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Story: Washing, cleaning and personal hygiene

Body odour – a social pariah

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Body odour – a social pariah

Body odour was a fact of life when bathing happened only weekly. However, by the 1920s and 1930s men and women were expected to eliminate odour through regular washing and deodorant. The pained look on the woman's face in this Lifebuoy soap advertisement speaks volumes. 

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National Library of New Zealand, Papers Past

Reference: Auckland Star, 6 July 1932, p. 12

Permission of the National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page

Kerryn Pollock, Washing, cleaning and personal hygiene – Bathing and personal hygiene, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/document/40798/body-odour-a-social-pariah (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Kerryn Pollock, published 1 February 2013.