Jezebel: smell tests

Body Odor Is The Key To True Love

Moe — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 12:00:00 EST

If you haven't been paying attention to the junk science headlines over the past few months, they basically go like this: basically we humans are Darwinistic herding mammals, blah blah blah Discovery Channel, which is why ovulating strippers make more money, why Paris Hilton put pheromones in her perfume, why I always seem to wind up humping dudes who are allergic to cats, and why some one-man scam business based in Boston is now trying to sell the town on a $2,000-a-year dating service wherein you take a swab from your armpit and submit it for personalized "DNA Matched Dating." What is this all leading to? It's leading to the inevitable point that, like dogs, we choose our mates on the basis of their body odor, or something. Which leads me to a story my friend Todd told the other day: he was broke, and living on ramen in Colorado, and never getting laid. He was so broke he barely bought beer. He was so broke he had to stop buying Degree, his favorite anti-perspirant. Don't get grossed out! He had a few cases of Speed Stick deodorant, the stuff his dad swore by, so he used that and put up with the sweat stains for a few months...

And almost overnight, he started getting laid! "So much," he said. "So much." Think that would work for us? No? Hey, it's an idea.

P.S. this is why internet dating is stupid. Also, there's probably some conclusion to be drawn about cocaine ... but... what do I know about that? No really, I don't know anything. Cuddles!

Body Odor May Be Key To Romance And Great Sex [Breitbart]
Earlier: Vulva, The Perfume Of The Panty Minded
Whtat Do Gay Men Think Of "Vulva", The Ladyparts Perfume?

The Way To A Lover's Heart Is Through The Nose

Dodai — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 16:30:00 EDT

We're not the only ones who love burying our noses in a lover's T-shirt [Or hairy armpits! -Ed.]: Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh found that 90% of women have deliberately smelled a partner's shirt. (What's wrong with that other 10%?) Over half of men did, too. A majority of women also reported sleeping in or next to their partner's clothing. The researchers say that this "comfort smelling" is widespread within families — mothers have a scent bond with their babies, and some mothers will put their pajamas in a child's bed when they can't be there at bedtime. (It's not just the women: A man reported smelling his father's clothing when his dad was away. Plus, Brokeback Mountain!) But are women are especially sensitive to smell?

According to another study, ladies consider a man less attractive if they sniff something foul while looking at him — even if he's not the source of the stink. Pleasant and neutral odors make women find men more handsome. What is it about smell? And why does it make us feel things? Bruce Turetsky, a University of Pennsylvania associate psychiatry professor, says scents may "have a greater ability to bring up an emotional memory in you than seeing a picture or hearing a voice." Turestky found that sense of smell can also be linked to emotional disorders; In one study, he measured the olfactory organ sizes of patients with schizophrenia (a disease characterized by emotional flatness) and they were 23 percent smaller than normal.

Meanwhile, Marissa Kristal of Psychology Today polled her girlfriends by asking them to smell certain scents and then describe how they pictured the man who'd wear them. Nivea aftershave balm made them think the guy was "soft and smooth"; Demeter's Grass fragrance prompted them to imagine a "very manly" outdoorsy guy and a Bulgari cologne made them conjure up a "confident, practical and handsome" man. Hmm, what would they say if they got a whiff of Vulva?

A Sniff of Your Sweetie [Psychology Today]
Beauty Beat: The Nose Knows [Psychology Today]
The Emotional Power of Smell [Psychology Today]
Earlier: Upper East Siders Love Crotch, Hate "Vulva"

Upper East Siders Love Crotch, Hate "Vulva"

Tracie — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 12:30:00 EDT

After testing out Vulva, the fragrance that's supposed to smell like a vagina (but really just smells like a non-gender-specific sweaty crotch) on gay men in NYC's Chelsea, we were curious as to what posh types on Manhattan's Upper East Side would think of the scent. This time, we asked participants to compare Vulva to Tom Ford's Black Orchid, the perfume reported to be inspired by the scent of a man's crotch (but really smells like flowery old ladies). On Saturday videographer Alex Goldberg and Jezegay Ryan Creed made the trek up to the expensive-shit shopping district of Madison Avenue, where we were mostly snootily ignored by the ladies who lunch. However we did find some good sports willing to take a whiff, first of Black Orchid, then of Vulva. Clip above.

Earlier: What Do Gay Men Think Of "Vulva", The Ladyparts Perfume?
Related: We Hear [NY Post]

What Do Gay Men Think Of "Vulva", The Ladyparts Perfume?

Tracie — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 13:30:00 EDT

Remember how we told you about Vulva, the fragrance that's supposed to smell just like a vagina? Well, our vial of the stuff finally came in the mail — all the way from Germany! — and we decided to take it to the streets of NYC's gay-friendly Chelsea neighborhood, where we conducted a blind smell test between Vulva and Britney Spears' latest scent, In Control, shot by video hunk Alex Goldberg. (For added effect, we had Jezebel buddy Ryan pour Vulva on his fingers instead of using the blotters we swiped from Sephora.)