What level of public grooming is acceptable?

[Ixodes]

I shed foliage whenever or wherever I damn please.

Kat would herbicide your ass.

As to the list in the OP, the only thing I would object to is nail clipping. Myself, I have a skin allergy to sun exposure and I've found that applying sunscreen 15-20 minutes before I get into the sun saves me from a very uncomfortable reaction. So I'm most certainly that dude who will apply sunscreen when I'm en route, if possible. If the most gross thing you see is someone quietly applying lotion to their face and neck then I envy you but most certainly feel no obligation to change my behavior.

[Lily Valley]

I thought it was mainly a thing that was considered more OK for women to do (except by me) but these are the things male students have done or asked to do in my classroom:

-Change their shirt (because the other one was sweaty after P.E.)

-Put on deodorant

-Spray Axe body spray (in a classroom with no windows and poor ventilation- again, because this is apparently better for everyone than just being sweaty)

-Not only apply hair gel in class, but also secretly keep the hair gel tube on top of my storage cabinet so he could do it again later

And this one really took the cake for me:

-A request during standardized testing to get a haircut when finished with the test. Students were not supposed to leave the classroom, so he reasoned it was ok to do it quietly in the corner because David is already working at a barbershop and is offering to do it for free? And has his kit in his backpack? :shocked:

I read this aloud in the office. My coworkers faces of horror were priceless, then they all absolutely howled with laughter. Thank you, we are very happy we teach college.

[Larry of the Lawn]

Removing parasites on your own in pubic is gross. Best to have a friend help and dispose of them naturally **cough** Trisk ** cough**

[Lany Freelove Cassandra]

Don't like the nail clipping, and do not ever even play with your hair in a place with food.

I hate smelly perfumes too.

But other than that, I don't have any problems with the things mentioned.

[Starkess]

I brush my hair in public. I have hair that gets tangled very easily, and sometimes it's just easier to spend 10 seconds brushing it then bothering to go all the way to the bathroom just to spare someone the sight of me fixing my hair. I put on chapstick about a hundred times a day, no way that is only happening in the bathroom. I put on hand lotion in public after washing my hands.

But I would not clip my nails. Ew.

[Summah]

Nail clipping in public is gross. But I think one of the grossest grooming things I've seen someone do in public (and not in a bathroom) is flossing.

[Kat]

I'm glad that some people feel the same way about this as I do. I mean, I've always felt a little strange being this grossed out by other people's grooming considering that I have no problem with things like...camping for weeks at a time and using a solar shower, going in public pools and hot springs (including the naked kind), using another person's phone, having a pet or sharing food with friends. Or, you know, dealing with all the gross stuff that builds your immunity as a teacher.

Maybe I just have some lingering fear of head lice left over after elementary school, when there would be weekly reminders in the bulletin not to play with other people's hair, etc.

Lily- glad I could provide you with some amusement. Someone put on Axe again in class today. I almost had to get out the industrial strength mega-fan.

[Kat]

Why I think hair-brushing or combing in public is gross is that I personally shed a lot of hair when I comb it in the shower, so I guess I imagine everyone else is going to shed a similar amount of hair, and I don't want that all over me. Also, I don't want your hair product residue or sweat on me. So for instance this guy in my dance club who was combing his long hair between dances? I guarantee you he did not wash his hands or anything afterward, but just put his comb back in his pocket and went back to dancing, during which he'd have at least moderate personal contact with others (such as holding hands). At gyms they provide some sort of cleaner to clean off the machines after you're done, so since the type of dance I do is similarly sweat-inducing, I usually wash my hands at every break between dances to avoid getting other people's plagues unnecessarily, but it's the general principle of it.

[Isis]

I have a colleague who has a (totally unfounded) fear of body odour so upon arrival at and departure from work she liberally sprays herself with Impulse (the female version of Lynx/Axe). Her locker is beside mine and opposite the Ladies loo so this sickly sweet, cheap perfume smell fills the corridor for ages making people feel ill.

Most of my other colleagues come to work wearing too much perfume. One of them walks around in a cloud of vanilla scent. But I guess there is nothing you can do to prevent people inflicting this on others since they apply it at home rather than at work. I've already mentioned to them that it is overwhelming and I find it uncomfortable but obviously they don't care about other people's discomfort.

[Happy Ent]

Kat would herbicide your ass.

There should be a trigger warning on this thread.

[Ser Scot A Ellison]

Kat,

I comb my hair after I get out of the shower in the morning. After that it's finger combing if it gets messy. What is your opinion about using your fingers to attempt to fix mussed hair?

[Solmyr]

I comb my hair after I get out of the shower in the morning. After that it's finger combing if it gets messy. What is your opinion about using your fingers to attempt to fix mussed hair?

As someone, who does exactly the same and whose hair gets mussed very easily, I wish I could make myself to use a comb in public places. But as I find it inappropriate and going to the bathroom just to comb my hair seems superfluous, I usually end up with increasingly mussed hair as the day goes by - finger-combing only makes it worse for me so I've gotten used to not touching it. Unless I have an important meeting or a presentation ofc, in which case I put a comb in my pocket and go to the bathroom as many times as needed.

[Lily Valley]

Kat, We've got really curly hair, so all the hair we shed daily and overnight is going to come out with that one brushing in the morning. Everyone else walks around dropping follicles all day long. Brush or no brush.

Hm, this thread is making you baldies out there look MIGHTY ATTRACTIVE.

Also guilty of trying to fix my hair with my fingers throughout the day. I usually perform this task in the restroom. I am in there washing my hands whenever possible. Students of any age are terrible germ vectors.

[HexMachina]

Actually, I am guilty of brushing my hair in public on ocassion, now I think on it. This is only really on windy days though. I have that unfortunate hair that at the slightest breath of wind suddenly looks as though I've been dragged through a hedge backwards.

[HexMachina]

Actually, I am guilty of brushing my hair in public on ocassion, now I think on it. This is only really on windy days though. I have that unfortunate hair that at the slightest breath of wind suddenly looks as though I've been dragged through a hedge backwards.

[deleted01]

I have no real problem with people brushing their hair, unless it's in my face, or their hair is particularly dirty. I shed a lot of hair in the shower too, so I only brush my hair before I shower if I'm leaving it curly, or after if I'm straightening it.

I saw a man pick his nose on the train today. I miss my car.

[Larry of the Lawn]

My hair is long and curly and I try to never touch it at work-- because I don't want it to get filthy. My hands are always dirty at work, and usually there is nothing other than a bucket of water to wash them in (and that of questionable cleanliness), so the hair always stays in a bun and under a bandana or hat at work.

When i'm out of the house it's always up one way or another so I usually don't have to adjust it in public.

[all swedes are racist]

Sooo... What is the boards thought on molting? I gotta say, shedding one 's carapace on the subway is sure way to get a seat during the morning commute.

[baxus]

Hm, this thread is making you baldies out there look MIGHTY ATTRACTIVE.

It's not this thread, we really are MIGHTY ATTRACTIVE. :lol:

Seriously now, there's no denying that having hair looks better but not having hair is definitely easier :D

[litechick]

Speaking as someone who could not live life to the standards set forth herein, it just sounds like first world problems to me. I'm willing to give a pass to people who work in medical, laboratory, or food service environments.

Public transit, by its very nature, is going to be disgusting. How are the hair follicles or fingernail pairings any worse than the dog poop or puke people are tracking in? Do you honestly believe that you are going to get sick from a hair? Generally, I would think that food/drink spills are worse.

It's sort of amusing that people complain of heavy perfume/deodorant smells. Some time ago people predicted that once smoking was eliminated the slippery slope would lead us to bans on other scents.

My hands are frequently dirty. There's practically nothing clean that I touch in the course of doing my job. I make a point of washing my hands before handling white set pieces or lighting control consoles. Other than that, 'it is what it is.'

It seems like Crohn's Disease, peanut allergies and other immune system problems are more prevalent in the middle class than the lower class so I am happy to be a dirty peasant with no such troubles.

I want to be considerate of others. I don't want to smell strongly either of body odor or perfume. I shower daily and use minimal scents. I clip my nails in private unless I have a ragged nail. If I need a ponytail I will make one no matter what the environment. On the whole I can't freakin' imagine watching and being troubled by other people's habits but if I am disgusting to you I consider that your problem moreso than mine.

My 'disgusting' meter pegs out when wrapping a cable which has been marinated in beer and marshmallow juices or crawling around on a night club floor. Other than that I can't really be bothered.