Will you share the physical symptoms involved in the allergic reaction?
I get a screaming headache. Not the take-two-aspirin-and-relax-for-half-an-hour headache, but a killer. The only way I can avoid it is to run like hell upon first whiff. Sticking around long enough to make an excuse for my abrupt departure is enough to do me in. I also react that way to cigarette smoke and some other petroleum products like charcoal starter. I don't attend cook-outs. Other than that, I'm not allergic to anything.
I have a colleague, Rita, who used to drown herself in perfume. She was courteous enough to stay out of my space and we did most of our business by phone. She just loved her perfume and had a large collection--the good stuff. She told me it just made her feel so good to wear perfume that there's no way she could give it up. We also discussed her various chronic illnesses off and on. She had headaches, sinus problems, and some nasty skin anomalies on her face that were eluding her doctor. Eventually she came to consider that her perfume might be contributing. She gave up the stuff and all her symptoms went away. This was a few years ago. She missed her perfume so much that she eventually found a couple of fragrances that didn't affect her very much. She wears them every day but not as heavily. She still has the courtesy to steer clear of me and a couple of others who are affected by perfume.
Rita, another colleague in my boat, and I had lots of discussions about the ethics of wearing perfume and I think we all learned from them. I think that most people are just oblivious to how perfume affects some others. Many people are annoyed by it so perfume wearers think that all objections are about annoyance instead of real pain.
Rita's original attitude of wearing perfume despite annoying others is not unreasonable. She figured she was getting at least as much pleasure as they were experiencing discomfort. What is not widely understood is that, for many, it's not just annoyance. It causes real pain, lost productivity, and also tends to isolate people who avoid social situations where perfume may be present. The reason I get on my high horse about it from time to time is that I know that Rita and other perfume wearers can't even smell their own perfume after they've had in on for more than a few minutes. If I'm forced to suffer, I'd at least like to know that they're enjoying their perfume bath throughout the day. But they're not.
Thanks for giving me the opportunity to spend some more time on my soapbox.
Karen |
