“At the beginning of puberty, young people experience their own body odour to be rather embarrassing or even disgusting - and the same goes for that of others. An unpleasant smell is to be avoided by all means. In extreme cases, adolescents and young adults are even mobbed because they smell of sweat - and they mob others because of their body odour,” says IKW.
In such a context, the study Youth undisguised [1] finds that most young people do not leave the house without deodorant. It is also a permanent companion in sports and school bags which helps to control some of the unpleasant sensations of the transition to adulthood. 83 percent of adolescents and young adults use deodorant once or several times a day.
For 81 percent, deodorant can even contribute to strengthening their self-esteem. “There is a psychologically interesting explanation for this: One’s own body odour is closely linked to the emerging sexuality during puberty. During puberty, young people actually and figuratively get ‘hot’ more frequently. And the body odour gives this away. Deodorant is therefore not only used to conceal the personal smell and instead create a more favourable scent, but also serves to mask the treacherous pheromones. This provides adolescents and young adults not only with more confidence when dealing with friends. They can also play it safe when meeting the opposite sex, avoiding embarrassment and the risk of being rejected because people do not like their smell.”
The connection between odour and the transition to adulthood can also be recognized from the fact that deodorants are often a bone of contention between parents and their children: parents often do not like the new scent or perceive it as extremely exaggerated - this is why young people frequently use deodorant in their own room or only after they have left the house.
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What did young people say: “Deodorants are part of the day-to-day.” |
