I find very strong after shave lotion very upsetting - especially in the theater. I have paid a great deal of money for the seat and am really looking forward to the performance and I end up sitting next to a man who poured on the after shave (no, not my husband - other men).

You go to the theatre with men other than your husband?

Hmmmmmmm.....no, I end up sitting next to other men - the ones who come with other women...oy vey....<P>My husband beside me - and another man belonging to another woman on the other side of me - with his wife on his other side.<P>Are you getting all of this Salzberg? <P>BTW, Salzberg maybe it was you - what kind of aftershave do you use?

Christina,<P>I have to let you know you are not alone disliking the over-powering perfurme!<P>I was just about to start a thread under Fun Stuff that is a must see for you.<P>You don't know how many times I have had to tell people about their perfume problems!<P>It takes my breath away. All sorts of odors do this to me actually! I'm sure I'm way too overly sensitive, but I have to live with this nose, so I have to take care of it.<P>I am also sympathetic to the poor handlings of the class situation by the instructor, but if you need a grin and a good pick me up...check out the fun stuff about PET PEEVES!

A truly professional instructor must consider the wellbeing of all students in the class, and the story submitted by Christina is appalling. <P>We have 2 girls in our student company who suffer from athsma. You can always tell when someone wore perfume, because one of them has to leave class to use her machine. I, myself like perfume, but I respect the rights of others to breathe above my desire to smell good for the first 5 minutes of barre. I'm going to smell sweaty once I start working, perfume, or no perfume.

I just noted this recently resurrected thread and would be remiss if I did not thank those who recently posted comments for their thoughtful and sensitive words.<P>By the way, Christina is currently alive and well, cancer-free, still fighting for the right to breathe clean air (she recently took two weeks off from her workplace until toxic fumes from construction were eradicated) and is taking three hours of 'killer' classes a day at a private University where the atmosphere is positive in every way. <P>It takes courage to be a maverick, but it's the only way to live. <P>"Evil thrives when good men do nothing."

Well, folks, they've banned smoking and cell phones - you know, the perfume scent (usually cheap) is intensified about 300% in a hot studio...in fact, I can imagine any number of congestive disorders that might arise. Now that I think of it, I thought EVERYONE was aware that you just cannot douse yourself with the fragrance of the day and waltz into class. Our top tier schools here either discourage it or forbid it outright...

Welcome back, Christina! You have been missed.

You know, I don't ever remember in all the years of ballet classes ever coming across this problem - guess I was just lucky. I have noticed that there were a couple of perfume shops at a mall or two in San Diego - but they have gone out of business.<P>There are of course many other things that have a scent - laundry soaps, body soaps, sun blocks, so many, many things. One has to look carefully to find an item - like a laundry soap - that is unscented. They are certainly available but one has to look for them. The norm is otherwise.<P>There was a time when using scent was as expected as wearing white gloves or a hat. Well, I am glad the white gloves are gone too. I only had to do that once, my senior prom - and hated it. Arm's length white gloves - ack.<P><BR>Welcome back Christina.<p>[This message has been edited by Basheva (edited September 02, 2001).]

Christina,<BR> They dont allow makeup in class as far as I know;jewelry.I dont see why it isnt the same w/perfume.<BR> This is crazy!(the story).We emphasize w/ you completely!!! Maybe(for whatever reason)its time to seek out a new mentor and class(even though you were close to this one,and loved the other students).<BR> Things like this happen sometime ,when its just time to branch out and expand ourselves;take a more challenging class,get a teacher who will encourage you to go even farer.Change may seem hard,but its usally for the better(for yourself).

I, unthinkingly, committed this gaff. I showered, deoderized and added a spritz of my favorite perfume before heading off to class one morning. About halfway through the class, the instructor asked me if I was wearing "Knowing", her favorite, too. I was surprised that it could be smelled because I was sweating pretty good. I took it as a subtle hint that it was pretty powerful. I wasn't offended, just dismayed that I had caused the other dancers discomfort.<P>I don't usually take a morning class, but now I don't add the perfume to my "get ready" ritual when I do take a morning class. <P>I had a co-worker in my office who wore "Crystal" perfume. (yes, this was YEARS ago) This perfume literally makes me sick to my stomach. I kindly asked her not to wear it again when I was scheduled to work. I explained that I got nauseous whenever I was around that perfume. She didn't get offended and did not wear it when I was supposed to work with her.<P>Back when we used to be able to smoke at work, we hired a girl who was allergic to cigarette smoke. Her partner quit smoking at work altogether. I smoked at the time and I refrained from smoking an hour before the end of my shift. (She said that this did not bother her.) I quit smoking years ago and can smell cigarette smoke a mile away and clinging to smokers' clothing.<P>If a dancer came in smoking, everyone would be quick to tell them to put it out. Why? Everyone else would not like the smell, or gag when they smelled it. Why not politely honor the request of a regular dancer in the class and not wear perfume.

Christina, I had missed you and your posts and wondered about you. I'm glad to "see" you again, and hope you are well.<P>--katheryn--<P>

I'm not allegic to perfumes...I just can't stand the overwhelming stench in a close space! Last summer our usual little group headed off to Straford ON for our annual binge of plays - it was the last day and we settled into our seats only to be confronted by the most unholy stink. My daughter in particular is bothered by the chemicals and spent the 1st act breathing through her hands. Most of the time I'm someone who avoids confrontations whenever possible but this was too much. At the moment the intermission stated I stood up and, in as loud a voice as I could manage, stated that someone in the immediate vacinity was causing all of us great discomfort and spoiling the play. It would be appreciated if this person would do something about it during the intermission. I don't know what I expected...nervous giggles or my friends shushing me but that's not what happened as there was a chorus of approving comments all round us. I'd like to say it helped but it didn't. As we gathered for the 2nd act it became clear the offending party had doused herself in even MORE scent - probably to show that her "rights" would not be violated. One spoiled play...one frustrating experience. If it were an isolated incident I wouldn't mind so much but, as so many of us serious theatre goers find these days, it is becoming more and more of a problem. Short of wearing a face mask, what can we do?

Noreen -- I have no problem believing that the person doing the offending came back to offend even more. What is puzzling to me is why these requests are met with so much resistance. You would think that we are asking people to give up their homes or their food or their first born, rather than their perfume. What is truly sad about this is that they do not realize they are harming themselves as well as others. If these people did a tenth of the research I have conducted on this issue, perhaps they would be shocked. But even then, most would be in denial.<P>Why? For one thing, Madison Avenue has convinced women that their natural clean smell is in need of something more to be alluring to others. There are also mighty powerful lobbyists in the perfume industry. Currently, there is an effort to recall one particularly popular perfume, as it is markedly toxic. However -- virtually all scent marketed since the 1950s is synthetic and contains some toxic ingredients. Perfume manufacturers are protected by a legal term called "trade secrets" -- they are not mandated to reveal their ingredients. <P>One of the primary ingredients in perfume is formaldehyde. I will not give you a discourse on what the effects of exposure to this will produce over time. Suffice to say it is not something you should put up with exposure to.<P>This issue affects many of us, not just in the classroom, but for those who want to keep on attending dance performances, it is a real obstacle. This is particularly true for our children. We want to expose them to the arts, live as it happens. Yet, their little bodies are the ones that suffer most. They breathe more breaths per minute. Pound for pound, they have less with which to protect themselves from these harms.<P>As to the dance classroom -- this should be a no brainer. Kathryn Austin, the well known columnist for national monthly "Dancer," has spoken emphatically about how fragrance has no place in a classroom. The American Lung Association has cited this as a known trigger for allergies and asthma. Asthma cases in our young ones has skyrocketed. Fragrance also changes its chemistry on bodies that become heated and sweating. It's disgusting.<P>What can you do, you ask? When you bring your child to a dance school, ask the administrator flat out if there is a policy. She might just be ignorant of the fact that this is a danger to her students. I no longer work at a school where the administrator was such a chowderhead as to spray insecticide in the studio right around the children while they were taking class to ward off flies. This same administrator had contracted asthma herself from pigeon sheddings when she worked at a setting which offered a dance program for inner city children. Many of those children developed asthma in a short time.<P>New findings have been published about asthma. It is not reversible, as many experts once thought. It can only be controlled, and even then, not always. Why not be proactive?<P>As to fragrance -- talk not only to your dance studios. Bring them literature that backs up your concerns. There are websites that have good, straightforward information in laymen's terms. Bring information from such mainstream organizations such as the American Lung Association. Also, talk to other parents. Get together on this. Once you have allies, a smart administrator will do what is best for her business.<P>As to being able to watch performances in peace and health, do the same thing. Let those who are trying to sell tickets and raise funds that you would be willing to donate a sizable amount, but only if they establish a policy in their theater.<P>Listen -- the time has come to speak up intelligently on these things. The capital of Nova Scotia -- Halifax -- is a fragrance free city. Period. No questions. <P>In Marin County, California, concerned citizens banded together and are now able to obtain a seat in a "No fragrance" section of a restaurant.<P>In the Twin Cities, Minnesota, municipal buildings are now becomng fragrance free.<P>Also -- you, yourselves, can stop buying these products. It is possible to buy dishwashing detergent, shampoo, laundry detergent, etc., all without fragrance, or, at the very least, with Non-synthetic fragrance. <P>The arts are for everyone -- so they say. We need to make that a reality. It seems a real shame that there has to be confrontation over something so obvious. No one should be invading someone else's breathing space.<P>Even if perfume WERE perfectly safe, it stands to reason that it is rude to wear so much as to infringe upon someone else's senses. If one insists on wearing it, it should be put on with such discretion that the only one who can detect it on you is the person indulging in tender intimacies with you.<P>