Woman Wonders How to Handle Sister's 'Body Odor': 'It's Something Everyone in My Family Has Noticed, but No One Addresses'

Yahoo

2 days ago

A woman wrote on Reddit that she is struggling with how to tell her younger sister about her body odor
'It's something everyone in my family has noticed, but no one addresses directly," she said
The woman explained that her sibling's self-esteem "is already very low," so she is trying to handle the situation delicatelyA woman is struggling with how to tell her younger sister about her body odor.
'It's something everyone in my family has noticed, but no one addresses directly," the woman wrote in a post on Reddit's "Am I the A------?" forum about her sister.
Detailing that their "parents occasionally hint that she should shower or they give her new soaps,'the woman continued, 'I'm not sure if she realizes it, but the odor is strong enough that her entire room smells, and my mom has to use a special detergent just to get the scent out of her clothes.'
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According to the woman, she thought her sister's body odor was 'a puberty phase' since it started when her sibling was in middle school.
However, she is now about to start college, and the woman said the smell remains. 'It's still a major issue, maybe even worse,' she explained.
As for what she thinks could be the cause of the body odor, the woman wrote of her sister, 'I know she deals with anxiety and depression, and it's likely this is a hygiene issue tied to her mental health."
"I understand that struggle and really don't want to come across as mean or judgmental," she continued, adding that she feels compelled to address the issue since her sister is about to start college and will be living with roommates in a dorm.
'I'm genuinely worried that people won't be kind about it or that she'll have a hard time socially because of the smell,' she wrote.
The woman also said she feels the truth about her sister's scent would be better coming from 'someone who cares, than from a roommate or stranger in a cruel or embarrassing way."
"But at the same time, I don't want to hurt her feelings or damage her self-esteem since it is already very low," she continued.
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In the comments section of the post, many other Reddit users told the woman she should tell her sister the truth, but to proceed gently.
'How you say it matters more than anything. This is one of those conversations that could either help her or scar her — so it's all about delivery,' one user wrote.
They added that the woman's sister may not be aware of her own hygiene, or she could be ashamed to admit to it.
'Don't just tell her. If possible, try to get her to see a doctor and check for hormonal or other physical causes of the odor," one Redditor wrote.
"She might need to treat the medical cause first, in order to reduce the odor,' they added.
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