The almost-clean clothing pile is a bachelor staple. I always kept a bottle of Febreze next to mine, though, so that I could deal with any smell issues. Granted, as a smoker I have no choice to assume that there are smells there I can't recognize. Tobacco is a very distinctive smell that tends to bother non-smokers a lot, and if I'm going to wear an article of clothing more than once I need to make sure it's not an issue.
I view hygiene as needs-based. I'm not compulsive about it, and can easily skip a day. I tend to be more fastidious in the summer, when I sweat more. Regardless, the only time I'd go more than a day without attending to such things is when I'm can't-get-out-of-bed sick. I'm inclined to think that in a situation like this, there's more to the story.
Hygiene is a self-respect thing. I have trouble thinking that someone who doesn't respect themselves enough to attend basic needs is really capable of respecting others.
In opposition to some of the others here, I find that being home makes me more attendant to such things. Taking fifteen minutes out of my day to shower is a way to kill fifteen minutes, if nothing else; and since I'm not spending eight hours a day at work, I figure the least I can do is keep on top of laundry and such, so that Magpie doesn't have to worry about it after getting home from a long day.
I don't necessarily think the response needs to be as drastic as ditching the dude right away, but it definitely needs to be taken care of. I'd take the direct approach myself. It's not like he's ignorant to the situation, and maybe he has a good reason, but if things don't improve dramatically and quickly a re-evaluation of what is expected from a relationship may be necessary. I'm thinking that if he can't be bothered to even keep himself presentable for you after being explicitly asked, it really doesn't say much about his opinion of the relationship.
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I wake up in the morning more tired than before I slept
I get through cryin' and I'm sadder than before I wept
I get through thinkin' now, and the thoughts have left my head
I get through speakin' and I can't remember, not a word that I said
- Ben Harper, Show Me A Little Shame
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