History Main / HumansAreSmelly

* One frequent running gag in ''Webcomic/OrderOfTheStick'' is for the halfling Belkar (who is also a gourmet chef and thus has a honed sense of smell) to state that humans stink horribly to the point of causing him misery every day. http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0838.html In this particular case, the scent he smelled that strip is unusual, but since he comments that this distress is a daily occurance the example works.

* One frequent running gag in ''WebComic/OrderOfTheStick'' is for the halfling Belkar (who is also a gourmet chef and thus has a honed sense of smell) to state that humans stink horribly to the point of causing him misery every day. http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0838.html In this particular case, the scent he smelled that strip is unusual, but since he comments that this distress is a daily occurance the example works.

* In an OriginsEpisode of ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'', the unnamed spirit who agrees to take Wan (the future first Avatar) in dubs him "[[InsultOfEndearment Stinky]]" after earlier commenting that humans are disgusting.

** 300 years earlier the Japan example would've happened in reverse—from at least the Heian era (794-1185) until some time in the 14th or 15th century, the Japanese, even courtiers bathed about once a month. High Medieval (c. 1100-1300, or from about the First Crusade to the Black Plague) Western Europeans bathed an average of three times a week (i.e. about every other day). 13th-century Paris is often estimated to have had about 110,000 people, and they were served by 1300 bathhouses—not even counting the private baths in the homes of the well-to-do.

** 300 years earlier the Japan example would've happened in reverse—the Heian Japanese (794-1185) bathed about once a month, while High Medieval (c. 1100-1300, or from about the First Crusade to the Black Plague) Western Europeans bathed an average of three times a week (i.e. about every other day). 13th-century Paris is often estimated to have had about 110,000 people, and they were served by 1300 bathhouses—not even counting the private baths in the homes of the well-to-do.

** 300 years earlier the Japan example would've happened in reverse—the Heian Japanese bathed about once a month, while High Medieval (c. 1100-1300, or from about the First Crusade to the Black Plague) Western Europeans bathed an average of three times a week (i.e. about every other day). 13th-century Paris is often estimated to have had about 110,000 people, and they were served by 1300 bathhouses—not even counting the private baths in the homes of the well-to-do.

* It happens between widely separated civilizations on this planet too. Initially the first European visitors to Japan were considered filthy and repugnant. The Native Americans felt this way about the Europeans when they arrived. Considering (Renaissance) Europeans bathed relatively infrequently and ate much more meat than most Native Americans (who primarily lived on beans and corn), this is not surprising. Europeans (and Sub-Saharan Africans) also have genetic predispositions to stronger body-odor than Asians and Native Americans ([[http://udel.edu/~mcdonald/mythearwax.html the genes are linked to the texture of one's earwax]]).

* It happens between widely separated civilizations on this planet too. Take James Clavell's Shogun. Initially the first European visitors to Japan were considered filthy and repugnant. The Native Americans felt this way about the Europeans when they arrived. Considering most Europeans felt bathing was dangerous to their health and ate much more meat and cheese than their non-European neighbors (and thus had the potential for malodorous scents and emissions), this is not surprising.

** The natives, for their part, viewed Europeans as "just plain smelly" according to first hand records.

* It happens betwen widely seperated civilizations on this planet too. Take James Clavell's Shogun. Initially the first European visitors to Japan were considered filthy and repugnant. The Native Americans felt this way about the Europeans when they arrived. Considering most Europeans felt bathing was dangerous to their health, this is not surprising.

Humans are filthy creatures, this is true. Regular maintenance and cleanup is required to avoid foul odours but to those species that consider themselves higher than some lowly earthling, humans ''always'' smell bad. You'll often find other races like elves, TheFairFolk and especially aliens talking about the stink of human, especially amongst more arrogant species. To them, a stinky creature is a inferior one and you, you foul hairless ape, are on the lowest rung. Due to the nature of this trope requiring the response of a non-human party, this trope is normally reserved for fantasy or sci-fi genres and possibly verge on being a inverted FantasticRacism.

Humans are filthy creatures, this is true. Regular maintenance and cleanup is required to avoid foul odours but to those species that consider themselves higher than some lowly earthling, humans ''always'' smell bad. You'll often find other races like elves, TheFairFolk and especially aliens talking about the stink of human, especially amongst more arrogant species. To them, a stinky creature is a inferior one and you, you foul hairless ape, are on the lowest rung. Due to the nature of this trope requiring the response of a non-human party, this trope is normally reserved for fantasy or sci-fi genres and possibly verge on FantasticRacism.

Humans are filthy creatures, this is true. Regular maintenance and cleanup is required to avoid foul odours but to those species that consider themselves higher than some lowly earthling, humans ''always'' smell bad. You'll often find other races like elves, TheFairFolk and especially aliens talking about the stink of human, especially amongst more arrogant species. To them, a stinky creature is a inferior one and you, you foul hairless ape, are on the lowest rung. Due to the nature of this trope requiring the response of a non-human party, this trope is normally reserved for fantasy or sci-fi genres.

Humans are filthy creatures, this is true. Regular maintenance and cleanup is required to avoid foul odours but to those species that consider themselves higher than some lowly earthling, humans ''always'' smell bad. You'll often find other races like elves, TheFairFolk and especially aliens talking about the stink of human, especially amongst more arrogant species. To them, a stinky creature is a inferior one and you, you foul hairless ape, are on the lowest rung. Due to the nature of this trope requiring the response of a non-human party, this trope is normally reserved for fantasy or or sci-fi genres.

Note that for this trope to apply, this must be a human whose body scent must be in a state where other humans present don't object to the scent, if other humans object too then it's another trope entirely.

Humans are filthy creatures, this is true. Regular maintenance and cleanup is required to avoid foul odours but to those species that consider themselves higher than some lowly earthling, humans ''always'' smell bad. You'll often find other races like elves, dwarves or hobbits and especially aliens talking about the stink of human, especially amongst more arrogant species like elves. To them, a stinky creature is a lowly one and you, you foul hairless ape, are the lowest rung. Due to the nature of this trope requiring the response of a non-human party, this trope is normally reserved for fantasy or or scifi genres.

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* One frequent running gag in '''WebComic/OrderOfTheStick''' is for the halfling Belkar (who is also a gourmet chef and thus has a honed sense of smell) to state that humans stink horribly to the point of causing him misery every day. http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0838.html In this particular case, the scent he smelled that strip is unusual, but since he comments that this distress is a daily occurance the example works.

* BirdyTheMighty, in a way. Altans are physically very similar to humans, and all the other non humanoid races seem to say Altans smell (strongly enough that some of them can track Altans amongst humans by scent alone). Humans can't smell Altans, and Humans aren't particularly smelly to the other races.

* While it hadn't been brought up in the chronologically later series, ''Series/StarTrekEnterprise'' reveals that humans smell bad to Vulcans, and that T'Pol has had to take medications to desensitize her.

* One frequent running gag in the Webcomic Order of the Stick is for the halfling Belkar (who is also a gourmet chef and thus has a honed sense of smell) to state that humans stink horribly to the point of causing him misery every day. http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0838.html In this particular case, the scent he smelled that strip is unusual, but since he comments that this distress is a daily occurance the example works.

* ''StarTrekVoyager'': Humans smell really bad to the Voth, a reptilian species descended from dinosaurs, with highly advanced olfactory faculties.

Humans are filthy creatures, this is true. Regular maintenance and cleanup is required to avoid foul odours but to those species that consider themselves higher than some lowly earthling, humans ''always'' smell bad. You'll often find other races like elves, dwarves or hobbits and especially aliens talking about the stink of human, especially amongst more arrogant species like elves. To them, a stinky creature is a lowly one and you, you foul hairless ape, are the lowest rung. Due to the nature of this trope requiring the response of a non-human party, this trope is normally reserved for fantasy or or scifi genres.

Note that for this trope to apply, this must be a human whose body scent must be in a state where other humans present don't object to the scent, if other humans object too then it's another trope entirely.

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** The natives, for their part, viewed Europeans as "just plain smelly" according to first hand records.

!!! Examples:

''StarTrekVoyager'': Humans smell really bad to the Voth, a reptilian species descended from dinosaurs, with highly advanced olfactory faculties.

It happens betwen widely seperated civilizations on this planet too. Take James Clavell's ''Shogun''. Initially the first European visitors to Japan were considered filthy and repugnant, even though at the time Europeans bathed at least once a year, whether they needed to or not. Once the wisest and most pragmatic Europeans adopted a Japanese standard of personal hygeine - far higher than anything prevailing in England, Holland or Spain at the time - the Japanese accepted we could make an effort not to nasally assault decent people. But the Japanes, who lived a largely vegtarian diet, still maintained Europeans stank because all the meat we habitually ate made a difference, and leeched out of our bodies in the form of more intangible sweat and odours. (A theory modern science and observations sems to have proven - meat eaters do smell differently to veggies, howver clean they keep themselves. )