Oh, I didn't think of the diaper rash comparison! You're right, though. Just like diaper rash isn't something that happens instantly--though it happens a lot faster than a yeast infection in the skin folds, and can admittedly happen quite quickly if Baby is suffering a particularly nasty bout of diarrhea--diaper rash is also something that proper care can fix rather quickly. I recall several mornings where one of my girls was a bit red and irritated from an unexpected late-night elimination or the aforementioned tummy troubles, but with a little extra vigilance during the day--changing the diaper a little more often than usual and putting on cream with every change--they were totally normal again by bedtime. Even redness that became an actual rash, which only happened a couple of times, was still easy to clear up quickly as long as we kept them clean. And that's delicate skin, thinner and with less "protection" than the skin on the rest of the body. I can't imagine how long a dirty diaper would have to sit to cause an infected, stinky rash, and I really can't imagine how long one would have to walk around with nasty sticky grime between the folds for it to form an infection bad enough to stink up a room. Like I said to Cryingintomywine, letting that sit there long enough to become badly infected is the very definition of "poor hygiene." That is the sort of thing that good hygiene is specifically designed to avoid, ffs. And imagine how long it had to go on, and how bad it must have been, for those ladies to actually A) be certain it was the fat, and not something in the air ducts or whatever; and B) actually feel the need to mention it. They must have been mortified to have to say something, especially to address it as "your hygiene"--which suggests an ongoing issue, and not just, "We don't think you showered tonight, can you please do it next time?" shudder