David Beckham has 11 fragrances.
Well, actually the 11 are colognes that he lends his name to but I have no doubt he smells reeeeeallllly nice.
I’d already begun to think about discussing scents for this blog when I heard that tidbit. I’ve always been aware of the power of smells and their associated meanings but hadn’t “scientifically” given it any thought. So I did a wee bit of Googling and found a succinct explanation that while visual cues might invoke memories, scents
invoke EMOTIONS linked to events in our lives.
Makes sense (er, scents?). When I smell chicken baking and especially the broth for making dressing I’m immediately sent back to my childhood when I was carefree, safe, loved. Or the memory of happiness I feel when I smell wax melded with spring breezes through the window. This one happened every year and I STILL can remember coming home from school after my Mom had done her spring cleaning and lying on the couch sighing in contentment. When my Daddy passed the only thing I wanted was his sweater…which smelled of him.
Not all aromas bring such positive memories. Some of you may know this from experience but every nurse knows that cancer has a smell. When I was a fledgling nurse, I had a patient who used a certain body powder along with this smell. To this day, if I catch a whiff of that powder every sad moment in that lady’s last days comes back to me.
Aromatherapy is big and I buy into a lot of it. Lavender DOES make you feel more relaxed and helps you sleep. A spa I go to for massages has a whole aromatherapy program. You close your eyes and decide which scent you want your massage lotion to contain. Supposedly, your body knows whi
ch one it needs. I never know what is in most of them but one time I stopped her after the second one. I said “That one, because it smells like Ireland.” (And no…it wasn’t the scent of Guinness).
Then there are the odors associated with such lovely things as garbage or the teenager with gym shorts that haven’t seen a washing machine since freshman year. And don’t forget the summer time wafting of SKUNK so many of us are blessed with.
Well, actually the 11 are colognes that he lends his name to but I have no doubt he smells reeeeeallllly nice.
I’d already begun to think about discussing scents for this blog when I heard that tidbit. I’ve always been aware of the power of smells and their associated meanings but hadn’t “scientifically” given it any thought. So I did a wee bit of Googling and found a succinct explanation that while visual cues might invoke memories, scents
invoke EMOTIONS linked to events in our lives.Makes sense (er, scents?). When I smell chicken baking and especially the broth for making dressing I’m immediately sent back to my childhood when I was carefree, safe, loved. Or the memory of happiness I feel when I smell wax melded with spring breezes through the window. This one happened every year and I STILL can remember coming home from school after my Mom had done her spring cleaning and lying on the couch sighing in contentment. When my Daddy passed the only thing I wanted was his sweater…which smelled of him.
Not all aromas bring such positive memories. Some of you may know this from experience but every nurse knows that cancer has a smell. When I was a fledgling nurse, I had a patient who used a certain body powder along with this smell. To this day, if I catch a whiff of that powder every sad moment in that lady’s last days comes back to me.
Aromatherapy is big and I buy into a lot of it. Lavender DOES make you feel more relaxed and helps you sleep. A spa I go to for massages has a whole aromatherapy program. You close your eyes and decide which scent you want your massage lotion to contain. Supposedly, your body knows whi
ch one it needs. I never know what is in most of them but one time I stopped her after the second one. I said “That one, because it smells like Ireland.” (And no…it wasn’t the scent of Guinness).Then there are the odors associated with such lovely things as garbage or the teenager with gym shorts that haven’t seen a washing machine since freshman year. And don’t forget the summer time wafting of SKUNK so many of us are blessed with.
But every person reacts differently to different scents and that’s what fascinates me! I mean my “Gosh that reminds me of my best friend’s wedding” might be your “Gak! Reminds me of that guy Stinky Toes I used to date”.
Genetics or perception?
Take the scent patchouli. I’ve seen this referenced in some books lately and in MY mind associated it with a paint or thinner smell. (I don’t think I’ve ever smelled it before). Yet it was brought up in a discussion on a talk show the other day and the host said “It’s a smell you either like or think it smells like sweat socks.”
This predilection toward invoking memories explains why we use them to describe physical and emotional reactions of our heroes and heroines to each other. Spice, musk, citrus, sandalwood, jasmine and…for some authors…patchouli….ups the desire, the need and helps the reader connect. Hmmmm…..David….beneath the sweaty shirt I smell musk and spice and m
an!And a hint of soccer ball.
So I favor lighter floral scents, citrus and for the fellas in my life musk. What about you? What do you like? What do you favor on your guy?
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