Males Wearing Female Fragrances.

I disagree with the premise of this post, that wearing a female-marketed fragrance is the equivalent of cross dressing. This is NOT necessarily the "past time of trying to smell like a woman". I am definitely NOT trying to make any statement in wearing female-marketed fragrances and never receive any different reaction to them, compared to male-marketed fragrances (although I would not be bothered if someone recognized a female-marketed scent I was wearing).

I recently purchased Rive Gauche PH and received a sample of Women's Rive Gauche in the package. I tried it, and it dried down to something that strongly resembled Coriolan. I loved it and bought a can for me and one for my girlfriend (it was on sale at Marshall's), who also loved it.

The other day I was wearing Coriolan, which my girlfriend had never smelled before, and she asked me if I was wearing Rive Gauche (for women)!

While we all have associations with fragrances and specific notes we may identify as masculine and feminine, I think that gender marketing can be safely disregarded without necessarily "making a statement". After all, Old Spice was originally marketed as a female fragrance, and Estee Lauder's men's offerings are in many cases virtual dupes of their female scents.

--Steve

Renato...dude! Surely you realize that the ingredients in all fragrances are pretty much the same, just in different amounts. You might find Jasmine and ginger and even rose in fragrances marketed to men as well as to women. The point is, people should be free to wear whatever they want! I find that fragrances marketed to women are generally better made and have better sillage. I have and wear Alexander McQueen's Kingdom all the time and I love it. I have had several women ask me if I was wearing sandlewood. I had one woman ask me what I was wearing and when I told her (and most women for that matter that have asked) have never heard of Kingdom.

I predict that eventually you will wake up and realize that by discounting the marketing crap, you can now choose from "All" fragrances....just pick the ones you like!

I would not wear a woman's fragrance for any reason.

Someone in public or even worse, who I know, may smell it on me, recognize it and wonder why I'm wearing a woman's fragrance. I read the opinions here about unisex frangrances, some smelling similiar, it's all marketing etc. etc., but I still believe that women's fragrances are made to make women smell feminine.

I wear fragrances to enhance my image as a gentleman. A woman's fragrance obviously will do nothing to contribute to that image.

Why do you have such an issue with guys who like to wear "womens fragrances"????? It does not affect you in the the least and has absolutely no bearing on the course your life takes. So, again, why do you care so much????? I like to wear "womens perfume" because its better than most of the crappy mens stuff on the market. Also, the "notes" that are in scents are made up of things that occur naturally in the world ie: flowers, woods, herbs, etc etc etc and there is nothing innately gender specific about them. EVEN FLOWERS!!!!!!! After all, flowers have both a male and female part. Your argument about crossdressing is an entirely moot point and is in no way related to men wearing a female frag. Clothing is made to fit women specifically. And anyway, most men look ridiculous in womens clothing. Scent is totally different. Scent has no gender. One last time let me ask.....Why do you care so much??????

As has been discussed many times here before, floral frags are too feminine for most men. Some men's frags have a small amount of a floral while remaining masculine, such as C&S 88.
SmellsLike- can you direct me to a link about Old Spice originally being marketed for women?

Even though, I think you are missing out on some great fragrances, I don't have any problem with this attitude. I think you might LOVE some fragrances marketed to women that actually smell quite masculine and WOULD enhance your image as a gentleman IF they were not recognized as female-marketed--and in my experience, most people do NOT commonly recognize fragrances. However, that recognition is always a possibility and if you are concerned about this, it makes sense to avoid female-marketed fragrances.

--Steve

When I first used my newly bought Dityque Do Son, I was a bit hesitated of me smelling a bit too flowery/female...
Now, that I wear it several days I must say that yes it is flowery, but to the extend that I like it and do not think about it being too female...

MikeFromManhattan, you are wearing L'Instant today...

I don't know if I'm the only one to think so, but I find it totally unisex scent. If it would have been released as feminine scent, most of us would probably think of it as a feminine scent. When I sampled it, my girlfriend thought it was in fact a fragrance intended for women.

The point of these discussions of men wearing female scents is usually to find the fragrances that doesn't smell like stereotypical women's perfume. It's the opposite to the idea Renato suggested.

And oh yeah, I generally dislike the 'men's cologne' and 'women's perfume' kind of scents. This cultural phenomena of how man or woman should smell compromises the artistic freedom of a perfumer.

At one time, lace was considered to be very masculine. When women wore it, they were chided for being too masculine, too butch. Also, in many periods of history, masculine dress was far more ornate than feminine dress, rather like peacocks. Why is embroidered velvet with ruffles masculine? It's masculine because the society of the time declared it to be so.

And what is so inherently "feminine" about flowers, anyway? Why can't a bloke like roses and smell like them? What makes moss and wood "masculine"? Why do eleventyseven "male" fragrances open with a big old blast of bergamot, what's so darned masculine about citrus?!

Seriously, it's all in the perceptions and the marketing, and the fashion of the day. Historically, men wore violet and jasmine and tuberose and rose the same as women, and nobody thought that it was in any way odd.

It has always struck me as strange that people apply gender values to things like smells, colours (blue for boys, pink for girls!), the length of one's fingernails and hair, etc. It's the nature of humans, of course, but it's still strange, and it's really FUNNY to see how these things change over the generations.

bonn

On the Womes parfume smell most of times better than mens issue, dont women often say that they use mens perfume, because they smell better [smiley=huh.gif]

Well , each of its own.

ps. At the moment , Gaultier2 is one of my favorites. And i would say it´s quite femine. And the wierd thing is, i actually feel maybe ewen more manly when wearing it. Maybe because i have confidence to do so?

Great thoughts, Bonni! But I wouldn't appreciate a woody fragrance in a woman... Wood reminds me of something viril, brutal, powerful...

[blue]You know Renato, this is an interesting post, and I suspect that it might in some part be motivated by your recent post on discounted niche fragrances in Melbourne. If I recall correctly, in one of those posts, you expressed suprise why Eau d'Hadrien, which you had always maintained was too feminine for a man to wear, now seemed acceptably masculine. If I remember correctly you even mused about whether your taste had changed. If your sense of what was definitely too feminine for a man to wear can change, then perhaps it doesn't lie in the fragrance itself, but in the nose of the beholder.

I do think it's a bit disingenuous to categorize the wearing of fragrances marketed or thought of as feminine as crossdressing, and if you're really interested in finding out why many of us wear a broad range of fragrances designated as masculine, feminine, and even unisex, such a provocative categorization seems more conducive to eliciting defensive responses, rather than thoughtful ones (not that those won't also be forthcoming, but they will be despite the way you phrased your question).

You might consider, as your own experience has shown, that in this world many of us change our perception of things many times in the course of our lives. Believing in hard and fast categories and holding to them is one way of looking at the world and, if you're not really interested in forcing that belief on others, a perfectly valid way. I certainly respect your and MikefromManhattan's views and predilections on what you choose to wear and how you want to be perceived. I don't think, however, that I am a deviant--implied by the crossdressing analogy--because I choose to wear fragrances designated as feminine.

Does your shift in attitude to Eau d'Hadrien make you a potential/latent fragrance crossdresser. I would never put it in those terms. I would merely say that you've discovered and accepted another dimension of sensory experience.

I really hope you take this post in the spirit in which it is offered. You are one of the most honest and honestly inquisitive posters the board has. I appreciate that very much, and what I am offering is an honest response to that inquisitiveness.

Best regards,

scentemental[/blue]

i just wonder why there are still people even in the 3rd millenium that could be easily influenced by foolish stereotypes when someone smell coffee i dont think he ask oneself if it is a female or male scent it's simply a scent and for scientist scents have not genders imho, if i like a lot how shalimar smells on my skin why cannot i have the pleasure to wear it without problems, i honestly think that a great part of male frags expecially the modern ones are no less than shit and i refuse totally to wear something that smells cheap and have no sillage ,i love perfumes cos i really like to have a great sillage ,here in europe people isnt so much bothered about what you are wearing they most of the times even dont recognize the frag you are wearing they simply appreciate you smell good ,second reason even if i wear a tuberose or jasmine soliflore i dont think to be effeminate at all ,i love flowers scents and i dont identificate them at all as feminine even if i also like leather,tobacco,patchouly,sandalwood usually masculine components i found them very sexy on women skins ,why a great genius such luca turin mostly appreciate in his book a great part of females frags that he even wears and reccomended for men ? are you perfume lovers and collectors or simply society stereotypes addicted ? :-? :-? :-? :-? :-?

Well said. I feel the same way

Initially I had an issue with wearing "female" fragrances but now I think of it as, "Oh, I love that smell, I wanna smell like that", and believe me if you are confident no one is going to ask you if you are wearing a womens scent, unless they recognise it (not very usual).

Well said. I feel the same way[/quote]

Funny how things change...I used to feel exactly like this. But, the more fragrances I have tried, and worn in public, the more I've come to realize that many of the differences are just marketing. There are still female-marketed scents that are too "feminine" (i.e., powdery-floral) for me to feel comfortable wearing, but there are many that I think I could get away with. There are also some male-marketed scents that are too powdery-floral for my tastes (e.g., many MPGs). Over time, I've realized that the vast majority of people don't recognize scents from their sillage - after all, when worn, they all smell slightly different on each person.

For just one example I tested a couple Chanels one day, put Antaeus on one arm and Coco on the other - my girlfriend had no idea that one was a "masculine" scent and one was "feminine." She actually liked Coco better on me (and as an aside, can you really say that red fruit and honey are masculine?). Because of several tests like this, I came to realize that almost nobody, except a scentophile, is going to recognize many of these fragrances as female-marketed; and a scentophile is not going to care! They may even respect me more for realizing that the hard-and-fast categories are neither hard nor fast.

It's fine to say that florals or aldehydes aren't to your liking, but, Renato, to suggest that there is something deviant or bizarre about those who wear scents marketed to women is pushing the logic a bit too far, and pushing one's likes and dislikes onto others.

I wear "masculine" fragrances from time to time and have done so since I was a teenager. Nobody has EVER thought I was too boyish for doing so, nor taken me for a man.

Then again, men seem a LOT more worried about being thought feminine than the other way around. I'm not sure why. I think women aren't raised with the same kinds of pressures to conform to gender ideals and expectations. We can do what what we want, wear what we want, call ourselves by boy's names, wear our hair however we like, and still be women. Men, on the other hand (well, SOME men, anyway, my father and first husband among them), seem to think their private parts will shrivel up and drop off if they're caught doing anything too "girly".

:

So I can get the men who are afraid that if they wear a perfume marketed for women (no matter what it actually smells like) they might be seen as feminine. Eeeuuuw. Ick. Girl germs....



(Note: Post is at least partially tongue in cheek; I actually quite like men, despite their strange behavior and odd ideas about things *grin*)

bonni

I'm glad to hear that someone else also recognizes the pressure we men are under!

Thanks Bonni!

As a woman who almost exclusively wears "mens" or "unisex" colognes because I simply cannot wear 99% of female marketed fragrances without nausea setting in(They are simply too potent for my sinuses), I have to unequivicably state: Â*If you enjoy the scent, by God WEAR IT! Â*Why be limted by stereotypes or marketing ploys? Â*I love living outside of the box and appreciate the sense of adventure that comes from listening to and following my own desires instead of doing whats expected. Â*And, I can't begin to tell you how often I am complimented on my colognes and told how pleasingly unique they are. Â*Really, I don't wear anything all that exotic(far from it), its just that the fragrances I wear arent traditionally associated with women, which, for me, almost exclusively results in positive feedback. Â*I see no reason why men can't enjoy this same sense of liberation when making their fragrance choices! Â*By all means, Go for it!! [smiley=grin.gif]

The only thing that separates Mens and Womens fragrances for the most part is the amount and variation of floral notes.
Fruit and sweet notes like Vanilla and Tonka Bean are used a little more liberally in womens fragrances also.
There are very few womens fragrances I would wear because of the formulations and amounts used.
My favorites are drier woody scents with more of a warm incense base. I do like some of the Gourmand fragrances that are popular now.
In my opinion most of these could easily go both ways.

I like feminines far more than a lot of masculines. I wore Apres l'Ondee last night and am wearing Habanita today. They blow me away. I have a long list of fems I want to try. I might not wear all of them in public but they sure feel good around the house. They generate a cerebral quality and a feeling of sublime sensuousness that make me feel out of this world. Why wouldn't they? They smell so damn good and they remind you of the beautiful, sexy and intellgent women who wear them, among other wonderful things.

i was brought up in a typical south wales working class background and can get where renato is coming from but i have two words for you black cashmere.
the girlfriend loves the stuff and i've read that it often is perceived to be better suited to men so i thought lets give it a blast, it was so more spicey and for want of a better word dirty smelling on me than her that there is no way on earth anyone smelling that on me and not knowing what it was would say thats a female fragrance even the bottle looks macho in a black collar way.

I must clear that I personally never wore a feminine fragrance yet like the smell on my gf, mom, sister, friend etc.

So what, if a male wears a feminine fragrance if it suits him, if he made a right pick, if he can pull off DK Black Cahmere per se.

I must also say that some masculine fragrances smell pretty feminine to me and unfortunately sell well,

people are suckers, let me just name a few major brands Hanae Mori HM men, Marc Jacobs men, L'Instant Guerlain (I am sure that many will disagree) hell, woman's Rive Gauche smells more masculine than HM men. My point is that one should never fall for marketing tricks.

It just seems annoying to see so many products in today's market wih labes like summer, winter, unisex, masculine, feminine, girls, boys, cats, dogs.... they're all scents for god's sake

Hi Scentemental,
You are indeed correct, my views on Eau de Hadrian have changed somewhat. But Eau de Hadrian is marketted as a man's scent in a square bottle and with an aftershave version, so that strictly speaking it wasn't a feminine scent (unless you bought it in the other bottle, and paid $30 more for it [smiley=cheesy.gif]).
I am still trying to fathom my change in attitude to it - it certainly smelled very feminine when I tested it on my ladyfriend's arm several times in Europe last year. That said, I've put the Eau de Hadrian in my unisex draw - which my ladyfriend raids, and I haven't used yet.

As for disingenuity, if people really and truly believed that there is no gender difference between the scents, and that there is truly no crossdressing element, how is it that in not one of the fragrance advice requests for job interviews/first dates/ weddings/funerals posted here, has anyone ever responded by recommending that the guy wears Chanel 5, Angel or Kingdom?
Renato
[/quote]

Hi Renato,

I think that the issue people have is with the term "cross-dressing," which to many implies a deviance. Beyond that, I don't think that anyone here is going to argue that there are societal norms regarding what a man is "supposed" to smell like versus what a woman is "supposed" to smell like. Those norms exist and are very real. In fact, they are almost human universals, very deep and cross-cultural, to some degree. These norms may be based on lies and deceptions that we tell ourselves, they may be outdated and useless, but they still exist. To break these norms is to stand out from the crowd and make a statement about oneself and one's beliefs, which sets one apart from the culture.

Nowhere do these norms exist more strongly than within the confines of cultural rituals. The situations you gave as examples are cultural rituals - highly emotional and communal events, which are nearly always more about others, more about participation in the community, than they are about oneself. Never is there a better time to tow the line of cultural norms than during these communal events. It's always better to play it safe, that is, not challenge the norms and conventions, during highly significant events.

I think this is why recommendations for these events tend to be conventional and non-controversial. For example, you don't see many people saying wear Piper Nigrum or L'Anarchiste to a job interview, wedding, or funeral. Those scents are bold, loud, and unique - they're masculine too, so clearly this goes beyond not recommending feminine scents - still they make one stand out from the group when what is called for in these situations (weddings, funerals, job interviews) is standing with the group.

Robert

Stuigi,
I have heard the story of Old Spice being launched as a female fragrance, doing indifferent business, and being relaunched for men a number of times, but I don't recall a specific source.

A quick Google search reveals that the Shulton company introduced Old Spice for Women in 1937 and Old Spice for Men in 1938. However, I was not able to confirm that it was the same scent, repackaged.

I will post a separate thread on this board and the women's and see if anyone else knows more.

--Steve

Ditto. Wearin womens fragrances is a no no, for me. I don't have the urge or the need to try wear them. I tried in the past, but most of the times I didn't like them or didn't feel comfortablewearing them. Besides , there is enough to choose from in the mens section. I do wear some unisex fragrances though.

I got no problem with people who want to limit themselves doing so. Â*I have no argument with those who feel safer wearing only fragrances marketed to their proper gender. Â*If people are scared of having their fragrance recognized as a feminine fragrance or think that they will be branded as sissies or girlymen for their choices, by all means run if you see a fragrance from the women's counter on the shelf. Â*I mean, get real. Â*I'd have to be pretty insecure about my masculinity to worry what people would think of what I am wearing. Â*Surreptitious looks? Â*Are you kidding? Â*This has NEVER happened to me and I believe I wear "cross-labelled" fragrances about as often as anyone here. Â*I mean, do you realize the level of sophistication and preoccupation with others that would be required for that to happen? Â*Alot more than I've ever run across is the basic fact of it. Â*Cross-dressing equivalent? Â*Pretty inflammatory suggestion. Â*So maybe I should remove any pink shirts from my clothing too...wouldn't want anyone to get the wrong idea. Â*Fragrance isn't clothing. Â*Wearing Black Cashmere is not construed by anyone as the equivalent of me coming to the office in a skirt AND NEVER WILL BE! Â*No matter how many fragrances I wear...marketed for women...I never "smell like a woman", so I cannot comment on that question. Â*I wear fragrances because I like them and they make me feel good: if they "enhance my image" at the same time, great--but that will never be my primary reason. I too would not want to be smelled dead wearing Kingdom, although some would agree it is powerful enough to cover the scent of death to a degree. Â*I'll keep wearing Kingdom while I'm alive though. Â*I will Â*leave the questions about the board classifications to those who recall the history of why the board was separated.

I have a challenge, for those who are "men" enough to take it.

I will make up 10 vials, 5 of "mens" fragrances and 5 of "womens" fragrances and let those who are so clearcut in their thinking try to classify them perfectly. Â*If I can get 5 volunteers, and they can all make the cut perfectly, I will give each of them $10. Â*Any "real men" out there? Â*Just to make it fun, I'd like the volunteers to pony up $2 for the privilege. Â*That's 5 to one odds, not bad for something that is apparently so obvious. Â*Send me a message here if you dare.

Colin

I think it is your gf, the one that is narrow minded

Renato,

I like the way you bring out the discussions and how you coolly handle them presenting your point of view.

I have been testing several "women's" fragrances lately and I've found that, first, in general and from the samples I've tried, women's fragrances seem to be better made then men's. I have even ordered two of them that I particularly enjoyed on my skin--Black Cashmere and Mitsouko. I have also rejected several men's scents which I felt were "too feminine." That being said, I do find that I have likes and dislikes based on whether the scents are too "feminine" or not--I don't know if I was brain washed by society's standards or if those likes and dislikes are "natural" to me, but what's the difference? I feel what I feel! And as long as I'm not judging others by my personal prejudices, it's completely, one hunderd percent my business and no one else's.

Oooh, baby. Start me up!

Go hop in the shower; I'll get the Nerf gun and the champagne. I'll be the one wearing Coriolan and a smile.


Excellent idea. If you need assistance, I'm volunteering.

OK..now, let's talk about women's fragrances!!!

I wear Kingdom and Fleurs de Bulgarie all the time. I also have a bottle of Le Nuit on the way and will report back next week after I get it.

I am hoping to try Hypnotic Poison and Merveilles as soon as I get to a big city.

signed (guy in women's perfume)

I do not feel at all inclined to wear feminine fragrances but I think there must be a few that are exceptions to their classification.

No one has taken me up on my challenge yet.

If it's so obvious which are feminine and which are masculine, why not take my money?

After all, I think I'd be able to tell the 5 men wearing womens clothes from those 5 wearing mens clothes pretty easily, wouldn't you?

I never said "most or all" "female scents" would smell good on men. What the thread starter and others have stated is that feminine fragrances NEVER would smell appropriate on men. I'm just asking those people to put their money where their mouth is, and I'm giving extremely generous odds too. Seems like some people may be retreating?

This may not end up being the easiest $10 I make (so much work to do all that decanting!) but it's easily the surest.

P.S. Thanks for the offer, Veronica.

I don't think it should be considered crossdressing at all to wear "female" fragrances. I've known women, personally, who wore men's fragrances. And NO, they did'nt wear flannel shirts and have mullets!!! Â*Many of my frags I have are for men. Others are unisex.There is only one fragrance that I have that is marketed as a womens! And to me it smells more like a very nice men's cologne than a woman's perfume.

I have no problems wearing it in public or otherwise! I have absolutely no problems with my masculinity, either, so wearing a "FEMALE" fragrance does not effect the the size of my nads or make me want to "dish the dirt" with the girls, or make me feel "wierd" or limp-wristed! Funny...my bottle does'nt say, "for women only" on it.

I do one of the most dangerous jobs in America....Tree work! Climbing them and removing them from the top down! So, feeling like a man, I have no problem with. And coming home from work, hot and tired, I like to shower-up, spike my red mohawk and wear my FEMALE (huh) fragrance!....and out in public! Has'nt gotten my ass kicked yet! Â*Not all men or anybody would smell exactly the same, anyway. A particular scent, rather it's "masculine" or "feminine", never smells exactly the same on every man!....or woman!

Lighten up! It's only oils and extracts! Mix'em up....make your own customized scent. And use all the "womens" fragrances you wish. IT"S ALL ABOUT HAVING FUN...with yourself and the things in your enviroment and some of those things are scents! I don't see gender labels on things concerning our sense of taste!!!...or hearing, etc.

Be well, be good and smell your best!....rather it's "Youth Dew", "Opium" or whatever "Joy" that is yours!!!!

Thanks for responding respectfully, and I shall try to carry any further discussion at a high level as well.

I don't have an "inferred hypothesis". Â*My hypothesis is explicit: Â*There are fragrances marketed to women that smell great on men; and that men or women, if not cued beforehand, would not be able to tell which sex would be "most appropriate" to wear them. Â*That's it. Â*The initial post in this thread suggests several reasons, rather derogatory in nature, as to why a man would wear a fragrance marketed to women, implying that the initial poster could not accept such a hypothesis.

The problem with your "easier" suggestion, is that you and others would already be prejudiced by knowing the market of the fragrance before smelling it. Â*How would your suggestion control for observer bias?

I don't understand your "true test" criteria at all. Â*Third party? Â*Would you trust the assessment of a "third party" over your own nose? Â*That's my complaint in the first place! Â*Third parties telling us what we should or should not be wearing! Â*Where'd the number 31 come from anyway? Â*I believe people it is being suggested by some that anyone with half a nose can definitively tell which is a masculine or a feminine fragrance. Â*My challenge refutes that.

Let me make it easier. Â*All I need is 3, count them, three volunteers, instead of five. Â*That way it's less work for me, and those of you who believe that there is such a clear distinction will have a much better chance of being lucky guessers enough to be able to classify them correctly. Â*Sadly Renato, I did not realize that you may live in Australia (It is not posted on your profile) and I would prefer to send any samples to people domestically, which in this case would be the USA. Â*So the challenge is technically limited to US residents. Â*Sorry.

The only reason I can think of for not accepting my challenge is that one may realize that with blind testing it will be virtually impossible to be completely sure which are which, and those people who do not wish to risk having their bubble burst don't want to take the risk of being embarrassed by misclassifying them. Trust me, if any are misclassified, I will gleefully post the results here. After all that's why I'm putting my money "at risk"--just for the opportunity to show up some of my wonderful, but biased, friends here. The two dollars at stake will probably barely cover the cost of the postage and testers, let alone the great fragrances inside. I'd like to modify the method slightly based on Renato's suggestion: the ratio of male to female fragrances may not be exactly 5:5. That should make it a little more interesting.

I am open to other methods which would prove or disprove my hypothesis and avoid observer bias in the process.

Let me add,


Grey Swan, you are so wise. I'm a free spirit, too......I love living out side the box, as well. And I'm sorry to anyone who may have been offended by any statements that I've made above.

I was ranting! :-/

You still have not answerd my question "renato". Why do you care so much what fragrance other guys who live in different parts of the world, who you have no clue exist, wear? Also, how does it affect your life in particular?

Docluv45,

I think you are brilliant. There might be one or two on here who don't think the same way that I do...but who cares about them? I would volunteer for your test but unfortunately, you are already preaching to the choir with me. I will wear anything that smells good to me. I propose we let this thread die out. It seems there are times when sound arguments don't do you any good.

Kelley

Respectfully, Rosberg3, if one doesn't care about the fragrances and the opinions of others about fragrances, what is one doing here at all? This is, if nothing else, an electronic bulletin board about fragrances, and in a more idyllic sense, a community of people passionate about fragrances. Anyone who does not care about fragrances and opinions thereon, has little reason to be here. Why are you here if you don't care? If you do care, then the question could just as easily be asked of you: why do you care? It doesn't really seem to be in the scope of this thread to know the answer to these questions.

I hopefully receive my La Nuit (Rabanne) this week - it`s been on the way from States.

I just can`t wait it, can`t wait the reactions. It will be one of my "brave" scents, for sure.

Well, if the goal was to try to bamboozle me by throwing statistical jargon at me, better try again.

Did you read my hypothesis? Â*Your method has nothing to do with my hypothesis. Â* I am not saying that all fragrances smell good on everyone, or that all fragrances are "gender-neutral". Â*What results would be required by your method to prove or disprove my hypothesis? Â*How would they do so? Â*It seems to me that those who disagree with the hypothesis would be more motivated to categorically separate fragrances by gender than "random observers".

Are you backing down? Â*Do you disagree with my hypothesis? Â*What's so important about MY hypothesis? Â*Basically, it gives a perfectly reasonable answer to the question posed in the original post, and one that was not listed among the condescending and limiting answers there. Â*If one wants only ridiculous answers to the question, why ask it in the first place?

P.S. Sorry for hijacking your thread, and for the serious tone.

P.P.S. In reply to the aspect relating to negative feedback for wearing masculine or feminine fragrances, I have only had 3 explicit negative comments for any fragrances I have ever worn (not counting from my kids!). I believe people who do not like fragrances generally keep their mouths shut, therefore, it is very hard to know if people really have negative opinions thereof. One of the three was a feminine fragrance, but the criticism was that it was "too strong" from someone sensitive to fragrances. I've never had anyone comment on me smelling feminine in any way.

Hey...Pigeon Murderer,

I get my La Nuit this Thursday! I will let you know what I think after I try it! Notes: Citrus, Basil, Rose, Oakmoss, Honeyed Woods, Leather, Patchouli

Kelley

Yes, thanks man in advance. Looking forward to hear your opinion!

To this I reply the same as I did to the poster who asked for folks to not write anything too racy. This is an open forum, so long as posts are within the forum's rules, who is anyone to deny someone the right to write what they want? Personally I have learned much from those who recommend and discuss fragrances marketed to women. In the end, we are all always free to ignore completely or not respond to posts we do not like or are not interested in.

Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Â* Oh no.....there are other scents....women's scents that I'm willing to try! I like fragrances for what they are, rather they'er for a women or a man. They are a part of what I like, my tastes....which is usually dark and inscense-y type smells. If I like a scent that fits that description, I'm going to try it, no matter what Â*gender it's intended for. There just happens to be alot of men's fragrances that fit the bill.

Come to think, I have two scents that is marketed for women. I forgot about Bandit. Maybe I'll wear it tommorrow. I'm sure I'll still feel like man while wearing it. My collection is very small, anyway. I have about 15 fragrances, but all because the majority are nuter or whatever, does'nt mean won't like to try more women's scents. Oh.....and another one I forgot about, yes, the Pheromone bath oil I had.....and it was the women's version, too. Talk about brave?....I did'nt care, I liked the dry-down, and I got no,"You smell like you'er wearing women's perfume!" I actually got lots of complements!!

IT"S ALL IN HOW YOU WEAR IT!!!!! How much and where you put it on your bod!!!

I think I might buy that Opium Parfum after all, since I like the men's version so much. I heard the parfum's got more depth!!!! Â*>.....the kind of depth I may like!!!! And If I don't like it, I can always give it away as a gift.

Like I said....it's just oils, extracts and aldehydes. They..... have......no......GENDER!!!!
If you like it, wear it!!! Â* IT"S JEWELRY FOR YOUR SENSE OF SMELL!!!! It's to be enjoyed!


Sheesh....I'm so glad I can relish things for what they are without putting them in with some stupid lable.
I love being the eclectic person that I am, because I can enjoy things (and people) for what they are. That includes....of all things....fragrances. I don't think I'm a shallow person for it, either....and I'm not implying that you are.
I see your point, but people are going to be who they are and do what they do.


There are, however, people that are "put off", repulsed or even frightened by things that they just can't appreciate or comprehend.

Uh, ok.

So I get 31 randomly chosen women and 31 randomly chosen men and present them with a set of 10 fragrances and ask them to classify them as masculine or feminine? Â*And all of them have to do this perfectly? Â*If they can't do it, my hypothesis is proven???

Jeez, I'll take you up on that kind of deal any day. Â*I'll even pay each of them $1000 if ALL of them are able to do this perfectly. Â*I would require only $100 per "random observer"--that's 10:1 odds I'm willing to risk that I'm correct! Â*The more "random observers" we have, the more infinitesimal it will be that all of them will get the separation perfectly correct. Â*Any schoolkid could tell you that. Â*No statistics book required. I didn't even think 3 motivated observers could do it.

The easiest $6,200 I'd ever make too... Â*As long as we're in never-never land, I'd like a flying car like Chitty-Chitty Bang-Bang.

I want a flying car too!