Uptown Funk: Why Is Whole Body Deodorant A Thing? 👃🏻
Sniffing out the truth. Everywhere.
4 min read
A MATTER OF TRUST, part II*
Last week I shared with you my recommendations for medical and health resources that I personally believe to be trustworthy, based on their long histories of rigorous peer reviewing, free public access and high standards of editorial practices. And this week, we learned that HHS Secretary RFK Jr. plans to bar government scientists from publishing in those very journals plus a few more in favor of “in-house publications,” based on his belief that the existing journals are corrupt.
These are very meaningful times for our health. I’m doing my best to look at each issue individually – for example, I think the traction we are seeing in villainizing toxic food additives and added sugar is commendable and long overdue, more to come on this – but this is a case where it’s essential that we think very critically and carefully about what we are being asked to support vs delegitimize.
*Seeing as Billy Joel’s been in the news this week with some worrisome health updates, it only feels fitting to give him another nod. We’re pulling for you, Billy!
FEELING TESTY
Yes, clearly we are in testy times. But in better news, we are also in testing times. That is to say, we have access to new technologies that are changing the face of preventative health. Zooming in on one in particular, where my ladies with dense breasts at? 🍈🍈🙋🏻♀️
Two types of exams have proven to be significantly more impactful for early cancer detection in women with dense breast tissue. In a 2019 study, an abbreviated breast MRI with IV contrast was highly effective in finding tumors that standard mammograms missed, and a study published this week showed a contrast-enhanced mammogram, a cost-effective alternative to MRI, to be three times as effective at detecting early cancer. If you check a high risk box, this will likely be covered by insurance (but please check with your provider). If not, it’s up to you to decide what the extra peace of mind is worth. My appointment is booked. Tits out, ladies! 🫶🏻
AN AXE TO GRIND
Moving down, can we discuss why every other ad seems to be targeted at your armpits, your feet, and all the crevices in between? Axe Body Spray was just the beginning. Lumé, Secret, Dove, Old Spice, and Native have all created products designed for funk that is uptown, downtown and everywhere in between. Why tho?
We have become culturally obsessed with smelling fresh, smelling clean, smelling like basically anything but the actual humans we are. Listen, I love perfume, I wear deodorant, I’ve shared my favorite reccs for both (weirdly, in an issue that also featured boobs…🫢), and I’m not advocating we go full caveman, relying only on peppermint leaves and crystal salt to smell fresh. But maybe let’s not create problems where problems don’t exist, hm?
To practice thinking critically, this is actually a great example of the capital I-Industry inventing health anxieties in order to solve them by selling us something (see under: butt wipes). Did we suddenly get so much more active that we started sweating, and therefore, stinking more? Definitely not. Did spending all that time trapped at home mid-Pandy make us more sensitive to the odors of our loved ones and ourselves?Maybe? But more likely, it’s a case of single-product personal care companies needing to invent more products to take up shelf space so you see more of their stuff.
Snark aside, if you are genuinely suffering from unpleasant body odor or have noticed any sudden change, it could be due to hormonal fluctuations, changes to diet, or an underlying medical condition, so by no means should it be ignored. But garden variety funk can be addressed with regular showers, wearing breathable cotton or moisture-wicking fabrics, and drinking plenty of water and eating fewer processed foods. If you simply prefer for all your parts to smell like a coconut-lemongrass-cucumber-jasmine garden, then by all means, enjoy. But don’t do it to fix something that probably isn’t broken.
NO BAD NEWS
Joy bomb: Australia’s oldest man, Alfie Date, died at age 110 and took up knitting at age 108 to create tiny jumpers for penguins that were victims of oil spills. You know who doesn’t mind getting a little too warm and maybe breaking a sweat? Penguins.
Happy weekend, all!