We asked readers to channel their inner Carolyn Hax and answer this question. Some of the best responses are below.
I usually put a bit on before getting intimate with my husband, or to help me feel sexy — so I feel like it’s weird for me to now smell the same as my mom, especially since she is at our house almost daily nannying my daughter. Is there any way to ask her to stop wearing it without sounding totally petty? I don’t want to make her feel bad.
— Anonymous
Anonymous: Maybe being vulnerable and explaining, how you just did here, would work? I thought your explanation was pretty eloquent, scent is very personal, at least that is how you are using it!
Is there anything comparable that is very personal to her or that she is proud of that might serve as an example and help her relate? For example, some people are very possessive about certain recipes, and don’t take kindly to people copying a “signature dish,” even if they are happy to swap other recipes.
Not knowing your mom, I don’t know if this would work or if it is worth a shot. Sadly, this doesn’t usually work with my own mom! But it has helped with disagreements with other family and friends. Vulnerability can be disarming and can sometimes curb people’s instinct to be defensive. I respond better personally to people sharing their honest feeling with me, too (“I statements” help).
— Also Anonymous
Anonymous: I’m probably the last one to ask, because things like this don’t bother me at all (I’ve shown up wearing the EXACT same shirt as one of my friends, and even my mom, before and find it hilarious … and proof I have good taste). However, I would like to point out that the same scent rarely smells the same on two different people, given your different natural scents and pheromones. Case in point, my one friend has the same body spray as I do, and it’s always smelled fruity to me (while I’m wearing it), and it smells more floral on her. We didn’t even realize it was the same scent until one of us saw the other use it.
— Good Taste
Anonymous: The problem isn’t that your mom is wearing the same perfume. It’s that you know she’s wearing the same perfume, and you feel self-conscious about it. So this is more of a you problem than a mom problem. Scent may be personal, but rationally, you already know that at least thousands of other women wear that same perfume. But your mom is the only one you know personally, apparently. So you focus on her wearing it because you know about it and because she’s a family member, and for some reason this interferes with your enjoyment of the perfume. A better question might be: What can you do to get it to bother you less?
If your mom is wearing it while at your house, you could mention to her that it weirds you out a little to smell “your” perfume on someone else. If she stops wearing it at your house, that’s all you can expect in any reasonable way. If she doesn’t wear it at your house, you might have to find some thought-stopping technique to help your mind switch gears when you start ruminating on mom and the perfume. If you need to read up on thought-stopping, Google is your friend.
— Used to wear the same perfume as my best friend
Every week, we ask readers to answer a question submitted to Carolyn Hax’s live chat or email. Read last week’s installment here. New questions are typically posted on Fridays, with a Monday deadline for submissions. Responses are anonymous, unless you choose to identify yourself, and are edited for length and clarity.