Is honesty always the best policy when it comes to hygienic matters with friends?

If you had a friend who had body odor, would you tell them, or would you stay silent even if you knew people were making fun of them behind their back?

Read how one Redditor’s truth-telling about his friend’s B.O. might lose him a friendship.

See the story below for all the details.

AITA for telling my friend he stinks

This happened a few days ago.

I live in a college dorm with two roommates.

I’ve a friend who lives in another room. He doesn’t have many friends and doesn’t go out often, so most people either don’t know or choose not to mention the terrible odour.

Things weren’t always this way, though.

He was fine when he joined the college, but recently, the odour has gotten so bad that you can smell if he passed by.

When he comes to my room for stuff ( usually only if he needs help or Internet), the entire room gets filled up with his aura of nasal assault, so much so that my roommates get out of the room or light up a cigarette to chase him away (He doesn’t smoke).

In fact, the friend does shower.

He showers daily, and I think the odour is due to sweat and him wearing the same clothes for many days and not washing them.

So, being a close friend of his, I called him over and told him very politely that people had a problem with the odour. I offered solutions and to buy him deodorants, sprays and advice on washing and sun drying his clothes for that extra oomph.

His response wasn’t what you’d think.

He just kept grinning, and the only thing he wanted to know was who was it that complained to me. He said nothing and left.

The next day, he comes to our room in the same clothes, but with some horrible perfume applied over it that mixed with the odour and made us gag.

This was the last straw for the OP.

I bluntly asked him why it was so hard for him to accept what I said.

He just grinned and said he doesn’t mind and neither does his roommate.

I replied that it wasn’t just about him, and it affects others, too, so he should fix it and that both of them can’t smell the stink cause they’re wallowing in it all the time.

He then said that we won’t get him to dance to our tune since no one, but my immediate roommates, have complained.

But then, things took a turn for the worse.

[He then] said if it’s bothering me so much, we can’t be friends anymore, which infuriated me, as I felt it was a completely immature reaction to the whole matter.

As he was leaving our room saying it wasn’t proper of him to remain after I said so much, I bluntly told him to stop stinking the place up and get out, and also to keep their room shut up to not stink up the hallway cause the juniors were complaining to me.

Unfortunately, the friend never hears these complains directly.

I know that no one complains directly to him since he’s a nice, reserved guy. He just comes, studies and goes.

I mean, I myself defended him from my roommates for a while cause I felt bad for the guy, and I had allergies, which spared me from the worst of the smell.

We didn’t mention this with anyone else, but I confess me and my roommates would make fun of him in private between us when he was not around.

And the nicknames? They’re pretty creative.

We’d call him the skunk, aura-master and stuff like that.

AITAH and what next?

So, does this friend deserve to be cut off? Let’s read the comments below and see what Reddit thinks about this stink.

One Redditor recommended bringing this complaint to the next level.

Another said this was the end of the road.

People also wondered if he was washing properly.

And, finally, one Redditor said he should’ve been thankful.

It’s sad he’s ending a friendship over this minor critique.

If you liked that story, read this one about grandparents who set up a college fund for their grandkid because his parents won’t, but then his parents want to use the money to cover sibling’s medical expenses.