Clean it up.
Ever since I got this job, I've been known to wander the love and relationships section of bookstores. Online, I look at relationship books so often that Amazon has started to recommend books with titles like When Love Hurts Too Much and The Fifteen Best Ways to Keep Your Man.
Which brings me to yesterday. As I was cruised the dating section of Hopkins' bookstore, my friend and I flipping through books, I noticed a common denominator in many of the how-to guides to getting a date, mate or plain 'ol hookup: hygiene.
Almost every book I read through had a chapter on hygiene. The book I ultimately bought, How to Date in a Post-Dating World, had a chapter with subcategories titled "Wash Your Body," "Fix Your Hair," "Watch Your Mouth" and "Clean Your House," among others.
I'm sorry, I thought hygiene was one of the cardinal rules for basic living, let alone for times when you're trying to attract a mate. If I'm doing a quick run to the grocery store on the coffee shop around the corner, I may not look my best, but otherwise, I at least heed my mother's warning on undergarments: "You've gotta at least wear clean underwear! What if you get in an accident?"
Am I in the minority? Is hygiene really that big of a problem for many people that dating books have to spell it out? Or do you think these authors are just covering all the bases?
Which brings me to yesterday. As I was cruised the dating section of Hopkins' bookstore, my friend and I flipping through books, I noticed a common denominator in many of the how-to guides to getting a date, mate or plain 'ol hookup: hygiene.
Almost every book I read through had a chapter on hygiene. The book I ultimately bought, How to Date in a Post-Dating World, had a chapter with subcategories titled "Wash Your Body," "Fix Your Hair," "Watch Your Mouth" and "Clean Your House," among others.
I'm sorry, I thought hygiene was one of the cardinal rules for basic living, let alone for times when you're trying to attract a mate. If I'm doing a quick run to the grocery store on the coffee shop around the corner, I may not look my best, but otherwise, I at least heed my mother's warning on undergarments: "You've gotta at least wear clean underwear! What if you get in an accident?"
Am I in the minority? Is hygiene really that big of a problem for many people that dating books have to spell it out? Or do you think these authors are just covering all the bases?
Comments
I agree, hygiene is absolutely an important issue, but I think the much more common issue is table manners. Ever had a date spit a piece of food on your arm during a first date because she was talking and chewing at the same time? Or had them look down upon the waiter or yell at the cab driver? Unfortunately (or fortunately?) I've had the bad manners date occur more than the smelly date; I'm not really sure which is worse.
Posted by: Tom | August 24, 2007 3:33 PM