you have a problem with my hobbies?
Since this is your hobby, shouldn't you be happy that each and every brownie you meet has some varying degrees of body odor.
I think the heat/load shedding is definitely not helping matters.
I think some people have a lack of personal hygiene, i.e. they are reluctant to use deodorants but that is just some people. The climate, diet and lifestyle is very different to the Western world. Hence why we find such discrepencies.
Having said that you just have to look at the UK 'chavs', as they are called, you would think they do not know what a shower is.
I think generally, the more well off you are in Pakistan, the more you can afford to buy personal hygiene products, perfume, deodorant and so forth.
Plus the atmosphere and the environment can be quite pungent generally due to outdoor cooking, roaming cattle, omissions from cars and rickshaw; when you are out and about that can make you smell too.
X2 and other non- UK Pakistanis
I always thought 'paki' was a derogratory term worldwide, not just used in the UK. Has anyone else experienced being called this?
Looking back it is quite a contradiction being called a 'paki' as paak means clean.
the origin for the term paki was UK, got popular in the 70s.
someone called me a paki once and i just called him a working class dole beggar. he was not amused
not really used globally, not seen much in US, in middle east its rafeeq/sadeeq and miskin, not sure about australia, canada etc
x2…are you calling spock a gadha? not nice! :nono:
no no, he showered, but his filthy undies and socks that he changed were sitting on the vent serving as airfilters…
he may think its a compliment 
Re: personal hygiene among desis
X2/AE thank you for giving me insight into this terminology. I thought it might have been a worldwide thing.
I know there was a lot of racism experienced here when Pakistanis came here to work, especially in the steel mills. I remember my dad once called this man who called him a 'paki', a peasant. He did not like that at all.
Re: personal hygiene among desis
I have to say at the outset here...that I've not read all of the replies to this thread. I just have some observations....
When I went over, the shower situation was sometimes iffy. Hot and even warm water was not always available, even in the palatial type places I was lucky enough to spend a nite or 2 in. It was spring, chilly but not too bad so we endured. BUT if it were winter, I'd personally rather smell a bit than take an ice-cold dunking.
Worse - FAR worse - than body odor was the vast over-abundance of colognes, perfumes, talcs, breath typhoon shtuff. Layer a huge dose of a strong perfume or cologne on top of some light body odor...omg...I turn absolutely green just thinking about it. Light body odor is much preferable to layering it with tons of spray.
Aaaaaw come on, I hear the French embrace arm pit hair and all things "au natural." LOOOOL, I'm kidding. BO can be literally be nauseating!!!
The electricity disappearing (and sometimes even water) for several hours doesn't really help the situation. Neither does only getting freezing cold water in the winter. Talcum powder is not always sufficient. And during these tough economic times, perhaps for some people deodorant is not among their top priorities on the grocery shopping list. BO has a lot to do with the food that you eat as well. Odor causing foods such as red meat, garlic, onions, and spices contain stinky compounds that enter your bloodstream and are emitted through sweat, breath,etc (your body's way of getting rid of it). And then of course, bacteria from sweat aggravates that situation as well.
Hmm, I agree that there is a better awareness among the upper class, it seems. I know use of deodorant is strongly emphasized in PE/Health classes in middle school. In fact, I think it's the health/PE teacher's responsibility to cover that. Now, I wonder if this is as emphasized in pak schools...I doubt it. Maybe it doesn't bother the ones living there cuz they're used to it, since every other person smells the same. Sad, but just a thought?
Re: personal hygiene among desis
From what I observed in Pakistan, I saw many of my relatives giving their clothes to the servants to wash or use a 'washing machine' once a month.. and soon after, they would hang up the clothes on 'rassees' to dry. Now the birds would fly by doing their business, it was all out in the open with dust flying in the air and what not. Alot of people in Pakistan don't think about such things. Perfume is only used on special occasions, body deodarants are not common.
But desis here have no such excuse. Thankfully, the only bad case I have seen here is while hugging people in Masjid and the smell their coat emits. Otherwise at parties and all, everyone seems pretty neat and clean.
Re: personal hygiene among desis
I do know what BO you speak of. Today, I went to someone's house and this girl is a young girl, not bad looking at all, newly married but has the worst BO problem. Ive seen the same thing in newly migrated people from Pak or India (not usually in contact with new arrivals from China or the rest of Asia). I think its sweat and something else...dont know. But its very common.
There was this girl in high school who had a really horrible BO problem...she was desi, really overweight, wore hijab and people made fun of her every chance they got. Some were just merciless about her BO problem. I decided to talk to her one day about it because if she doesnt know, how will she fix it?
I spoke to her and she said it was haram to wear anything that made you smell good to the opposite gender. I was a bit shocked by this - never heard of it before - so I suggested deodorant/antiperspirant. She didnt know what it was so I actually went and got it for her. Then I told her how to apply it and thankfully after that her BO was significantly reduced/almost gone. There was a faint masala smell but no one's perfect. :)
Re: personal hygiene among desis
I use deoderant in the summer and thank God never have gotten complaints about BO and bad smells or anything, but umm sometimes I notice I smell kinda funky in the winter… I use sprays and deoderant and shower daily but if I come home from the icy cold weather I often times smell like raw chicken. Yeah, gross I know… ive been wondering how I could get rid of that?
Dont get me started on the desis I went to school with, uff Allah they stunk to the high heavens! So much so that alot of the goray kids took liberties upon themselves to spritz them with some perfume/cologne during lunchtime cuz no oneeee and I mean no one at their tables could keep their appetites after one sniff of that curry and sweat. Yelkhhh! 
Aaaaw, that was really nice of you PSquared. You must have handled the situation in a very tactful and gentle manner, otherwise she might not have accepted the deodorant. It's just one of the delicate issues that are hard to discuss with other people.
Re: personal hygiene among desis
I think this BO issue is more to do with the class system, BO and related issues like unhealthy food, kids going to bed late at night, TV is being switched on for 18hrs and lack of exercise and lack of interest in nature in members of a household.....are common among working and lower classes.
Just take a bus ride in a poor area of USA or UK and you will be interduced to BOs of many a kind.
Though I strongly believe that it's not the money that makes us low or high classed but it's the education, manners and morals...... but the truth is most working and lower classed people are poor and uneducated.
I think people who have BO issues will be more aware and careful after reading this thread, we need to adress others issues along with BO to make people aware.
I love Arabs for them being the most nice smelling, clean and presentable community especially the muslim Arabs.
Re: personal hygiene among desis
lol trust hareem to come and give it a religious angle.
Interesting! 
itna time kis ke paas?
true but we’re talking about desis here. P.S. do you travel via greyhound? you might get stabbed!
lol trust hareem to come and give it a religious angle.
i think you're pointing at "muslim arabs"......the reason why said "muslim arabs" because I don't know any non-muslim arab personally so i can't be so sure about them but i'm sure about the muslim arabs........
Also, i don't think there's anything wrong with using any religious term........Islam is the religion that stresses on cleaning and personal hygiene more than any other religion so muslims should be the most clean and nice people on earth otherwise we are hypocrites.
you worry about yourself…my man is strong enough to look after me and to take care of any maniac …and besides i don’t live in USA nor i travel by bus.
jazakAllah
Re: personal hygiene among desis
I was just joking hareem baji :)
I think this BO issue is more to do with the class system, BO and related issues like unhealthy food, kids going to bed late at night, TV is being switched on for 18hrs and lack of exercise and lack of interest in nature in members of a household.....are common among working and lower classes.
it's not the money that makes us low or high classed but it's the education, manners and morals....
interesting perspective.
could not agree with you more.