(This is edition No. 1 of the column called The Olfactory, where we will discover the rich science and art of the fragrance industry)
When you read most literature on the subject of fragrance for men, you will learn that the primary concern is how effective it is with women. That German aficionado, Jeremy Fragrance, who dominates whichever algorithm he targets through pure charisma, typically will describe a fragrance, such as Paco Rabanne’s One Million Lucky, or Dolce & Gabbana’s The One, as being SEXY, POWER, STRONG—you get the picture. To a young man, who wonders how to seduce women, through all the modes that may take, such as wearing designer V-necks, speaking forcefully, negging the girl of his dreams, perhaps, such a description claims to cohere with everything he knows about women, and its inverted mirror, or puzzle piece: manhood. I will not lead you to think in such a way, although we must then wonder: if not for women, why bother to smell good? Insofar as seduction is a form of persuasion, we can’t imagine transposing that spirit into platonic forms. Does it matter if you wear Hugo Boss’ Bottled Infinite or Bleu de Chanel for an interview with a boutique banking firm? We certainly afford this care to other modes of art or fashion as it concerns public presentation. Don’t wear the blue tie, wear the red one—it signifies confidence. Cut your hair, it’s more professional than looking like a young Julian Casablancas. Wear oxfords, but not ones with monk straps—that’d be too loud. In that line of thought, we can see that we curate our image for the sake of others, from our socks to our hair, and yet we seem to accept the unseen dimension to this presentation, smell, as being a matter of small concern. Have your girlfriend pick out a cologne for you, as most men do, and let it be. That doesn’t seem very sophisticated, though, does it? If you’re going to be alive, you might as well do it with some oomph, or even better, class.
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