Some New Yorkers Defying The Culture Of Cleanliness
NEW YORK (CBS 2) -- It's what most of us do every day -- a daily shower followed by a dab of deodorant.
However, Americans from Malibu to Manhattan are defying the culture of cleanliness. Alice Feiring of SoHo is among them and said she doesn't shower every day.
"I don't tend to smell, so I find that every other day, every three days is perfectly fine," Feiring told CBS 2's Sean Hennessey.
Feiring, a writer of wine books, argues she doesn't work up a sweat at the keyboard and doesn't need a lot of time in the tub.
"I do not feel less clean than other people and when I take a shower, I don't necessarily feel fantastically clean," she said.
In fact, you may be standing next to the unshowered on a crowded subway more often than you think.
Public relations executive Nancy Trent said she has never used deodorant in her life.
"I don't need to. I have a plant-based diet and I'm clean. I take care of myself," Trent said.
"Good grooming is taking a shower when you need to...it definitely doesn't mean a shower every day."
Both Trent and Feiring said not taking daily showers saves water, time and their skin.
"I don't want to over process my skin. I don't think it's good for my skin," Feiring said
Advocates pointed to research showing the skin has beneficial germs -- antibiotics that actually kill off bad bacteria. They said that fact is a reason why daily showers aren't needed.
The chemicals in deodorants are also a concern.
"Putting chemicals under your arms everyday is kind of a bad thing," Feiring said.
Both Trent and Feiring said the lifestyle has been working for years.
"I've stood the test of intimate encounters and I'm okay," Feiring said.
