Olfactory poll
Jan. 6th, 2011 03:51 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
Not really a poll, alas, for it has no tickies, but I would appreciate any and all data.
If you have a decent to above average sense of smell, how do men and women smell to you? I don't mean in a sexually aroused/arousing way, or doused in supposedly-gendered body products--just a clean person smell. How would you describe commonalities of scent among men vs. women, if you notice them?
I used to have a good sense of smell, but Ashe juniper and other Texas allergens are slowly turning me anosmic. Since one of my pet peeves in fiction is supposedly superhuman senses described in only standard human detail, I would like to make sure my stunted senses aren't leading me into the same trap.
ETA: I tend to agree about the muskiness of men, as described in the comments, but I also find that men tend to smell sharper to me. Women can be musky, but will rarely be sharp. People I find pleasant-smelling tend to fall into a musky/metallic bittersweet range; less pleasant is the too-sharp/sour range. (Not sour as in unwashed, just sour.)
If you have a decent to above average sense of smell, how do men and women smell to you? I don't mean in a sexually aroused/arousing way, or doused in supposedly-gendered body products--just a clean person smell. How would you describe commonalities of scent among men vs. women, if you notice them?
I used to have a good sense of smell, but Ashe juniper and other Texas allergens are slowly turning me anosmic. Since one of my pet peeves in fiction is supposedly superhuman senses described in only standard human detail, I would like to make sure my stunted senses aren't leading me into the same trap.
ETA: I tend to agree about the muskiness of men, as described in the comments, but I also find that men tend to smell sharper to me. Women can be musky, but will rarely be sharp. People I find pleasant-smelling tend to fall into a musky/metallic bittersweet range; less pleasant is the too-sharp/sour range. (Not sour as in unwashed, just sour.)
no subject
Date: 2011-01-06 09:52 pm (UTC)Otherwise, smells are very individual, although I'd say that women are generally lower key in their smell than men, and that male scent is rounder (sort of earthier, but that's not quite the right word. Like clean fresh mulch? Something like that.)
no subject
Date: 2011-01-06 10:33 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-06 09:52 pm (UTC)Mileage may vary, since most of the time I smell people without scent products it's in the gym or on a hot bus. And people on hot buses smell irritated and sour more than anything else.
no subject
Date: 2011-01-06 10:01 pm (UTC)He was actually handsome.
no subject
Date: 2011-01-06 10:15 pm (UTC)Most are just different -- not unpleasant at all. I find it difficult to describe those scents though; the similes aren't there.
I also find that houses/apartments have very individual smells based on who lives there (and secondarily what they cook.)
I agree that men in general have a muskier smell than women.
What really makes me want to throw up is room fresheners and those disgusting restroom cleaning products with the rancid-jellybean smell -- not people.
no subject
Date: 2011-01-06 10:21 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-06 10:56 pm (UTC)Or that's just me....
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Date: 2011-01-06 11:49 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-07 01:32 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-07 01:37 am (UTC)Most often I notice the tangy fresh-sweat smell during summertime which seems to be pretty common across both sexes.
I had a male co-worker who smelled like cigarettes mixed with this strong, yeasty, bakery smell. Or maybe the smell of cooking pasta.
Another girl smelled like... I don't know, ferrets? Old sweater? And I had an old girl-friend who had this odd cross of slight morning breath and unbuttered popcorn, not unpleasant, but unusual. I called it 'the popcorn smell' which permeated her house and car.
no subject
Date: 2011-01-07 02:38 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-07 08:38 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-07 01:20 pm (UTC)