Of Odors and Ages

The human body undergoes important changes in late childhood, including body odor. These transformations in how their bodies smell require young people to learn how to regulate perspiration and personal odors and to use deodorants and perfumes. This sensorial rite of passage introduces young adolescents to practices that socialize them into groups defined by age, gender, and family lineage, altering peer relationships. Such changes introduce children to ways of experimenting with–and transgressing–practices as they learn to define their individuality.