We told our friend that he stinks
So we’re a group of six guy friends. We hang out all the time, go to school together, etc. We have this one friend who didn’t really start puberty until about 2 years ago (for context we’re all 18). So he wasn’t really used to having great hygiene. That’s normal since before hitting puberty you don’t stink as much, therefore you don’t shower as much. No biggie. Our friend however started to really smell like sweat, but old sweat. We tried to give him subtle hints so he would find out on his own, but it didn’t work. When I once asked him if he wanted to take a shower after he’d slept over, he told me that I shouldn’t worry, he told me he had showered the other day. I realized then that we would have to do something.
Then the other day something happened which made us decide it was time. All six of us were in a room together at recess when other people joined us and as they entered all of them remarked how bad the smell was.
We decided we couldn’t not tell him because that would be really dishonest, we didn’t want other people to make fun of him behind his back. So we told him, when no other people where present of course, that he smells of sweat.
He didn’t take it to well. He didn’t join our last hangout and I have a feeling it’s because we told him. We of course don’t want him to feel terrible about himself, but how should we have told him? He wouldn’t take the subtle hints, so we took the candid approach. We all still feel kind of bad but also like he’s gonna be grateful in the future.