How important to you is a scent's "masculinity"?

I don't know how to vote with this...basically if it doesn't smell like a flowerbomb (one exception, FM Iris Poudre) or a fruitcup, I'll wear it with no problems about it.

Perfume is so subjective...I have no discomfort with Jicky, a women's scent, and quite comparable is Caron's Pour Un Homme.

Women gush when I wear YSL's Nu...they don't even think twice about the marketed gender. They love it on me. White flowers, wood, and musk...where's the fear in that?

Longevity is a plus when wearing womens marketed scents since most are EdP.

It depends on my mood and what I am going to do. I need some overtly masculine frags in the wardrobe for some occaisions (tabarome). Other times I may wear Neroli sauvage because it smells happy and beautiful or other scents with no obvious gender signiture.

I've worn feminine scents, like the newest version of L'Interdit, but I don't agree with the people who think that the Basenotes forum should combine the men's and women's fragrance discussion boards. Â*That would be too confusing and time consuming. I basically wear scents that smell manly.

I follow what I think is a straightforward method: There are four types of fragrances-
1) masculine
2) feminine
3) nice, without being either masculine or feminine
4) unpleasant and/or headache

I will wear stuff out of 1 or 3. And rather than use the labeling, I decide for myself whether a fragrace has been miscategorized as 1 or 2 when it's really 3. (of course, that can go other ways as well)

If it smells good on me and I'm comfortable with the scent, it shouldn't really matter whether it's marketed for men or women.

A good example is Kingdom - the department stores in London now display it in the unisex/miscellaneous sections, and all the SAs have stated that it's a unisex fragrance.


Trebor

Not very important, but I'm still hesitant to wearing some fragrances outside my apartment (closet cross dresser ;D). There are fragrances I think are better suited for my girlfriend rather than me, even if I love them myself. But I own several female scents and wear some of them with pride to work, clubs, family gatherings etc. So it was the 2nd last option for me...

I'll try anything once. Then I decide for myself if I'd want to wear it again--a lot, or a little. The gender designation by the maker has much less impact than how I feel about it myself. "Too feminine" is just one possible reason why I might be disinclined to wear something repeatedly, but it is a factor.

I don't really think in terms of masculine and feminine, but in terms of what I like and perceive as appropriate for me. Part of that is whether I perceive a fragrance as "too feminine," but I focus more on whether the overall impression of the scent is "me."

I wear scents marketed as masculine, feminine and unisex. Some of the masculine MARKETED fragrances strike me as SMELLING more feminine than many scents marketed as feminine or unisex, so I try to evaluate scents on an individual basis.

I also don't really care if someone recognizes a fragrance I'm wearing as one that is marketed to women. Strangely enough, the only time this has EVER happened (that someone has remarked on) is when I was wearing Aramis 900 and my girlfriend remarked that it smelled familiar. It turns out that she had smelled Clinique Aromatics Elixir before, which is virtually the same scent (same company) as Aramis 900.

--Steve

It's definitely not that important to me. I prefer a calm frag over a heavy, loud, masculine one. I think that a lot of fragrances can be worn on a unisex base.

I always fear that the scent I wear would be a fragrance equivalent of pink, flowers and cuddly teddy bears. And unfortunately most feminine frags and some unisex or even musculine scents appear to me as exactly that. If a frag doesn't make such an impression it really doesn't matter whether its floral or too sweet or meant for women or whatsoever. For example I find Rive Gauche Pour Femme very wearable as a guy but black XS for me is too damn fruity and pink.

I think it also comes down to how you want to be perceived by others. I wear fragrances to enhance my degree of sensuality and sexual attraction (if such a thing's possible!). Typical masculine fragrances just don't interest me, because I don't perceive myself to be a 'typical' man (in addition to just not liking those scents). I also detest typical male interests/activities, such as football/soccer - just because I've got a dick, it doesn't mean I have to place myself in the box that society dictates to me. I consider myself to be very much in touch with my feminine side and am very comfortable expressing this, not only in my frags, but also in my clothes and mannerisms. That's not to say that I wish to be seen as effeminate, just downright sexy! And if people can't understand this then they can bloody sod off!!!


Trebor


P.S. Metrosexual? Oh, please! I had those traits long before the tosser, who came up with that term, had even learnt to spell...

I am definitely open to any fragrance, regardless of how the scent is marketed. I wear scents that I like according to the situation/occasion they fit best. Having said that, I have not bought or worn a "feminine" fragrance as of yet. The closest I have come is to wear a light "men's" fragrance that women on this forum wear.

I draw the line for myself at smelling like flowers. Others may do as they please. My collection is 90% those classified as masculine and 10% unisex.

It's a delicate balance between what your nose enjoys and how you want to be percieved by others, your social image. Sometimes the two match well, other times they don't.

I think personally this is really soupy territory. I think fragrance has such a different character from skin to skin.
on me for example Jicky smells veeery manly an many smelling it on me have said they can't imagine a woman wearing it which of course many can and do. Fumerie turque on the other hand is a scent many men wear and on my skin it's an absolutley gorgeous scent filled with female mystery. I think it depends on your skin how a frag comes out in the end. I tend to enjoy really full oriental smells so my tastes stray into the grey area quite frequently. To a certain extent I think we all wear a fragrance for it's impact on those around us sexual or not. In that line of reason I always simply judge whether the fragrance smells allluring on my skin and is a bit indicative of my personality. I've always thought frag choice is most important as a form of self expression.

A*men, I could not have said it better myself and those words could just as well be mine.

Personally it depends on the frag although at the moment all my frags are marketed as masculine; but wouldn`t dismiss wearing female marketed fragsa if I felt they were right for me.

My personal feminine perspective is this: if a guy smells good wearing Jungle Gardenia, he should wear it. I just smelled Creed's Vanisia on a man last night & were I not already familiar with the scent myself, I wouldn't have known it was a woman's fragrance; all that mattered to me was that he smelled good wearing it. He was also a bartender, and his tip jar was mighty full by 10:00 p.m., I'll say that much. There was nothing spectacular about him, rather, he could have disappeared into a sea of all good looking male hired lounge help, but the way his body heat worked that Vanisia was great. After an hour I noticed all the women that had been standing at one end of the lounge had now moved over to the right end where he was working. He was no Tom Cruise, had about all the skill of a Jack Black in training, but he was undoubtedly the most popular male in that bar that night. You just can't beat the power of a good scent.

I just wear what I like.

Fragrances have no genitalia.

I wear what smells good on me but I don't like things that are too feminine. Pure vanilla smells are womenly. I wear Chergui though and it smells very feminine to some people... my gf wore it once and it smelled better on her! I just like to smell pleasing to my own nose and that is how I do...

EnvYuS

Great thread Turner! I voted very important simply because I find most feminine fragrances too sweet or floral for me to pull off. I don't like men's that are too sweet. A little sweet is ok. I like alot of unisex fragrances. So, I guess it just depends on my criteria.

Masculinity in fragrances is so strechy concept. I know many of you, who consider Yatagan for instace to be ultra-masculine. But believe it or not, somebody has also said that it reminds very much old-lady`s perfume (in the dry-down)
Also, Antaeus: Masculine yes, but also filled up with very feminine nuances. (you know, there are so many scents for women in that similar Chypre/Leathery concept, starting with Tabac Blond...And actually these castoreum scents were first brought to ladies overall)

I find that there is a difference between fragrances that could be worn by either, and seem appropriate in the sense of not being in disharmony with the gender of the wearer, and ones that are, simply, sexless. By 'sexless' I do not mean that they happen not to resonate with whatever subjective evocations of masculinity or femininity are currently popular, but rather that they don't resonate in any way at all, and are, simply, uninteresting, for a variety of reasons, but mostly (but not altogether) to do with lack of complexity. I think it was Nietzsche who said (wrote) that 'the degree and kind of a man's sexuality reach up into the ultimate pinnacle of his being'. In our era we would probably substitute 'one's' or 'a person's' for 'a man's', but be that as it may (since some of Nietzsche's views on women are decidedly at odds with twenty-first century Western ones). As an example of one that doesn't resonate with me at all in this way yet which is widely regarded as an accomplished fragrance, I would say Tam Dao. As an example of one that does resonate magnificently and brilliantly for me, perhaps in spite of its relative lack of complexity, I would say Caron Pour un Homme. I find the former, as it were, sexless, and the latter (one might say) suprasexual. The former makes me think of a natural smell that comes as no surprise, and the latter of something that seems as though it must or should have always existed, which makes the fact that I am smelling it all the more startling, because, at the same time, I know it didn't. I suspect there is a connection here between sexuality and the power to create -- a power that in higher organisms is, of course, always utterly dependent on the presence and cooperation of its own complementary opposite.

I usually wear more masculine scents but I do enjoy Mitsouko. I like a fragrance for its uniqueness and the mood that it creates for me...therefore I don't really care if its lable Masculine or Feminine. However, really floral or girly scents can give me a headache and thats why I wear more "masculine" or neutrual fragrances.

I do like testing feminine scents once in while just out of curiosity and I get anoyed at sales people that come up to me and say...."Oh this are ladies fragrances".

i prefer masculine colognes above all the rest. rive gauche pour homme, gucci envy for men, and knize ten are up there among my current faves. woods, leather, and spice are all very nice then there's l'eau d'issey pour homme, the one "feminine-smelling" men's cologne that i love to wear. it just works well with my skin and smells like citrusy soapiness to my nose. go figure.

Good smelling juices have no sex, so it's people who wear 'em that gives 'em a sex! Like for clothes and hobbies etc, clichés have always had too small boundaries for me... I've always broken banks letting myself flowing freely and this usually makes people incredibly sexy!
So I always wear and do whatever I like, don't caring about manliness of it! Real manlyness is more related to self confidence and self consciousness; is a quality that beholds to ya and not to what ya wear or do!

Bottom line: I formerly became concerned if a scent I liked was marketed towards women, but now I wear what I like, no problems.

How important to you is a scent's masculinity?

Hey, I'm a guy!!! 8-)


The effemination of men in general leaves men confused as to who they really are. This is a cultural phenomenon and has become visible through the current trend of the "metro" man. Women are still attracted to ultra masculine guys. Period. Just like men are most attracted to ultra female traits. Period.

If your scent says "Hey, a girl of 12 could wear this sweet scent" then your masculinity drops on the scale. That's all right! As long as you dont overdo it and add too many feminine traits to it. Women - in general - are not attracted to feminine men.

A good masculine cologne - for me - makes a statement. The statement of a confident, sexy and MASCULINE guy.

The ones that men can wear and can't seems obvious to me. Empty words like 'too sweet', 'too floral', 'pour femme' etc doesn't say anything at all. For example Lau d'issey pour femme is a very nice scent on ladies but I really think its beyond justification for a guy to wear it. No offence if some guy here loves it and wears it himself. But as I already said in my previous post, Rive gauche pour femme should be ok for an open minded guy. And that is the extent I'm bothered with musculinity in a scent I wear. After all manliness is not in the scent that one wears but in the wearer himself.
That said, the exceptionally musculine scents that I love are Chanel Antaeus and YSL Kouros. Ironically Kouros has Jasmine in it and Antaeus can appear heady like feminine scents sometimes. Evidence of how blurred is the gender distinction when it comes to scents.

Part of my fragrance collection includes many menÂs fragrances that could easily be perceived as feminine. Â*Yet, they were marketed and launched for men. Â*Go figure. Â*They include. Â*Joop, Carolina Herrera pour homme, 212, Body Kouros, Krizia Spazio, Cartier Declaration, Halston I-12, Blvgari pour homme and Egoiste. Â*

I love Coco Mademoiselle. Â*To me it smells more masculine then half the fragrances I mentioned above. Â*If Mademoiselle had been launched as a menÂs fragrance, it would be in my signature scent. Â*No question about it. Â*But nowadays, because of its popularity with women, I don't have the stones to wear it. Â*
I guess fragrance, like clothing, boils down to personal preference and what your comfortable with.

Bingo

A lot of people, especially me, dont wear colognes/perfumes to attract or be desireable to the oppsosite sex. I wear whatever fragrances i like and i happen to wear quite a few "womens" frags. If a woman i meet is not attracted to or doesnt like me because of the scent i wear, THEN TOUGH!!!!! Anyway, i am not effiminate or girly in any way, shape or form so the only thing that could possible construed as feminine about me is the fragrance i wear sometimes. But i dont wear overtly feminine scents like Chanel 5, or Red Door, Arpege, Anais Anais, or other scents in that vein. But like i said, i dont wear scents to attract women. Actually, i dont do anything to "get babes". They either like me or they dont.

Bingo[/quote]


The problem there, surely, is that Havana wouldn't be Havana without the jasmine, Antaeus wouldn't be Antaeus without the rose, Tuscany per Uomo Forte wouldn't be TpUF without the geranium and carnation, Bois du Portugal wouldn't be BdP without the lavender. And so on.

Bingo[/quote]

With all respect to you both: Grey Flannel?

How important to you is a scent's masculinity?

Hey, I'm a guy!!! Cool


The effemination of men in general leaves men confused as to who they really are. This is a cultural phenomenon and has become visible through the current trend of the "metro" man. Women are still attracted to ultra masculine guys. Period. Just like men are most attracted to ultra female traits. Period.

If your scent says "Hey, a girl of 12 could wear this sweet scent" then your masculinity drops on the scale. That's all right! As long as you dont overdo it and add too many feminine traits to it. Women - in general - are not attracted to feminine men.

A good masculine cologne - for me - makes a statement. The statement of a confident, sexy and MASCULINE guy.


A lot of people, especially me, dont wear colognes/perfumes to attract or be desireable to the oppsosite sex. I wear whatever fragrances i like and i happen to wear quite a few "womens" frags. If a woman i meet is not attracted to or doesnt like me because of the scent i wear, THEN TOUGH!!!!! Anyway, i am not effiminate or girly in any way, shape or form so the only thing that could possible construed as feminine about me is the fragrance i wear sometimes. But i dont wear overtly feminine scents like Chanel 5, or Red Door, Arpege, Anais Anais, or other scents in that vein. But like i said, i dont wear scents to attract women. Actually, i dont do anything to "get babes". They either like me or they dont.

--------

Quite. Sexiness to women is ALL about confidence and being comfortable with yourself - I can feel super sexy wearing what are notionally women's or men's or unisex frags and THAT'S what's important to me. Of course if I'm feeling sexy then a women is more likely to be inclined to agree with me than if I'm wearing something more 'masculine' but which doesn't suit me. But that's a foreseen rather than an intended consequence of wearing fragrances that I like

Your scent doesn't define your masculinity. Your masculinity is portrayed through your personality and attitude. If a man can act "manly" (as described by society's social norms) while wearing a scent classified as feminine, that just adds to his uniqueness. (My personal opinion, of course.)

I tend to agree with Blue Ocean on this one. I probably favour men's scents pretty much exclusively. I love Dior Homme, but it's as girly as I'd go. I wear a few oriental leaning ones like L'Instant and Egoiste, but beyond that, it's pretty much testosterone all the way, whether it be Rive Gauche, Antaeus, Derby, Gucci PH or citrussy fresh classics like Eau Sauvage, Guerlain and Malle Vetivers, Chanel PMC, etc... Whilst that latter category could comfortably be worn by women, I think they remain ostensibly "masculine".

Yes many men's frags have florals in them, but the overall feel of most of them is definitively masculine.

And in regards to what the opposite sex want or look for, sure you may say "if a woman doesn't like my cologne, she can sod off, etc etc" but let's not forget life (and cologne) is not just about getting laid. I'm a happily married man, so I don't really care what cologne will ATTRACT women for me, but I certainly don't want a boss, work colleague, patient, family or friend of mine thinking I smell like a girl!!! For most people who work in conservative professions, this would be very hard to pull off.

And yes, I agree, most women want a real man - not a metrosexual, not a SNAG, not a fake or effusively sensitive type, certainly not a chauvinist or a bully, but a genuine decent human being who takes pride in their appearance, dresses well, smells clean, has a brain, some morals, some money and some integrity.

;D ;D

Hah, you got me there!

Yes as my post went on I rambled a bit, and the two topics I addressed are certainly not mutually inclusive.

The first bit aboput female fragrances is just my personal taste. Of course other might be happy wearing female fragrances to work (maybe they work in more artistic or fun jobs?), and yes you're right, it would be no reflection of what sort of people they are, or which women (or men!) they attract.

The last bit was more to refute the whole "women want this fragrance" thing, but hey, we've been down that road before, and it's a dead end! I was also a bit miffed as to why some people would say "If a woman doesn't like my fragrance she can go jump etc.." After all it's just a fun hobby and if she was otherwise hot and interesting, I'd be changing my cologne quick smart!!!



Ged

I welcome the complete basic agreement! Thanks for your kind reaction, Ged!

I regularly forget to specify that the feminine colognes I consider wearing myself are feminine by label mainly, but masculine in character (a larger section of scents 1940 -60). The clothes and scents I wear for the office are selected to suit my job. I must like them to feel comfortable, but they are a compromise like a fully buttoned shirt. In case of doubt I opt for modest masculine labels there.

I never met another man smelling simply of rose, but there must be, as it is the scent of the Orient. My personal 'weakness' for roses is more a gardener's than male weakness. Rose elates me. With that on mind I concede that other men may feel the same way about Iris, Jasmine, or whatever, and still be as much or little a man as the lover of citrus or aquatic scents. On the other hand potent orientals can make me dizzy and feel like in a Harem - but less as the Pasha, more like an Eunuch guardsman gasping for air!
Oh, and I consider myself at home in (minority) group 3: Masculinity - 'very important'. ;D

Very important - I do not want to wear a fragrance, or obviously do anything, that would be perceived as feminine. While I don't wear the Aramis/Polo type "masculine" scents of the baby boomers, I would never wear a woman's fragrance that someone would recognize as being a woman's fragrance.

fwiw mark me down for: Minimally important, but no Chanel No. 5, etc.

The concern over the 'masculine' aspects of scents to be worn by men is a tired one. There are many contrived definitions (most of them without much substance) as to what defines what a 'real' man should wear. It borders on an indecisive insecurity, which doesnt hold much water as a masculine virtue in any culture Ive experienced.

Not that Ive been entirely free of these concerns, but as I get older I'm giving a lot less of a damn about it.

I believe that attitude is the ultimate pheromone for most women. (Not all women, but most women.)

Reference:
1. Nice Guys Don't Get Laid by Marcus P. Meleton

I would have to agree with this.

Besides Kiehl's and TdH, everything in my wardrobe would probably be described as "uber-masculine."

I think it's erroneous when people post here saying women don't like the powerhouse masculine frags. I've recieved nothing but compliments from them. Then again, even if they said they hated it, I'd still wear them as I like them and that's all that counts.

When I first stared, I was afraid of unisex scent. I don't remember why. Now I find that they are the most versatile. I also find that there're many marketed-as-feminine scents that work really well on me namely the women's D&G Light Blue.

Also, in my honest opinion, a lot of masculine scents come off as really, really boring. But I'm sure the feminine side of things are the same. I haven't explored that area yet.

The biggest crock is when some guy states he wore women's perfume which "smells totally masculine on me, yet totally feminine when my wife wears it". Truth is, if you were blindfolded, you'd have a 50/50 shot at guessing who is wearing what.

I'll wear most anything in public except:
- Super-masculine fragrances that make me look like I'm trying too hard;
- Super-feminine fragrances that just - don't - work; and
- Popular recognizable feminine fragrances ("You smell just like my girlfriend." "Uh...")

It really just comes down to whether I like it or not. I wear my fragrance for me, not for you.

I have to admit I go through cycles. Last winter I really went overboard on my feminine designated fragrance binge. I was swimming in tuberose and jasmine. Perhaps it was an attempt at creating the wonderful smells of spring and summer during the depressing winter days.
But, as soon as things started to warm up, I've been turning back to the classic, gentlemanly scents. I even went as far as buying a bottle of Azzaro. There's nothing more refreshing than a classic fougere when the weather heats up. And when it gets too hot for a fougere, I'm thrilled with a sharp chypre like Eau d'Hadrien EdP.
As the winter approaches again, the indolic flowers will bloom again, and I'll feel the need to be comforted by the fruity, jasmine flowers of Montaigne!

Now that sounds like a good, kinky plan.

If a man is masculine to begin with, he may wear whatever fragrances he chooses and he will still be perceived by others as a masculine man.

Wear what you want, stick out your chest, & flex your biceps.

Unimportant. Mostly I wear perfume for myself and will consider regardless of gender anything soothing, interesting, with good associations/memories that doesn't get on my nerves. I've never been told "you smell like a woman" despite my most daring adventures.

Years ago I wouldn't touch unisex scents, now I think alot of them are quite good. Mugler Cologne or some of the CK One's are excellent. CK One itself doesn't always agree with me though, it borders on cloying sometimes/headache-inducing. Most of the attars and mukhallats I have also tried have been designated unisex, too. There's a rose one, Rose Ispahan I thought was a little more feminine though in its use of roses, but I still could see myself wearing it.

When I'm fooling around blending my own perfumes, usually the whole gender thing is on the backburner and it's only later that something clicks on wheather it's masculine or feminine, or just unisex. Alot of the creations lately I've just figured have been unisex, not particularly masculine or feminine smelling.

As I said in one of my original posts, people give off pheromones that indicate their gender, and to a lesser extent, their sexual orientation so I don't think there's too much of an issue of having your gender confused unless perhaps you used an extra-strong anti-persperant or had some medical condition (I've ran into a few people who were very thin or sickly looking who smelled like nothing, honestly- it's a bit creepy once you are used to detecting pheromones).