Walk A Mile In Our Shoes - Part 1

As I mentioned previously, Susan McBride has sued the city of Detroit to have her co-workers banned from wearing perfume at work. Not surprisingly, this has drawn a lot of reaction from a lot of people. Just do a google search and you’ll find websites that post the article and allow their visitors to comment.

I was appalled, though not truly surprised, at some of the comments that I read. Over the next several posts, I would like to address some of these comments and provide a view from someone who suffers similar problems to those of Susan McBride. I’ll start with 3 that I found quite often.

1) “She must be a slacker or malingerer. Trying to get out of work.”

This type of comment generally comes from someone who hasn’t read all the facts about the case. They just read the initial article, which, btw, came from a french news service. Digging a little deeper, you learn that Susan DID try to talk with the perfume-wearing co-worker. The co-worker agreed to turn off her “air freshener” but refused to stop wearing the perfume.

She’s not trying to get out of work, she’s fighting for her right to work. Sadly, people further think that she’s not really sick, it’s just an allergy. They’ll say “She doesn’t look sick”. As if there were some way she were supposed to look. And how would they know?

2) “Why doesn’t she just work from home?”

There are so many problems associated with that suggestion. I know. The last 2 years I worked in corporate America, I worked from home. And it was an up hill battle to get that ‘privilege’ (as my “manager” called it). She preferred that I remain working in the office, with a migraine so bad I could not think, than to work from home and be productive. (She measured productivity by how many hours you were in the office and how much time you spent chatting her up about all the work you were doing.)

If you are fortunate enough to be able to work from home, it isn’t the marvelous treat some think it is. I hear it all the time. “You’re so lucky to be able to work from home.” Lucky, hardly. It seriuosly separates you from the rest of the office. Even with e-mail, there’s still “Out of sight, out of mind.” You aren’t considered for the top projects. You’re overlooked for bonuses and raises. It’s a very career-limiting move.

3) “Why should we have to do anything? She is the one with the disorder.”

That has to top the list for insensitivity. Why should we do anything? For the same reason we put up wheel chair ramps, provide handicapped parking, put up important signs in Braille, etc. We all have to live on this planet. We all have disorders or afflictions of some sort or another, whether we admit them or not.

It’s not as if we’re asking people to not drink water or breathe air. We’re talking about perfume. A luxury. Something that you can live without. I have a friend who taught Nursing School. She said that years ago, they instructed nurses not to wear perfume. I also know people that work with the public and understand that their perfume doesn’t belong there. We need more people like that.

If you have to wear perfume, save it for your date. (Although you might want to make sure your date’s ok with it.)

Walk A Mile In Our Shoes - Part 2
Walk A Mile In Our Shoes - Part 3

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Dear Susan McBride,

If you should happen to read this, then you already know that I can certainly empathize with your plight. I fully know what it’s like to ask people you’re in close contact with to please not wear their perfume in your presence. And I also know that far too many of them do not understand your condition or what their perfume does to your body. You say allergy, they hear “I don’t like it.” They hear what they want to hear.

It’s a very brave thing to take this up as a lawsuit. I’ve already read enough on the web to know that many people won’t see your position. It makes my blood boil to read the comments they post around the web. But just remember they are insensitive and ignorant. They won’t read the facts behind this to learn that you had exhausted all other options. Some say “Work from home. Go on disability.” As if those are easy options. Trying to work from home is very difficult. But easy compared to going on disability. They talk about their “right” to wear perfume. As if you have no rights? Why are their rights important but yours aren’t?

Stay home, they say. If you wound up on welfare, they would attack you for that as well.

Just remember that there are many, many people that can empathize with you. Seek them out when you get weary from all the rude and insensitive comments.

To all readers: If you found this blog b/c you were looking for more info on this case, why don’t you leave a short comment of support. Or, if you just can empathize with Susan’s problem, leave a comment.

Watch this blog, too. In some upcoming posts, I want to address some of the rudeness that I found while researching this.

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Grayson Earl

My Time: 8:44

Click on the image or here to go to the puzzle.

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Woman Sues To Ban Perfume At Work

This could be a boon to those of us who are highly sensitive to fragrances. Susan McBride works for the City of Detroit and is suing to have her co-workers banned from wearing perfume at work. Seems the perfumes cause her severe headaches, nausea and coughing fits. She is citing disability laws - which is correct. Frankly, there are so many business in violation of disability laws for the same reason.

For me, I currently work out of my home. And I’ve done so for over 4 years. I honestly don’t think that I could go back to work in an office environment. My husband comes home from work and his clothes literally reek with perfumes from his co-workers.

I hope that she is successful in her lawsuit. It will make great headway in resolving this health issue.

Read the whole story.

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Time Released Fragrance in a Deodorant

I’ve seen this on a tv commercial recently. I don’t recall the brand, which is OK because I wouldn’t give them a plug if I did remember it.

It starts out talking about how their deodorant works continuously to stop odor. Turns out that it does this by time-releasing a fragrance.

I had always though that a deodorant would work to prevent or destroy body odor, not mask it. But I check the dictionary and it defines deodorant like this:

a substance that removes or conceals unpleasant smells, esp. bodily odors.

So, masking body odor is a valid function of a deodorant. If you have problems with fragrance chemicals, you may want to keep this in mind when you look for a deodorant you can use.

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Seven Reasons YOU Should Be Concerned About Fragrances

1. Using fewer fragranced products will help your fragrance-challenged friends. (You likely know some who suffer in silence.)
2. It will help limit the VOCs in everyone’s drinking water.
3. If all the groceries and restaurants quit using air fresheners, you wouldn’t be eating so many VOCs in your food.
4. We’ll all breathe a little better - especially asthmatics and COPD sufferers.
5. Fragrance products that contain VOCs trigger migraines in many people. Migraines are more than a headache, they are a neurological disorder. This means that VOCs ultimately impact the brain. What can it mean for children who’s bodies are still forming?
6. According to a recent survey, 39% of men prefer a woman to smell like the clean smell of soap.
7. A recent study has found that fetuses and babies are highly susceptible to chemical pollutants that can cause disease or disability.

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