This is what Teenagers don’t know about Hygiene
Especially Boys
This is a bit of an awkward email to write,
And it is certainly not about revision.
Sometimes,
I like to write emails from a sort of in-between position.
I am not a parent,
And I am not a teenager.
So, I like to think that occasionally it could be somewhat interesting to read about an issue/conversation parents have with their teenagers,
From an outside perspective.
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So why hygiene?
Well I can’t speak from anyone else,
But for me,
I would say I am significantly more hygienic now then I was as a teenager.
And whilst I imagine this isn’t an unusual development,
If no one else relates to the examples that I am about to give,
This is going to be very embarrassing.
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I am hoping that somehow this email makes it way to a few teenagers,
Who somehow are open to reading it,
As I think I would have really benefited from realising these things earlier on in my life.
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Showering
It isn’t a revelation to anyone that you should shower.
And it isn’t really a revelation to anyone that you should shower basically every day – especially if you are out meeting people at school.
But I definitely did not shower every day,
And I know at least a few other teenager boys who at the time didn’t as well.
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Especially at the very start of secondary school,
It wasn’t really on my radar to ‘smell nice.’
I was much more concerned with football, Fifa and WWE.
And therefore, showering, felt like a major inconvenience.
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If I could go back I would have liked to tell 11/12/13 year old Joel that it isn’t worth it.
If you smell,
Even a little bit,
Kids can be mean.
And you will eventually be interested in pursuing girls and they definitely do not like boys who smell.
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What does washing your face actually mean?
When I was growing up,
It was always told to do your ‘teeth and face’ in the morning and evening.
So I had a complete understanding that the two go together.
What I did not realise,
And it truly shocked me to learn this at 15/16 years old,
Washing you face is not splashing water on it.
That does not really count.
Washing you face is using soap or a face wash gel to properly clean your face.
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I was so shocked when I found this out that I asked many fellow teenage boys,
Who most of which didn’t even understand the question!
And then some older people and teenage girls who didn’t understand how you could not be washing your face properly!
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At the time I didn’t have the worst case of acne,
But I definitely had enough spots to make me self-conscious,
And again if I could go back I would teach my younger self how to take better care of my skin from a younger age.
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Having a better understanding of women’s health and hygiene
This is a specific call out to younger teenager boys.
When I was early on in my secondary school life,
Especially at the very beginning,
I found the idea of periods gross.
It’s embarrassing to even write that sentence now let alone reflect on actually feeling those feelings at any age.
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If I could go back and speak to my younger self, I would tell him in no uncertain terms something that I know to be absolutely true now:
Periods are completely natural.
Also,
If you act like you are grossed out by periods,
Or even that you find them uncomfortable,
You will magnetically repel every girl that you meet.
And this will not be good for your romantic prospects.
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I hope at the very least this email has been a mildly interesting read from a different perspective.
I hope you all have a great week ahead,
Best wishes,
Joel