Perfume was invented to cover up the stench of body odor, and since not all marriages were done after the yearly bath, flowers were incorporated into the ceremony to help mask the smell of the bride.
I’m thankful for clean hot water on demand!
It's not a new problem, either in food (strong spices, salting, smoking) or in personal relations. The ancient world stunk to high heaven of dung because, well, hygiene practices. Still that way in arid countries.