What Does the Phrase "Smelling Herself" Mean?
When you were around 12 or 13-years old, and you acting out a bit talking back or something like that, did your mother or grandmother ever declare that you were “smelling yourself”? Of course they—the mother or grandmother—would have to have been African American and of southern origin if they did. As strange as it may seem, I think this aphorism may have something to do with body odor at least figuratively. As far as I can tell it relates to puberty when a kid becomes headstrong, rebellious, or a little too assertive, particularly in the case of girls. This is also a time of dramatic hormonal changes. Sweat and oil glands become more active and body odor changes--gets stronger, stinkier (I don’t know if that is a word, but it should be). The kid starts acting a fool, and she also stinks in both senses of the word. You could say she is drunk on the intoxicating odor of their own funk--smelling herself. Rather poetic.
Published on October 10, 2013 16:58 • Tags: grandmother, mother-southern, puberty, smelling-yourself
