Geek Smell

[Sesari]

We've all heard it a million times before, and we all know what I'm talking about. Also known as HOBO, (Horrible Otaku Body Odor) what I've come to refer to as 'geek smell' can be easily avoided, and while I know that it's virtually impossible to force everyone at a convention to bathe, (Short of busting out a really big hose and some industrial sanitizers) I think that there's at least a few simple solutions as to how to help with this problem.

Maybe you've seen this: http://www.sakuracon.org/index.php?s=faqs&p=faqs/checklist.php but then again, maybe you haven't. It's a good list. It covers a lot of bases, even going above and beyond personal hygiene.

While standing in line to get my pre-reg badge on Saturday morning, a woman standing in line near me and I caught a whif of the unpleasant aroma most of us have come to loathe and abhor, and after the passing culprit had moved out of earshot, we both expressed our casual disgust. However, we also hatched a could-be brilliant idea: Free soap sponsors.

I don't know how this would go, as I'm not any sort of business person, but if we were able to get free sampler manga in our swag bags, shouldn't it be possible to get free travel-size soap and / or deodorant for our guests as well? A sponsor could benefit from the publicity, I'd hope, and the rest of us could benefit from cleaner, fresher air, not to mention cleaner, fresher people.

Sure, not everyone is gonna use them, but not everybody reads their free manga samplers, either. At least providing them with these items allows people the option to use the products if necessary, and removes the excuse of not bringing it with them on the trip, or not being able to afford it at the local drug / grocery store. (Although that's a lame excuse, since many stores sell tiny travel-size hygenics for less than a dollar)

Alternate ideas included the 'Febreeze Fairy (R),' nose-plugs and military-grade gas masks, but this plan seemed like the most feasible, and I'd absolutely adore anyone who could actually put it into action. Also, if only to cover my ass, I also understand that certain individuals may have cultural and / or health aversions to using some of these products, and it's your personal choice whether or not you'd like to be a clean person. Allergies, religious reasons, and even simple individual taste are all reasons that I can respect for not bathing, but plain laziness / irresponsibility are not.

So, yeah. Pretty please? Maybe we can consider this?

[valliegirl]

I'm very sorry, but I really don't see how it's the con staff's place to make sure con goers follow proper hygeine guide lines.

I agree that it would be nice if everyone bathed regularly...  or at all...  and that personal hygiene is important.  It's not pleasent to have to stand next to someone that is rather rank.

But I really don't see how that's the staff's business and it's not like they can kick someone out of the con for not living up to your standards.  It's just not the way it works.  

As for free samples of soap and shampoo, people who are at the con should already be getting the same thing from the hotel staff as a complimentary thing.  I know we had it in our room.  But you can't force someone to use it.  

So, I don't know...  I think you're making too big of a deal out of it.  There were definitely some points in the con where I was bunched in a reltively small space with a bunch of other people... and if I smelled anything from anyone else, I really didn't care and it didn't diminish my con experience at all.

Not everyone is so sensitive I suppose.

*please forgive any typos I'm very tired and can't find the darn spell check function*

[BlackjackGabbiani]

I only smelled one rank person, and it seemed like she hadn't bathed in several weeks, so it wasn't due to the con.

[Radien]

Free soap is not an issue. The hotel provides it, and you can ask for complimentary hygeine products if there's anything else you forgot (i.e. shampoo or a toothbrush).

Two years back a similar discussion started on the Sakura Con forums. It didn't really go anywhere. These days, I think individuals and the convention shouldn't take it upon themselves to critique strangers about their bathing habits. It's better to remind your friends and roommates, who are more likely to listen to you. After all, you don't know the habits of someone who walks past you in the halls, but you do know roughly what your roommates have been doing.

[Teh Becca]

Actually, on Monday, I was oddly surprised because I was wandering through a throng of people and I got a whiff of .. the nicest-smelling soapy smell I'd ever, erm, smelled. Very pleasant. =O

I didn't notice anyone who smelled too awful, but maybe I was lucky. I showered all three days, personally.

[zenix]

i doubt giving away soap or anything like it would help becuase im sure the funky people have it and just choose not to use it

[kylite]

I worked the game room and did hear from many fans that there was a rather strong odor.  I myself have NO sense of smell which may attribute why I spent so much time at the game room manning the doors and others hated it LOL BUT either way just like local lan aprties and console parties, they are the same, people game and forget to do msot everytyhing else.  eat, drink, sleep, bathe, etc... LOL  not much we can do to control it but I do think a fan or two at the rear exits would have helped a bit.  Ill make a note for next yuear as I plan on takeing a more active roll next year.

[val]

Some of the directors did actually consider pursuing this for this year (with mini-size deoderant). I believe Bakazoku also mentioned the need to shower "EVERY DAY" at the cosplay event. If you feel that this would help or like the idea, let us know and next year's directors may pick up on it.

[Sesari]

Yes, hotel rooms provide soap / shampoo, but not everybody stays in a hotel. Also, people tend to pack those little rooms with people like sardines in a can, which not only limits supplies, but also furthers the geek-smell phenomena. Four people + one shower = less people showering, less soap to do it with, and less time to do it.

Teh Becca, you are lucky, and I'm honestly enthralled that you showered all three days. If I could give you a medal, I totally would. It would be made out of chocolate or something, though, as I am cheap and poor.  :wink:

And if the con staff can't do anything about it, then who can? They're really the only authority that people will even consider listening to. I understand that you can't force people to bathe. Nobody can. I'm pretty sure I mentioned that, but at least encouraging it in a polite, kind way seems like it wouldn't be that difficult, and probably wouldn't be all that damaging, either.

val, Bakazoku did mention it at the cosplay event. And at their panel, and randomly a few times walking up and down the halls. Joe especially seems to be a strong proponent of regular bathing, which I absolutely adore him for doing out loud and in front of so many people.

If anything, I'd just like to take away people's ability to make stupid excuses for not bathing. Free soap seems like it would help, but if not, maybe even just a couple more electric fans in strategic locations would be beneficial to us all. (Thanks, kylite!)

Of course, there's always the 'Febreeze Fairy (R)' idea as well. We just need to find someone sexy to put on the costume who is willing to spray strangers with that stuff.

[Negima]

The only time I remember catching a horrible whif was during the Dance.  It wasn't that strong though.

Can't say much about the gaming room though since I wasn't in there for long periods of time.

[Sinaj]

B.O. is one of my biggest pet peeves *grumbles*. Put me in a grumpy cosplay character (Sanzo, Joe from Burst Angel, or Maya from Tenjo Tenge for example) and hand me a bottle of Febreeze, some of those cheap tree-shaped hanging air fresheners and I'll patrol...

[Sesari]

B.O. is one of my biggest pet peeves *grumbles*. Put me in a grumpy cosplay character (Sanzo, Joe from Burst Angel, or Maya from Tenjo Tenge for example) and hand me a bottle of Febreeze, some of those cheap tree-shaped hanging air fresheners and I'll patrol...

You win, Sinaj. I'll find you next year and you can be our designated 'Febreeze Fairy (R)'  

[Kei-Kei]

I worked crew for a few stage productions when I was in school and deodorant was an requirement, but inevitably when there's that many people, its going to smell. I never noticed and "geek smell", and have you considered that giving out soap in the swag bags would be offensive?

[ObiJay]

I don't see how giving out soap in the swag bags would be offensive, since it would be given to everybody equally.  Directly going up to somebody and flinging a bar of Lever2000 at their head like a shuriken, or using Febreeze on them like it's mace, yeah, those would be offensive.

Overall the gaming room lacked HOBO, which was very surprising, although there was one particular individual that would hang out in there on occasion and had some funk coming off in waves. The dance got a bit ripe, but with a room packed full of people dancing around, yeah it's gonna get smelly as the folks sweat, so that's a little more understandable.

Right before the Bakazoku panel, Slicks wandered around and shouted "You do realize there is over an hour before this starts right? You guys can all go find something else to do, or go take a shower..."

Sadly though, nobody listened

[Radien]

Believe me, if you give out soap or deodorant in bags, somebody will take it as an offense. It doesn't matter why. I'm just sure someone would take it as a derogatory statement about otaku.

I suggest this instead: have an attractive little line of free antiperspirant bars by the info booth for people to take as needed. Then it would be an "offer" instead of a "suggestion." And who would frown on someone who takes advantage of free antiperspirant?...

Yes, hotel rooms provide soap / shampoo, but not everybody stays in a hotel.

If you don't stay in a hotel, then that means you're sleeping at home (or somebody else's home), and if you don't buy soap for your own home, then that's a personal problem with very little to do with the convention.

Also, people tend to pack those little rooms with people like sardines in a can, which not only limits supplies, but also furthers the geek-smell phenomena. Four people + one shower = less people showering, less soap to do it with, and less time to do it.

It takes roughly 20 minutes to shower, and counting out "lights off" time, there are about 16 waking hours in the day for fans to do it in. I've stayed in some pretty packed rooms, and not once been unable to shower because I had to go somewhere before it was my turn.

And if you run out of soap, like I said, the hotel offers more for free. Plus, I don't know about you, but I always bring my own shampoo, etc., because I don't always like the stuff the hotel provides as much as my own stuff.

Free soap seems like it would help, but if not, maybe even just a couple more electric fans in strategic locations would be beneficial to us all. (Thanks, kylite!)

That certainly does sound nice, but from my experience the only way to deal with overheated public rooms is to spread out the people and electronics.

For instance, cooling fans wouldn't have helped the gaming room at Sakura Con very much, and I'm pretty sure all those rooms have AC anyway. :? There's just not enough space, and even though I wore a T-shirt and shorts and stayed well away from the front row at tournaments, I still ended up getting sweaty.

Yeah, I know that's a different con, but I just wanted to give an example of what it's like when con attendance gets really big. Crowd control and preventing fire hazards are almost always issues at cons.

Actually, on Monday, I was oddly surprised because I was wandering through a throng of people and I got a whiff of .. the nicest-smelling soapy smell I'd ever, erm, smelled. Very pleasant. =O

I didn't notice anyone who smelled too awful, but maybe I was lucky. I showered all three days, personally.

One of my friends at the con was showing us this bizarre Japanese pen she acquired. Its ink gave off the scent of... soap. XD

Freshest smelling handwriting ever! Perhaps it could be used to write "clean" fanfics....?

[Sesari]

@ Radien

You'd be surprised where some people sleep. Cars, hallways, benches... some people will go to crazy lengths for the convention experience. A lot of people don't sleep at all, thus claim to not need a place to stay for the length of the convention.

And it's less about not being able to take a shower and more about using the inopportunity to take one as an excuse:

"Oh, I would have taken a shower today, but Radien was in the shower when I wanted to take one, and it takes a long time to get soap from the hotel, and I'd rather spend my money on another DVD than on some extra toiletries, and blah blah blah."

I do like your idea about having them available near the info booth rather than in the bags, though. That way it's more of an offer instead ofa suggestion, and maybe we could even make them more desirable to take. Cute'n them up a little or something with some pretty K-Con stickers, or little smilies or something.

You're doing a very good job of outlining how easy it is for people to stay clean, and yet for some reason, people aren't doing it. I just don't understand why someone can go to a non-anime / gamer oriented convention, concert, party, or any other kind of large gathering and not having to complain about this issue, but every year, without fail, Otaku tend to bring their fabled HOBO with them.

It just gives the rest of us a bad name.

@ Kei Kei

If people don't want to be offended by us offering them soap, then they shouldn't offend us with their distinct aroma.

@ (Whoever)

In general, I've found that one of the easiest ways to avoid someone saying something about the way you smell is to not smell at all. It's like when someone tells you over and over again that you write Mary Sue characters, the best way to prevent that from happening in the future is to stop writing those kinds of characters. If Otaku are offended by people insisting that they smell, perhaps it would be in their best interest to bathe, so that they don't smell anymore. It seems pretty simple to me.

[Radien]

You'd be surprised where some people sleep. Cars, hallways, benches... some people will go to crazy lengths for the convention experience. A lot of people don't sleep at all, thus claim to not need a place to stay for the length of the convention.

Yeah, you're right, that does happen. The thing is, I consider that to be an even bigger problem than the cleanliness issue.  Maybe it's because I started going to conventions when I was 20 and developed a Big Brother complex. I'm concerned about some con goers well-being, and sleeping in a car just isn't safe. :?

And it's less about not being able to take a shower and more about using the inopportunity to take one as an excuse

Well, yeah, if it's about people looking for excuse, that just plain stinks, no pun intended. 'Thing is, some people won't do anything until someone they know confronts them. Hearing a trusted friend say "dude, go take a shower!" says more than a free bar of soap, I'd wager.

That way it's more of an offer instead ofa suggestion, and maybe we could even make them more desirable to take. Cute'n them up a little or something with some pretty K-Con stickers, or little smilies or something.

Mwee-hee... chibi sparkly antiperspirant. XD

...Okay, so that's not what you were suggesting, but I was thinking of that "Happy Bunny" body glitter being sold near the info desk, which read: "You're a little ugly. This might help. ^_^"

You're doing a very good job of outlining how easy it is for people to stay clean, and yet for some reason, people aren't doing it. I just don't understand why someone can go to a non-anime / gamer oriented convention, concert, party, or any other kind of large gathering and not having to complain about this issue, but every year, without fail, Otaku tend to bring their fabled HOBO with them.

Yeah, I dunno. At times I see it as a larger problem, though. Many people who start going to cons start off as pretty reclusive, and end up opening up when they find themselves free to enjoy anime with others who share the same interests.

One hopes that good grooming habits eventually come to follow. Meanwhile, however, cons tend have a steady influx of new inductees every year, so it's not always easy to see how/whether things change.

[Sinaj]

Maybe we need a thread called "Preparing for a con" going into detail about what to bring (cameras, travel sewing kit for cosplayers, extra money for snacks,etc..), and what not to bring (real weapons, illegal substances, a bad attitude, B.O.!)

[Chocoboholic]

I didn't think the smell was bad at all at K-Con, I had a lot more trouble at Sakuracon.

Well, then there was the dance- but EVERYONE smells by the end of the dance.

[Ayasima_Vexic]

x_x I agree with this.. sorry but, on Monday when I was shopping, this one taaaaall fellow passed by me and I almost gagged- and I'm very good with this kind of thing. I only get a gag reflex if there is someone vomiting right ifnrtont of me xD or when I happen to walk past my cats litterbox right after she's done a little something something- and even thats pretty rare. This guy reeked of sweat, but not like..fresh (ew..) but as though he'd stank like this for the entire three days of the con, and he hadn't even bothered putting on deodorant.. it was horrible. We were walking towads eachother on opposite directions and even after I passed him, walking towards the way he'd come from I could still catch that disgusting stench...oh god..x_X my mom..I just looked at her and asked (in another language, we speak Turkish -we're form Istanbul, Turkey-) if he was gone, she didn't understand why but once she said yes I breathed out and just tried to get away from where I was standing...x_x...dear sweet God..the horror.

 I think we should get some volunteers for next year- we can have some people walking around with those toilet air fresheners and just run after the stinky people and spray them. I swear, I'll do it.

 Im particularly fond of the Grapefruit scent :3

[Ayasima_Vexic]

o_O BTW, about the Sakura Con items list thing [urlhttp://www.sakuracon.org/index.php?s=faqs&p=faqs/checklist.php] here[/url]; err.. UNLUBRICATEDF condoms? What do we plan on doing, making balloon animals? Or the good ole condom waterballoons? 'Cause golly gee, those are my favorites! XD

[Ayasima_Vexic]

Next year, we should have H.O.B.O. officers! XD; they can carry around the bars of soap and stuff, and give them to people. They can even just be kind and take them aside and give it to them, not even speak to them or anything. Just hand them the little goody bag of soap, maybe a little box of Altoids or something, and o.O CLEAN PANTIES! ^.^ pantehs for boys too.

[HaSanGo]

In the defense of people who do smell I will say that the majority of them do not know they reek, although that really isn’t an excuse. If you are like me you wonder, "How can you not know you smell?" But as sad as it is, it is true. It is like they develop an immunity to that smell and never notice it.

Personally I remember going to High School and every school always has at least one person who smelled bad. They were always talked behind the person's back. It is probably because of that I literally have what my co-workers calls the "Eternity" barrier. LOL! I tend to be a female when it comes to cologne (Eternity) and tend to always make sure I smell good. Unfortunately not everyone has this same courtesy.

As it was said some people don't stay in rooms, some stay anywhere and will only bring the essentials. To them soap, shampoo may not be an essential.

Sure people would get offended if you hand them a toiletry bag. On the same side if they don't want to be offended then they should make sure they are clean and smell good. I understand that when you where costumes, run around all over the place that it gets hot and you sweat. That is why it is important to plan properly when designing your costume and what materials you use.

I would suggest those that you contact various perfume/cologne manufacturers. For the people that don't even have rooms, even if you supply soap they won't use them. If you instead get a bunch of those trial size and sample cologne though most people will spray some on themselves.

[Sinaj]

I say everyone who would like to be "cloud" control cosplay at members of H.O.L.Y. from Scryed link to costume

or ASHURUM members from E's Otherwise.



We could be "sniffing-out" suspects in violation of national bathing law![/url]

[Negima]

I think we should get some volunteers for next year- we can have some people walking around with those toilet air fresheners and just run after the stinky people and spray them. I swear, I'll do it.

That I don't see going over very well.

I understand what you're going after, but to do something like that would almost be saying to them, "You stink!" and then spraying them and (depending on their reaction) running off.  It would almost be like the perfume guys/ladies in the mall skipping the "Want to sample this perfume?" question and spraying you.  I doubt very few people would appreciate that.

I don't think there is a 100% effective way of getting everyone to shower/soap/whatever, but I think one way may be to mention something like that on the forum (as someone already suggested) or to maybe add a small note in the program packet.  I would suggest giving notices at events such as Opening Ceremony but not everyone is going to hear that unless everyone comes for the first day and gets there early for it.

[Sesari]

o_O BTW, about the Sakura Con items list thing here; err.. UNLUBRICATEDF condoms? What do we plan on doing, making balloon animals? Or the good ole condom waterballoons? 'Cause golly gee, those are my favorites! XD

Personally, I think that the unlubricated variety are a bit more versatile, as you can cut them in half to double as a semi-sterile surface for, er... other things. (Because from what I hear, lubricant tastes bad)

Also, I would hope that condoms would make terrible water balloons, as they're more durable than what they use for balloon material? Maybe? I don't know.

Maybe this isn't the right board.  :?

[ScrumYummy]

I just wanted to say that I didn't smell a single funk throughout the entire con. It didn't get hot outside at all, so I think that was one thing that helped, and also, most of the rooms were well-ventilated, and it was never too crowded (where you would be forced to smell people whether you liked it or not). I think that was partially due to the yo-jimbos keeping people from blocking the hallways. Thanks guys! =D

[zenix]

I would suggest those that you contact various perfume/cologne manufacturers. For the people that don't even have rooms, even if you supply soap they won't use them. If you instead get a bunch of those trial size and sample cologne though most people will spray some on themselves.

i think that would be worse then the peoples funk

i really dislike the idea of having large amounts of people with free cologne and spraying it willy nilly all over them selfs and other people

i can deal with a little funk from maybe 1/50 people or whatever but a lot of people would probly spray some onto a friend as a joke


i think you guys are way to worryed about a few people with bad bo

[Sesari]

I'm afraid that I might have to agree about the cologne / perfume thing... it would probably be worse than just the body odor issues. Not only would it be introducing yet another offensive smell to the convention, but it's also only a cover-up, unlike soap which actually makes people clean, or deodorant / anti-perspirant which can be used as a preventative.

It was a decent idea, though! I suppose. ^_^'

[mightycrouton]

Speaking as a first time congoer, the only time I actually smelled anything was when we were waiting in lines.

Lord knows. I bathe all the time. I took a shower every morning before I went to the convention and i put on perfume. Still yet, I noticed I smelled just a little off during the convention.

Walking around everywhere from 8AM to 1AM without sitting down when the weather is pretty warm makes even the cleanest of us a little smelly. Just a heads up.

[HaSanGo]

How about you just pass out Lemons and Oranges. Then if someone encounters that "smell" they just peel the orange slightly and inhale the nice scent instead of the bad one. Well at least it worked for my wife when we used to go shopping and she was pregnant. The smallest odors good or bad would make her sick. She would just peel part of the orange open and then enjoy the citrus scent.

[MistressLegato]

How stange.  The first thing I smelled was shampoooo!  The hotel smelled SOOO good!!!

And trust me, when you have to ride the MAX with drunk people and hobos, you welcome a not-so-bathed otaku.

[Sesari]

How stange.  The first thing I smelled was shampoooo!  The hotel smelled SOOO good!!!

And trust me, when you have to ride the MAX with drunk people and hobos, you welcome a not-so-bathed otaku.

Are you the nurse who was offering the free bludgeonings? I never took you up on that...

[MistressLegato]

How stange.  The first thing I smelled was shampoooo!  The hotel smelled SOOO good!!!

And trust me, when you have to ride the MAX with drunk people and hobos, you welcome a not-so-bathed otaku.

Are you the nurse who was offering the free bludgeonings? I never took you up on that...

LMAO!  Yessh I was!  XD  
I sure hope everyone knew I was joking, haha!  I took my peacebond seriously

[Radien]

I'm afraid that I might have to agree about the cologne / perfume thing... it would probably be worse than just the body odor issues. Not only would it be introducing yet another offensive smell to the convention, but it's also only a cover-up, unlike soap which actually makes people clean, or deodorant / anti-perspirant which can be used as a preventative.

True. Having more scents can sometimes just make people gag. This is why my family only uses bathroom air fresheners that are billed as "scent neutralizers."

Also, I'm not sure whether there is anybody who suffers from this, but there is a type of medical condition where you become extremely allergic to perfumes and other chemical scents. It's brought on by living in a society that makes way too much use of chemical smelly stuff. It's not good for you in the long run.

Next year, we should have H.O.B.O. officers! XD; they can carry around the bars of soap and stuff, and give them to people. They can even just be kind and take them aside and give it to them, not even speak to them or anything. Just hand them the little goody bag of soap, maybe a little box of Altoids or something, and o.O CLEAN PANTIES! ^.^ pantehs for boys too.

Guys get free panties too?... Awesome! Let's get Bakazoku Chris to wear his Happosai costume and hand them out at the door. We could give him a big sign that reads "Free Hats!"

....

Okay, so maybe this wouldn't be such a good thing to mention at the next staff meeting, after all...

[Thejew]

I think the staff have a hard enough time as is, it would be so hard to give them more things to do... I mean I don't like the smell either  but People are sometimes forgetful and leave things at home.... I had 3 extra towels for people to use at my room in case they needed one....

[@random]

Guys get free panties too?... Awesome! Let's get Bakazoku Chris to wear his Happosai costume and hand them out at the door. We could give him a big sign that reads "Free Hats!"

Not very practical... but it's one of the funnier ideas I've heard in awhile.  :wink:

Maybe he could scatter "silky treasures" from his bag while being chased by the Ranma cast? P-Chan for one trip through the hallways, Akane the next time, etc...

I'd contribute $10 to the Please Have Extra Undies (PHEU) fund to see that.


On a more serious note, I think the only real way to address it would be to have the con pay to rent a Hygiene Room. Staff a yojimbo outside, and let the people who have been sleeping in the halls use it to "freshen up." I suspect there would be a line.

[Anonymous]

The only time I remember catching a horrible whif was during the Dance.  It wasn't that strong though.

 Do people reply to responses here?:I

[guspasho]

Sometimes, but what do you mean, Guest? If you want a response from someone in particular, I can pass the request along.

[makichan]

ahahaha I remember washing my costume in our hotel tub with some other costumes (my 2 friends' costumes) after the dance and then drying it off partially with the hair dryer...... I just couldn't stand the... icky smellingness of it all..... that's why I'm wearing more than one costume  for the next con (not to mention the fact that I'll still bath DAILY) lol

[Radien]

Oh yeah... wearing one costume for the whole con?... Yeah, that'd stink. >_< I guess I'm lucky: almost all my costumes require black pants and a black undershirt, so I can change T-shirts whenever one gets sweaty or otherwise icky. Plus I have multiple pairs of black pants that'd do the trick.

I never do laundry at conventions, but believe me, I make sure to plan ahead. Four days and three nights of con fun = 7+ shirts, 2 pairs of jeans, and 3+ other pairs of pants. And that's not including cosplay-exclusive garments (or underwear, for that matter).

[Cpl. Slicks]

Right before the Bakazoku panel, Slicks wandered around and shouted "You do realize there is over an hour before this starts right? You guys can all go find something else to do, or go take a shower..."

Sadly though, nobody listened

I actually said that?

Damn my Con-induced sleep deprivation...

But the conga line was fun...

[rosaryblue]

Ionize the entire atmosphere within the problem area.  Sure that would involve electricity so be careful with water.

_______________

"Science idiot I is be!  Language problems 2!  Eye special!"  x)

[Runa]

We've all heard it a million times before, and we all know what I'm talking about. Also known as HOBO, (Horrible Otaku Body Odor) what I've come to refer to as 'geek smell' can be easily avoided, and...<snip>

Also referred to as 'otaku funk', this odor happens often at all kinds of conventions where people spend more time partying and less time on hygene -- especially if they own only one costume and wear the same one for 3 days... ewwww.

This is why I created "ConFresh" (the giant air freshener you saw last year). ConFresh will return to de-stink the con....

[spindrift]

I don't think I would be offended if there was a cute traval sized tolietires in my con bag that I got from a con infact I would love it.

Now spraying people with anything might be a very very bad idea becuase of harrassment policies and posiblity of someone being alergic or worse ruining a cosplay outfit that has been worked on for hours.

Gamer funk and costum funk are going to be apart of cons but there may be something about it alittel bit but it will never die I think.

I think that what might be a good idea to make it sort of a game like giving our a reward for the nicest smelling Otaku and the an award for the funkest Otaku and make that prize something no one wants.

Just telling someone to take a shower won't help, you have to give them some more reason than hygine.

[Radien]

Y'know, after Kumori Con and this year's Sakura Con, I'm honestly starting to think this whole thing is being blown out of proportion. The quotable remark Guy uses while wearing the "Con Freshener" costume is all about poking fun at the gaming room, you see... and most of that complaint was based on the Sakura Con 2005 console gaming room, where we had so many systems and TVs and people in a single room, that during the tournaments, you could be wearing shorts and a T-shirt and still be so hot that you'd be sweating.

After this year's Sakura Con, console gaming was split across three rooms, and suddenly the smelly problem virtually disappeared. At least, during the period I was there.

It's not like everybody you meet will smell like a bed of roses, but I remember far more unpleasant nasal experiences from "real life" than conventions. At least most con-goers don't smoke 4 packs a day like a couple of friends of mine do... >_<

[@random]

I think that what might be a good idea to make it sort of a game like giving our a reward for the nicest smelling Otaku and the an award for the funkest Otaku and make that prize something no one wants.

It could be done like the hall cosplay contest... but I don't know if anyone would want to walk around sniffing people. Unless we let Freon come back, that is.  :wink: