The ad struck a chord with ladies who didn’t want to risk social rejection, and antiperspirants took off. Essentially, Odorono’s advertising convinced women that they needed to wear antiperspirants because they may be sweating and not even know it!. None of Mary’s friends were brave enough to tell her that she smelled terrible. (Imagine if this ad came out today.) People didn’t talk about perspiration or any bodily fluids back then-they were taboo. She couldn’t find a husband because of the way she smelled. No one wanted to hang out with her because she had terrible body odor but didn’t know it. The ad for Odorono presented a fictional character named Mary. Their body odor was considered “masculine.” Can you sense my eye roll? Printed advertisements were as long as newspaper articles back then, and people actually read them. Why just women, you ask? Because back then, it was okay for men to stink. The ad writer targeted women and their insecurities to sell the product. After she hired an advertising firm, the product took off. They called the antiperspirant Odorono… “Odor–Oh, no!” (Yep, just like it sounds!) She tried to sell the concoction to her friends, but it didn’t go so well. His daughter tried this antiperspirant on her underarms and liked that it kept her pits dry. The story goes back to the 1900s when a Cincinnati doctor created a liquid to prevent his hands from getting sweaty on the job. Once I dug into how antiperspirant came to be an essential product in the U.S., I couldn’t believe how strange and even contrived its beginnings were! Antiperspirant first rose to popularity in 1920s America, and it was because people were scared into buying it. I get that body odor is a turn-off, but when did sweating get such a bad rep? After all, perspiration regulates our body temperature. Deodorants that masked odor came out by the end of the 19th century, but those products did not block sweat. If underarm sweat stains were a concern, people sewed absorbent cotton pads into the sleeves of their shirts and dresses. Before the 19th century, people in the United States handled body odor by washing stinky parts more frequently and wearing perfume to mask smells. The fragranced aroma of perfume soon came to mean status for those who wore it. They used essential oils to create ointments and balms that are simpler than many perfumes we see on shelves today. Ancient Egyptians were ahead of the game when they invented perfume. It turns out that humans have been using fragrance on their bodies for thousands of years. After finding out how big these hygiene industries are, I wanted to know just when the whole craze over covering up body odor began. Yeah, I did a double-take when I saw “billions,” too. The global deodorant and antiperspirant market is worth over, and the global oral hygiene market is worth over $44 billion. Turns out, we collectively spend a ton of money on products that prevent (or claim to prevent) bad breath and body odor. I was curious to see just how much money we spend on products to keep us smelling fresh. That’s why people make buying personal care products a priority. However, these and other embarrassing odors don’t discriminate, so at least we don’t have to feel alone in our embarrassment! But, they can still cause our confidence levels to take a big hit. Morning breath, smelly pits, and stinky feet are not exactly what you’d mention on an online dating profile. Like most humans, you have likely experienced bad breath and body odor at some point in your life.
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