Friday, February 26, 2010
New Orleans #5 on list of cities with worst body odor
Posted by Kevin Allman on Fri, Feb 26, 2010 at 10:05 PM
Just last week some national condom company was claiming Big Easy men had the biggest, er, easies in America. Now comes some Web site called Total Beauty to take us all down a peg or two, claiming New Orleans is among the worst cities in America when it comes to body odor*. The reasoning:
The Big Easy's fragrant, eau de Post-Party Frat Basement scent doesn't help matters. It's also a very sweaty city, with high temperatures and humidity year-round. And it's a smoker's paradise -- the state tax on cigarettes is low, and the public smoking ban doesn't extend to bars. About 20 percent of adults in this city smoke.
The stinkiest city in America, according to Total Beauty? Las Vegas, followed by Houston, Phoenix, Chicago, us, San Antonio, and Yuma, Ariz. The site came to its conclusions, it says, by "assessing climate history and smoking data," which doesn't sound like the most rigorously scientific method of measuring stench.
What do you think, Gambiteers? Are we all a bunch of Boudreaux Le Pews?
* hat tip to The Huck Upchuck for pointing out this important info
Comments (8)
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They're just jealous because our streets are awash with the sweet smell of victory. And urine. You really can't ignore the urine.
Admittedly I moved here in the summertime but I never knew before there were people who routinely showered three or four times a day until I moved here.
Thanks for the Hat Tip, Kevin. I feel it is also appropriate to note that the folks at TotalBeauty.com also ranked New Orleans as one of the 13 "worst-hair" cities in the country: http://www.totalbeauty.com/content/gallery/p_worst_hair_cities/p26782/page5 I think someone at TotalBeauty.com must have come to NOLA all glammed up and took offense that we don't give a rat's behind about such superficial things, preferring instead to glory in our food, drink, and unpretentious exuberance.
I love the smell of New Orleans. After being away for any length of time, I look for that smell when stepping out into it. Also, in many neighborhoods, you could literally follow the scents of flowers or cooking. I mean, I have NEVER been in a city where you could navigate with your nose the way you can in New Orleans (if you really use your imagination that is:)... I believe the people doing this "study" were compromised by the overpowering presence of their own upper lips.
Their methodology is faulty. It doesn't take into account whether or not locals use deodorant or bathe regularly. I travel frequently, and the stinkiest city, by far, is San Francisco. I live in Los Angeles, where people also smell far worse than any of the so-called top five cities. The climate is far milder here, but people also bathe less.
