Many of us have daily routines when it comes to hygiene and self-care. We wake up in the morning and we brush our teeth and brush our hair. Some of us shower in the morning, while others tend to shower at night.
Before we leave the house, we put on deodorant and make sure that we look presentable—you know, basic things on a regular basis . However, not everyone prioritizes hygiene every single day, or at all.
It’s hard to imagine a life where hygiene is not our priority.
Many experts say that taking care of yourself and your hygiene is a way to keep yourself healthy both mentally and physically. However, one journalist and writer has proven that not everyone needs to be “clean” to be happy and thriving.
Annabel Fenwick Elliott, a journalist from Essex, has gone viral for her stance on personal hygiene.
The 35–year-old currently lives alone in the Essex countryside with her dog. Her fiancé happens to work abroad, so she is usually alone most of the time. She claims to be an introvert who does not enjoy being with people often.
On TikTok, she shared how she takes care of herself living alone.
In a video, Annabel shared the “gross things” she does because she lives alone in the middle of nowhere. First, she says she doesn’t shower often, sometimes for an entire week. She claims she doesn’t see the point and also doesn’t like the feeling.
She will wear deodorant only when she’s running errands.
When she’s home alone, however, she skips the smelly stuff. She also doesn’t brush her hair. She says she forgets to brush her teeth a lot, as well, because she doesn’t want to have all of her food tasting minty if she eats afterward.
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She also rinses and reuses the same dishes.
While she has multiple cups, plates, and bowls, she usually reuses the same dirty dishes she just used and rinses them off a tad bit. She claims this is because she has the favorites that she loves and wants to reuse.
Annabel claims she’s not “anti-soap.”
The writer says it’s not that she’s against soap and toothpaste, but if she is alone all day and all of the time, she doesn’t see the true point in using all of them. She also claims that a lot of her rebellion in hygiene is pure laziness.
However, she isn’t always like this.
Annabel shares that her fiancé is a pilot, and when he returns home from working abroad, she does take care of herself more often. She doesn’t “subject” people to her lack of hygiene and when she used to live in London, she showered regularly.
For now, though, Annabel is a proud “gross girl.”
Living by herself with her dog, she’s proud to be living her best life and her true self. She says that “deep down she may be a hippie” who just doesn’t want to use all of the chemicals and additives that many products contain.
People online were a bit torn.
Some people felt that this was utterly lazy and gross. While you can choose to wear what you want and maybe not brush your hair, many thought the “not showering” was rather terrible. Overall, some said it was bad for your health. Others said not brushing your teeth was asking for “problems.”
However, others celebrated Annabel.
Other commenters felt that this was the ultimate definition of freedom. Some said that it was truly what they “dreamed of” doing, and wished that they lived alone so they, too, could forgo showers and stop brushing their hair and teeth.
Most of all, they said Annabel is happy and confident.
“Annabelle, what I’ll say is that you seem comfortable and confident in your own skin. Your inward positivity is all that matters,” shared one TikTok user in the comments.
What do you think?
