When you meet a potential new partner, chances are you're doing everything in your power to impress them, as those first few dates can make or break a budding relationship. Unfortunately in a society that is often dictated by the way we look, first impressions count, so wearing nice clothes and smelling good can be a sure-fire way to attract a new romantic connection.
Sometimes, that's easier said than done, as our jobs or lifestyles can mean that smelling or looking our best is particularly difficult. One man found this to be true when he started dating his now-girlfriend, a zookeeper, as her line of work meant that she often has an animal-like scent that is difficult to scrub off.
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Despite being completely understanding when they went on their first date, the man has said that his girlfriend's odour has got a lot worse, but he's struggling to bring it up with her as he knows it's not her fault.
Taking to Reddit to share his conundrum, the anonymous man explained: "I (25M) have been dating this woman for a few months now, and honestly we get along really well.
"About a month ago, I met her for dinner one night at a semi-fancy restaurant around 6pm. She arrived a little bit late, and was really apologetic saying 'Oh gosh sorry, I probably smell so funky right now, I tried by best to wash and scrub but I know it wasn't enough'
"She was pretty stinky. She works as an animal caretaker at the zoo and had to stay late that night, so I understood. That night was the first night I really noticed her stinking of animals".
Describing the woman's unusual odour, the man said: "It was strong at the same table (something between old fish and a ferret cage, yuck) and rather unappetizing, but not the sort of thing you could smell across the room, so I saw no reason it should ruin the dinner.
Determined to put the woman's mind at ease, the man was honest with her, but reassured her in the same breath, as he explains: "So I said 'I mean I guess there's a slight smell, but it just shows you worked hard...
"I've never been one of those weak-stomached guys who's going to complain about that, I really don't mind, honest, I'm used to animal smells anyway".
The woman was incredibly relieved by the man's reaction, as he said: "To my surprise her eyes lit up and she said 'Wow, really, you're serious? That's so reassuring to hear', and starting opening up about how hard it was to make sure she always smelled good.
"She'd often have to scrub for half an hour after work to even be somewhat presentable and sometimes even that wasn't enough, changes of clothes and boots, that she had to sometimes pick which days to schedule dates with me or run errands based around her off-days".
How would you address this issue with your partner? Let us know in the comments...
After reassuring her that she didn't need to be 'overly concerned' when realising that 'it meant a lot to her', the man then admitted in his Reddit post that his actions 'turned out to be a big mistake'.
According to the boyfriend, the zookeeper's smell has got '10-20x worse than that night in the restaurant' and he's struggling to cope.
"Over the past month, we've seen each other more often, and she's usually smelled okay, but there have been 4 or 5 occasions where she's smelled horrible. 10-20x worse than that night in the restaurant.
"I have to breathe lightly to even try to stomach it, and it really kills my mood and leaves my house reeking".
Musing over his dilemma, the man admits that "now I either have to really let her down or resign myself to living in olfactory hell".
More than a thousand people flooded to the comments to share their advice on the matter, with one writing: "As a zookeeper myself, I think this will be something you want to think about when it comes to the long-term future of your relationship?
"I never had any success dating outside the profession, and this was one reason why. Right now, she can pick and choose when to see you and center it around when she smells ok.
"When you're living together though? There are going to be days when she stinks like hell. Probably much worse than anything you've experienced so far".
Another said: "Can confirm. I have a friend who works at a Zoo. You date within the profession, because no amount of cleaning, odor neutralizer, or scent product will remove that stench".
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