My Liberal Identity:
You are a Reality-Based Intellectualist, also known as the liberal elite. You are a proud member of what’s known as the reality-based community, where science, reason, and non-Jesus-based thought reign supreme.
Take the quiz at www.FightConservatives.com
Personal Scent
Not too long ago, I wrote about an unbathed homeless man who frequented the library I worked at in college. And I know I've made comments in passing about those who use unappealing colognes and perfumes. Today, I'll touch upon another type of odor, that of "personal scent".
Personal scent isn't the same thing as B.O.; it's a natural odor unique to that person that can be detectable even when the person is freshly bathed and perfectly clean. It is how a person smells when clean, but not using any type of scented product: colognes, lotions, deodorant, etc. And it's not always an unpleasant odor, though it can be. Nor can we detect the personal scents of everyone we meet -- some people are olfactorily "invisible" to us, where with others, their personal scents jump right out at us, either pleasantly or unpleasantly.
I remember as a kid that the members of my aunt's family all had a similar personal scent. It was obvious to me whenever I visited them, but it wasn't an unpleasant odor to me. It was just their "family smell".
A few years ago, I worked with this woman who had a personal scent that I found extremely repulsive. She wasn't dirty in any way, but her scent did not appeal to me at all. Her odor was quite strong, too, as I'd be able to smell it whenever I got within three feet of her. It was so that I avoided interacting with her as much as possible, even though she was a very nice person.
Quite a long time ago, Infamous J and I had discussed the personal scent phenomenon, as she also had noticed people's personal scents. She'd read something to the effect that when one encountered someone with an unpleasant scent, that it was a primal reaction that was triggered when we encountered someone whose DNA was too similar to our own; that it was a kind of primitive alarm against unsuitable mates. I've not read anything about it myself, but it's an interesting idea.
Thoughts?
I saw a show that talked about this issue. They had women sniff different
t-shirts with different men's odors and then tested their DNA against the
women's DNA and correlated it with the reactions. Women who found the odor
offensive were more likely to have damaged children DNA-wise with the owner
of of the malodorous t shirt. T shirts that smelled good were from men who
were the best match DNA wise. Nature shows who is wisest once again.
I'm also very aware of personal scents. I wish I knew what mine smelled
like. Geeze, I hope it's good!!! Every day after Lovey leaves for work, I
push my face into his pillow. Heavenly.
I almost always notice people's personal scent when I spent more than a few
minutes with them and in some people, there's nothing I like better. In
others ... ugh.
I can only go by personal experience here...and I can tell you that my ex
definitely had an 'odor' to me...not necessarily an offensive odor..just
one that I was aware of...and our daughter is autistic and mentally
retarded. Oddly I dont remember that about him before we married..maybe not
living with him it was not as noticeable to me.
My daughter when she hugs me will say things like, "You smell so good Mom"
or "I love to smell you Mom." I don't wear perfume so I guess I have some
scent. I'm hoping it's a good one! I don't remember my ex having a
repulsive scent, in fact I enjoyed his smell, well usually I did.
Even my pets have their own unique scents! Of course, I only smell them
when I am holding them up to my face.
I don't think I'm terribly sensitive to scent, but I've dated girls who
have been. We must have fit together all right, since they didn't kick me
out of bed.
One of my favorite books is on this very subject, Perfume:The Story of a
Murderer by Patrick Suskind. Set in the 18th century, about a man who has
a super human sense of smell- but no odor himself. He is ignored or shunned
because of it.Basically invisible or found repulsive to other people. He
uses his gift to rise above his class,and searches for the perfect smell to
obtain for himself-virgins, who unfortunately must be murdered first. It's
a FABULOUS book. I tried to get my book club interested, but the old farts
gasped and shuddered. Hee hee!
It's tough to capture scent, as a romance writer. Smell is such a vital
erotic sense, but trying to convey a scent others can identify and imagine
is tricky. I always have to rely on old-standbys like lavender, jasmine,
that kind of thing, but the sexy part is really about that underlying,
personal note.
I've heard that the whole ability of categorizing scents as "good" and
"bad" is mostly meant to keep you away from things that are bad for you (so
you don't get the idea of eating decomposing, bacteria-contaminated meat
for starters), and maybe also push you towards things that are good for
you.
That Perfume: TSofaM sounds interesting...
