Is it good to talk?

So I find myself in a little bit of a situation at the moment that is a little alien to me... Despite having an exceedingly verbal and profoundly articulate life I found myself unable to speak about something.

I wont go into detail about the subject matter, but needless to say it was somewhat personal.

There are things in life that we find so easy to discuss; for example, other people's lives (that often don't concern us in any way), issues at work, what's hot and what's not on TV, The X Factor or what not... However, the mechanics of our own personal relations remain taboo in this somewhat excessively communicative world in which we now live.

Should we feel bad about telling our friend that we think they're getting a little chubby, or that their latest choice in haircut is an absolute disaster or that their personal hygiene is becoming a little questionable of late... My own personal belief is that, no, we certainly should not but the fact remains that these conversations are difficult nonetheless - and often its easier to paper over it and avoid it all together

Despite all of this knowledge I would never apply this theory in my work life because I know that it would damage my professional relationships and would, therefore, have a detrimental effect on my well-being. I don't, however, factor this into my personal relationships because there is so much emotional baggage.

My conundrum is this... Are there some things that one really should put into a little box and lock away into that special corner of the mind or should we spill and deal with the fallout!?