Okay, now that I think back to Smelly Man on the bus, I'd have to go with B.O. That guy had me (and everyone around me!) retching, and he was over 10 feet away! But then I hearken back to a former co-worker, who used to overdose on her perfume. Every morning she'd walk by my cubicle, and 5 minutes after she'd left, I'd STILL be smelling the lingering remnants of perfume left in her wake. Perfume should NOT be so strong that it STAYS BEHIND you in the AIR long after you've left! And then I waffle on which is worse.
I remember one day when she came by to visit a nearby co-worker. It was late in the afternoon, and I suddenly realized part of the reason why she wore so much perfume: she was probably trying to mask a hideous case of B.O.! I felt kinda sorry for her-- while she wasn't giving Smelly Man a run for his money, it's still pretty bad when she's sitting 5 feet away and I can smell that she needs a shower. She can't help it, poor gal, but man! I was grateful I sat nowhere near her on a regular basis.
B.O. and perfume overdoses: they're worse than cigarette smoke. I can't stand smoke, but usually when someone comes in fresh from a smoke break and reeking like an ashtray, the smell dissipates quickly. Either that or my nose adjusts quickly (unlikely), but either way-- it doesn't linger or make me want to hurl the same way B.O. or strong perfume does.
Possibly the only thing worse, I imagine, is a combination of body odor and perfume. I can't imagine anything grosser than trying to cover up rank body smells with sickeningly sweet perfume. All you wind up with is a mix of germy sweat and sour perfume. And yes, you aren't fooling anyone. At least if you went one way or the other, the rest of us are only dealing with one smell-- trying to cover up only treats us to two smells. Fun!
How about you? Any smells in particular that bother you? Any encounters with people who could either use a stick of deodorant and some soap for Christmas, or a note saying "less is more!"?
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