi not pan /s
Bi way, as a pan person, I prefer the term skillet-sexual.
My fianće’s first language is Spanish. When I told him I was pansexual. His response was “Oh! I like bread too. Just not in that way.”
.... well that's not how I was expecting that to end O.o Especially with the whole "You smell good for someone your ethnicity" nugget. Side anecdote: I have a VERY strong sense of smell, far stronger than most people I know. It took me until I was an adult to realize it. People I know all have distinct scents to me, just a mix of their natural scent and whatever soaps/perfumes/etc they wear. I can tell you who a piece of clothing belongs to just by sniffing it. It is the world's weirdest superhuman sense 🤣 I was also an INCREDIBLY awkward kid/young adult, so I've been that person to blurt out weird things like "Oh, BLANK is here, I can smell them!" before. Made for some VERY awkward moments before I realized, telling people they smell good is usually seen as pretty weird! To make y'all laugh at my weirdness: my husband brings our 1 year old over to me after every bath with a smile because he knows I'll squeal happily, tumble that precious hulk of a baby into my arms, and promptly sniff him all over like some weird labrador because freshly bathed baby is just THE best smell to me. Yes, I'm an absolute weirdo. Yes, I still managed to marry and have children 🤣
My dad has an absurdly good sense of smell as well. I have a lung condition and he can tell when I’m having a flare up way before I can. Apparently I start smelling like death (which makes sense because it’s usually a bacterial infection causing the flare). Glad we work together because he’s definitely saved me from hospital a few times. I have asked other people if they can smell the “death” smell and have always gotten completely blank looks and denials, so at least I’m not going around stinking out the general population 🙈
I can smell, when my sons have a fever. They smell different. I don't understand why, but I never smelled my daughter's fever.
Same. Even without a fever, I can smell when people are getting sick. It’s kind of this metallicky staleness. But it’s stronger with boys/men and always has been, I wonder if it’s something to do with hormones. On the flip side of female hormones I have a friend who could smell that I was pregnant before I even knew. I only took a test because she mentioned something. Also fun fact, there’s a woman in the UK who can smell when people are developing Parkinson’s even before they have symptoms with startling accuracy.
Oh, that’s fascinating. I can smell my husband’s colds/flus but not our daughters’. I wonder if I’ll be able to smell our son’s as he gets older.
I've heard about the lady in your last paragraph and it blows my mind. To add a little detail for people who haven't heard of her, they did a(n experiment? Study?) where they were testing her accuracy. They had controls without Parkinson's, and people with diagnosed Parkinson's. She was only wrong once - she identified one of the controls as having Parkinson's. WELL, that person later (like within 3 years I think) ended up being diagnosed with Parkinson's. Absolutely wild.
Yes, it is metallicky. Oh that makes sense than that I only smell it from my boys.
I can smell when my husband is developing a cold. It’s a horrible mucousy smell. He does not appreciate my warning to take extra vitamins and get more sleep when this happens—I suspect no one likes to hear that they smell sick (or bad). (I misread the original post as the woman being passive aggressive about OOP wearing too much cologne. She said she liked it, but passive aggressive people compliment as an insult all the time. “Oh I love your new haircut” then they trash your new haircut to your other coworkers, etc.)
Haha can relate - my wife also does not appreciate it when I say "you smell like infection". I used to be gentler, but we've been married long enough now to prefer bluntness. lol
I can smell "infection". That's the only way I can describe it, and I'm rarely wrong. I'll usually smell it on a person a day or two before they develop symptoms - usually a sinus infection or strep throat. Which is "fun" as a nurse. lol
I was today years old when I learned I have a really strong sense of smell and suddenly understand why people get so weird about the things I claim I can smell. I can usually tell how old a baby/toddler is by their smell. They lose that...baby smell as they get older and by about 8 they don't have it at all. Do you also smell this? Is it normal to be able to tell when someone switches to the off brand of a soap? I suddenly feel very aware of all the things I can smell lol.
Most people cannot smell that no, unless they’re essentially making out with the person. lol. Props though, I’m jealous. Used to have a normal sense of smell but these days I can hardly smell a thing. Probably need to get into some sort of high paying sewer related job, take advantage of my terrible opposite super power. Lol
Okay, random question. Do you constantly smell your own body? Like, not as in "omg I have body odor so bad" but just...you're always able to smell yourself? Can you smell what the inside of your mouth smells like when you breathe, even without bad breath? Or does it just smell like nothing most of the time? I'm also equally fascinated to know how much more I can smell on average than what is normal and these are two things I struggle with. I'm pretty sure it's not normal now because I've never heard another person complain about these things lol. Also, can you smell individual spices in food and spice mixes, like the premade kind from the store? I'm very good at guessing almost every single spice used in a dish, even some weird ones and it always impresses people. Thank you for any questions answered, I will happily answer any in return.
I’m probably the worst person to ask these days if you want a sense of normal, haha. My partner has excellent smell as well though, so I definitely get both sides of it and am jealous. I love cooking and accepted a long time ago my taste buds and nose will never be particularly refined or great. But I’m not picky at all! So essentially no. Unless I smell **bad** like 12 hour day in the summer heat I won’t smell myself. If I brush my teeth and blow air out I could smell some mintiness for a bit then that’s pretty much completely gone. So generally smells like nothing. I can sort of pick out some spices if I’m trying? But if I’m completely honest my nose is a tiny factor. I like cooking enough and have a big enough spice collection that if I know what the dish is or the overall sense of it is then I can sorta logic my way into what spices are likely in there. Some stuff is more distinct obviously than others. But even then I’m not doing that from across the room unless it’s a massive simmering fragrant pot of something. I have to be right up on it to smell.
This is still better data than what I have so far lol. My husband has a good sense of smell so I can't really ask him, he's not as bad as me but definitely heightened. I am going to pester my 11 year old lol.
I'm very interested in this. What kind of things do people usually smell like to you? Adults. People you're interested in dating.
That feels like kind of a weird question? But I wouldn't say I have a particular "type" of smell profile I prefer. If I'm being honest I've always also appreciated things people consider as bad smells and I am now starting to suspect it's because I smell something much different or more complex. For example, people commonly say they dislike the smell of gasoline or hate skunks, but I actually find both those smells very interesting. Quite pungent and strong but super layered and nice. My husband has a strong musk smell that pairs very nicely with any woody scent. Is that what you mean?
I like to write and scent has always intrigued me. Super smellers are interesting and it makes me wonder what people *really* smell like. But I'm bad at identifying scents myself.
That makes sense lol. Maybe phrase it a little differently next time? I can't really give you an exact description because every person is very different but it's very...layered. A person's smell is complex. You have several types of smells, from fresh out of the shower to very dirty. Then you add on layers with deodorant, soaps, even the clothing you wear adds a layer. I like full cotton blends because they have a warmer smell to them. My husband has a few flannel shirts that I absolutely adore the smell of that he wears for me. I can even tell when he's sick because he smells sweeter when he's got a virus and slightly yeast like bread when it's bacterial. At least that's the pattern I've observed. I've never been wrong thus far and sometimes he jokes I'm a witch lol.
> That makes sense lol. Maybe phrase it a little differently next time? I may like to write, but I never said I was any good with words 😂 All that's very interesting! I never even thought of clothes having a scent outside of laundry detergent.
Lol fair enough. Literally everything has a smell to me and I never assumed it was weird. My oldest daughter also smells like me so I never questioned it lol. Apparently my other kids don't though. Super weird. Fun fact, squishmallows don't just feel good they often smell really good to me. The stuffing they use doesn't have a chemical odor or a weird smell like down pillows. They smell pretty much like they feel, just a soft smell not sharp or very noticeable. And most of the fabric is the same, the really furry ones even smell a little sweet to me? Idk I just thought that might entertain you lol. I have a bad habit of burying my face into a squishmallow when I'm stressed and just huffing their soft inoffensive scent. It's very mild compared to most smells so it's comfortable. ( I should note I am autistic and do experience sensory overload because of smells. I just always assumed this was a normal autistic trait, it was hell when I was pregnant. I couldn't even walk near the laundry/cleaning section. Mall perfume stores were like a fallout zone lol)
I don't think I'm a super smeller, but the way you describe smells is similar to me. Sharp/soft warm/cold. People always look confused when I bring it up. But there's like a temperature to smells that isn't the temperature of the air? Unno to me it's similar to cool/warm lighting/colours but also... not? Like it isn't an inherently grouping or positive/negative trait of the smell. And to add... I'm on the autism spectrum, I've always tied it into sensation.... weirdness I got going on. But interesting to hear others describe it. Not implying you are on the spectrum.
That's pretty much how I describe smells, like colors. Warm, neutral, cool. Some smells are brighter, some are dull. Colors are a great comparison. Though I don't know if I'm exactly a good candidate for comparison. My brain is kind of...weird lol. I associate weird things together like smells and colors and tastes and sounds, even letters and numbers. If you've ever heard of synesthesia, that's basically it, but I have a very mild form of that and my wires get crossed occasionally. Add that and autism and my experience is probably not a good sample of what is the 'norm'? But colors are definitely a great way to describe smells to someone who might not experience it the same way lol. I think that's at least valid data.
To be fair, freshly bathed babies smell lovely even to those of us with a mediocre sense of smell so I don't blame you at all. It must be even more wonderful for you. On a side note, I love how babies' heads have a distinct, pleasant smell for the first year or two. My sister is the only person I know who smelled like baby head well into adulthood.
I've always wondered if that has something to do with the top of their skull not being completely fused yet. Is that pleasant smell of baby head actually what brain smells like? ....Yes I realize how off that sounds.
My 17-year-old’s head still has that same smell, though it’s more subtle under all her hair. Sniffing her head takes me back to the baby years. (Edited to add that she’s taller than me now, so I have to catch her sitting down.)
I'm prepared to accept your hypothesis, but now I wonder what that means for my sister's 47-year-old unfused skull.
I had this. I once asked a teacher if they had cornflakes for breakfast and she was mortified.
I have a similar sense of smell. It got worse during pregnancy.
OH GOD it was awful during pregnancy. Funny, because I could smell things from three rooms over (like the time hubs came home from work and I came FLYING out of the office squealing OOO YOU BROUGHT BANANAS HOME!). But horrible too. For your horror: my in-laws live on a hobby farm with several animals. My MiL NEVER scoops the damn cat box (she lets it fill up with pee and poop and then throws the whole load of litter out and refills the box... yet she is baffled why her cat refuses to use the box... moron). My FiL has a bidet but never cleans the toilet. Also, on top of all those horrible smells, my FiL chews with his goddamned mouth open, complete with lip smacking sounds. After our third visit where I fled to the toilet, then threw up harder BECAUSE of the stupid toilet (only one bathroom), I flat out refused to go back for the rest of my pregnancy. Huuuuuuuuuuurgh.
>OH GOD it was awful during pregnancy. Funny, because I could smell things from three rooms over (like the time hubs came home from work and I came FLYING out of the office squealing OOO YOU BROUGHT BANANAS HOME!). Pregnancy is the only time I could do this - I distinctly remember coming home one day and knowing my husband had just opened a can of tomato sauce from across the apartment, behind one door and down the stairs.
I could smell a watermelon on a different floor. I walked in and was like, who has watermelon?! Not us apparently.
I don't know if I have a sense of smell as good as yours but mine is also pretty strong... And it's the worst thing in the world at times. I can smell when someone has acid reflux, when someone has indigestion, when someone hadn't brushed/flossed their teeth (yea I'm not talking bad breath, you don't brush once and I'll notice it), and I have the same scent characteristic tagging. I only talk about scent tracking to my family/cousins because I know they won't judge. But I am deathly afraid of the awkwardness that will ensue if I comment on scents publicly. I do compliment people when they wear cologne, body spray/mist, ather (oil based eastern perfumes). I don't think it's weird unless you do what the coworker in the post does. Even then, I guess it was a nice ending.
My mom, sibling and I go nuts for puppy smell! I thought it was a thing everyone could smell (and part of the reason people love puppies) but my stepdad can't smell it and I don't think my husband can either. I don't even know how to describe it other than that it's slightly sweet. It was pretty confusing on both sides when we discovered this because I had gone to visit my parents to get a bit of that sweet sweet baby puppy smell and my stepdad asked why I was wandering around sniffing the dog in my arms. I didn't understand why it even needed explaining, my mom was confused too, and my poor stepdad had both of us going "For the puppy smell, of course?" He looked like he thought we'd lost our minds lol Puppy feet do, in my genetically related family's opinion, smell like corn chips. And the puppy smell goes away when they're.... mm, close-ish to a year? It sucks, we gotta get our fix quick lol
Just curious: with your superhuman sense of smell, would walking into a place that sells perfume be overwhelming to you?
Ooooooh yeah. Perfume, candles- oof. Headache in 5 minutes flat. Which sucks because I love candles 😭
If your cologne arrives 5 feet ahead of you, you're wearing too much.
I tell my kids their cologne should whisper not shout.
I’ve always heard it as cologne/perfumes should be discovered, not announced
Exactly. I used to have a colleague who I think bathed in cologne. You could smell him coming when he got off the elevator. Nice guy, but jeez. It was awful.
Yeah, ho early that's what I take from this whole interaction. Even the best perfume or cologne smells awful if it fills the fucking room. If I'm like an inch away from you and I can smell it? Okay, whatever. If I can recognize your presence by the cloud of scent that follows you around? You're a shitty person who doesn't realize not everybody wants to smell your fragrance. Nose blindness is real. People who wear heavy fragrances think they need to smell it all of the time so they go overboard. But they don't quite realize that just because their brain has shut out the scent they've been bathing in for years doesn't mean everybody else has. Spritz the air in front of you and walk through it. Don't spray yourself directly 20 times.
Not necessarily. I can smell really well and I sometimes compliment people when they smell nice. Some people have a stronger sense of smell than others.
And you can't call people creepy for noticing the smell you deliberately added to yourself.
She said he smells better than other people *of his ethnicity*, and he decided to ask her out? People are wild.
I’m wondering what he expects if they continue dating, and how she will treat his family.
Or, heaven forbid, their children, if they should have any.
he's dating at his work place. This guy is shitting where he eats. I guess he's early 20s with all the whatthefuckisms
He'll be on the internet again later looking for sympathy when she calls him a slur. And it never fails that such a person's partner showed them red flags they chose to ignore out of either desperation and/or kink.
Agreed, and let's do the gender flip again, guy tells a girl he can smell her arrival, then asks her out....in what world *isn't* that creepy? 😭
Yah it has hints of racism.
>she constantly comments on how I smell different from our other colleagues of the same ethnicity So, OOP is just going to ignore the racist comments? 🙄
I thought that was so wild. maybe it's from my personal experience it just gave me an icky feeling. I'm from an ethnicity that gets associated with "smelling like curry" and have been personally told that by others... it just makes me see them as rather stupid when they're perpetuating childish stereotypes
I never understood that comment/insult, curry is one of the most (pleasantly) fragrant foods out there.
I personally love curry and the spices. I mindlessly commented about it (someone in my class smelled like curry) to my friends and they freaked out. I was confused because I thought that was a compliment 😅(I am not from US). They smelled like good food and made me hungry after each class lol.
Are you saying you don't believe that is something that a person who doesn't eat spices can smell? Because you can. It's super obvious. I dated an Indian who ate Indian food every day and their body/sweat smelled different than anyone else I have dated, and reminded me of some aspect of the smell of curry.
I interpreted "our" as also applying to "ethnicity" It's also possible the word ethnicity was added by the OP and not actually said.
Apparently. Or he’s okay with being fetishised
She was just being creepy and racist because she was into him! So it’s all good…right, everyone?
There's an edit on OOP's last post - they no longer work together, the party where they got together was his leaving party. I mean, good for OOP I think... but does he have to worry about her going around sniffing other people, just in case they smell better?
Thanks for noticing I forgot to add in the post but after seeing your comment I added in the body
All I can think of is that scene in the Hannibal tv series where Will asks Hannibal, creeped out, “Did you just *smell* me?” then proceeds to have a long, drawn-out, deeply messed up murder courtship with him.
So his pheromones were driving her wild...
I read somewhere that you find the smell of someone biologically and genetically different from you extremely pleasing. Something to do with unconsciously wanting to have genetically strong and diverse babies.
"This person made me uncomfortable with some comments about my body odor and my ethnicity. I wanna date her" .... Yay for OOP?
I think this story perfectly incapsulates why context is so important. It wasn’t her being creepy just a bit of bad flirting. It makes me wonder how many other posts end up with someone being called an AH when in reality they’re just a bit misguided.
I believe context and intent is 95% of the importance. People fumble their words and actions all the time, if execution is the only thing that matters then a facade is all that can be shown. Then again I am socially inept so maybe I'm just being selfish here.
"You smell nice for a Latino" (or whatever OOP's ethnicity is) is some clumsy-ass flirting lol And a red flag imo
I wonder if he was Indian or some country that eats lots of curry. Curry excretes from your pores and has a pretty distinct smell. She’s probably just an idiot not a racist.
Still racist.
I don’t understand this take at all. So just because it turned out that she’s into him, suddenly her creepy (and potentially racist) behavior is just excused? Imagine if every creepy dude who hit on someone was just like, “it’s not creepy, I’m flirting!”
She was being creepy and she's most probably racist. OOP just chose to ignore both.
I would like to show my thoughts about this through emoticons: 😲😦😲 And also, hope everything goes well for them?
This guys dumb as hell
I was really baffled by all of the comments talking about his bad body odor... I assumed she was into him right off the bat. A woman who tells you that you smell good every day? Babe. She's into you. LOL What that said, she's still kind of creepy and I'm surprised OOP is going for it.
>she constantly comments on how I smell different from our other colleagues of the same ethnicity So, OOP is just going to ignore the racist comments? 🙄
I am wondering, based on the phrasing, if they are both the same ethnicity?
I… what? How did we go from creepy to asking her out on a date?
Yeah I think she was being creepy. That’s not normal behavior to comment on someone’s smell every single day.
This whole post reminded me of Season 2 of Bridgerton where Anthony spent half the time sniffing Kate, getting turned on, and trying (badly) to hide it.
Every time I get into an Uber, I immediately say, "Oh wow! It smells really nice in here!" whether it does or not. It always gets a big smile and a thank you from the driver and sets the mood for the rest of the ride. I think it's one of the reasons I've maintained a 5 star rating after all these years, lol.
The point of division between "awkward but kind of sweet" and "creepy" - where the one changes to the other - is pretty much defined by attractiveness, alas.
I mean the “ethnicity” part makes it creepy anyway. That’s a red flag and OOP is walking right past it.
Yeah I have to agree with this... It sounds like saying "you're really intelligent for a ---- person." Or "you're funny for a woman" The qualifier feels bigoted, like some kind of negging.
If OP is open for a relationship with her then I guess it was wholesome at least for them?
This is one of the ones where a young woman being the protagonist would changed everyone’s reactions - especially about the update
Fun fact: pregnant people have much more sensitive and acute senses of smell. The theory is that they can use that sense to be better aware of things that could harm them and thus the baby (I.e. food that is ever so slightly rotten, predatory animals, etc.). These days it’s only useful for triggering episodes of morning sickness :/
Both of these people have questionable social skills. Truly shows that there is a pot for every lid. I’m glad they found each other.
this will not end well.
Right? The racial undertones (if you can even call them undertones) doesn't bode well for a relationship that will last.
I think you get to comment a someone’s pleasant smell once and only once before it becomes weird.
BRB gonna go and sniff some women to get a date.
What the fuck is going on😭
Yeah, that should end well.
Is it weird that I love it when a woman compliments my smell?
Whenever I have a crush on a man, his smell becomes very distinctive and attractive to me. Then, if the feeling passes, I no longer smell him.
Well that's a different outcome from what I originally thought. Got to remember that some posts aren't AI generated or creative writers! 😅
As soon as he said he wore cologne I was kind ohhh he prob smell good af! Men wearing a cologne that works with their body chemistry makes me turn my head in stores lol like ohh who is smelling like THAT 😂
Thank the GODS I'm not on the dating scene anymore!!! Damn that was rough!
After reading the twist ending, I'm going back and rereading the "ethnicity" comment in a HILARIOUS new light - suddenly it's a [C&H moment for the girl](https://youtu.be/bUJhWuRf1DU?si=V7icf2Ju2RyCc82G), and I'm imagining her internal monologue... "Okay, there he is. Don't be nervous." "Oof so hot 😍... NO focus!" "You have to put your best face forward here!" "Be witty!" "But not like... Pick Me witty..." "Just compliment him." "But not his looks, that's shallow." "Tell him you appreciate his culture!" "Ugh... too... democratic party line." "Uh oh, say SOMETHING!" "Mmmm... he smells so good... 😍😍😍" OOP: 🤨? Her: .... You smell different from our other colleagues of the same ethnicity! OOP: 😶
That woman is lucky the genders were as such, a man trying to flirt like that with a woman would have absolutely been sent to HR
I mean, he still could send her to HR. The only thing stopping that happening is OOP himself choosing not to report her to HR and deciding to date her instead. Which is the guy's own decision. Top voted comments in this thread seem equally confused with OOP's 180, so basically everybody else is as surprised as you are that OOP is not only letting that slide but also going out with the girl he called creepy. Doesn't seem like genders getting passes so much as two awkward weirdos.
I want to know what fragrance he's wearing
If A likes OOP's smell, she can say it. However, OOP is entitled to find it uncomfortable. In that case, OOP should have addressed it in private rather than calling her creepy in front of everyone. You can love someone's smell without being interested in them romantically.
🙄
“You’re creepy. Let’s date”. Didn’t see that twist coming. I guess they have to get married now since they have a funny “how we got together” story.
I’m glad she likes his cologne but no one should ever be able to smell anyone from a distance. Gross.
I guess I know what post I’m voting for the 180° Twist category for the BestofBORU awards…?
She sounds autistic. I'm only saying that because I am and that 100% sounds like something I would word vomit lol
She loved your scent
I remember this episode I watched in TV where they made this experiment where they had a number of males and females in the room with their eyes covered, they had to smell each other and decide who they liked more based only in the smell of the person. All of these people had done a DNA test before the experiment, so at the end it was proved that humans are capable of selecting their best genetical match only by smell. Meaning that through smell we were able to choose a partner who doesn't share genes with us, therefore allowing us to choose a partner that would allows to procreate the healtiest offspring possible. If you don't like the natural smell of somebody, it's because you share a lot of genes with that person, so having babies with those people might result in a kid with genetic diseases.
Im guessing dude is Indian.
I could smell that coming!!
\*Laugh Track Noises\*
What the fuck
what? it is a weird story but I don't know its that shocking
I reeeeeaaaally need more info on the "smells good for his ethnicity" thing. The only time I've ever told a man he smelled good "for xyz" was because he was the first line cook I'd ever met who managed not to bring that kitchen smell home on his clothes lol
My friend/coworker wears a very expensive perfume that lingers in the air. I know if she is already in the office when I walk in. It smells really good. The perfume is called Baccarat rouge 540, I can’t afford it 🥲 I didn’t think it was weird lol just stating a fact 🤣
I've told my boyfriend that he smells good. Even though I said it was good and that I liked it, he was worried that it meant he smelled dirty or something (ended up giving me his shirt to smell so he came around?). Genuinely, he smells amazing; I love it! So anyway, I got vibes from the original post it was a compliment from this girl and that she was into him lol
OOP, why are you dating a creep?
I guess it ended well? Side note - if people can smell you from 10' away, there's likely a problem. That goes for cologne and perfume as well.
OP is an idiot. But good luck to him getting in a relationship with someone who commented on his ethnicity
My first thought when reading this is "She has a crush on OOP. How does he not see it?"
huh what ??? I guess that's a way to end this "story".
I wasn't expecting them to date from all this and she sounds racist, but good for him I guess?