Basenotes › Basenotes Forums › Fragrance Discussion › Fragrance Industry and General Fragrance Discussion › Why do people associate perfume collecting with being metrosexual or even homosexual ?
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Why do people associate perfume collecting with being metrosexual or even homosexual ?  

post #1 of 25
12/29/12 at 8:34pm
Thread Starter 
I have heard some people especially in this region 'Asia' associate perfume collecting with being metrosexual or even homosexual.

As a Basenotes member and a perfume enthusiast, perfume collecting is a hobby like any other freetime activities: reading, painting, playing sport, shooting, etc.

Is this because some people's concept on genders ?

Masculine = Strong

Feminine = Beautiful

I have more skin products than some female coworker (I have quit bad skin condition), collecting perfumes and use them daily, I am usually well dressed, but I always unshave my facial hair --I only shave when I need to attend important meeting on the behave of my boses--, and I still prefer the smart and beautiful ladies.

Please share your opinion.

Features on Basenotes

Petals Falling From The Sky - A Report From The Cote d'Azur's Bataille De Fleurs
Basenotes Reader Awards 2013 - Finalists Announced.
Greatest Hits: Annick Menardo
post #2 of 25
12/29/12 at 8:42pm
I don't know...I'm in the US and here, men's fragrances are quite popular. It wouldn't be at all unusual for a man to have 4 or 5 cans of Axe in various places (that's not serious collecting so much though.) I haven't really encountered that attitude, but I also haven't really looked.
post #3 of 25
12/29/12 at 9:00pm
I have never regarded fragrance collecting to be an LGBT issue. My father had several fragrances when I was a child, now I am many, and my son is starting his own small collection now. All are straight.
post #4 of 25
12/29/12 at 9:18pm
I don't know that it's a gender or sexual identity issue per se, but it is probably an area many people have not really given too much serious consideration. Most people I've told about my collection aren't so surprised at the fact that I collect fragrances as the size of my collection. They're usually even more surprised when they learn that my collection of just over 100 bottles is quite small compared to many of the members here.
post #5 of 25
12/29/12 at 9:19pm
i live in the united states, and even here, the idea of collecting fragrances as a hobby is something that is considered feminine.

in the end, though, it's you that has to break those stereotypes. sure, some of the people who collect fragrances are fruitcakes, but if you act normal, in the end, you won't be casted as "one of them".

if you don't have any overly feminine traits, it shouldn't be a problem

in high school, i was one of the most popular kids, and i was openly admitting at that time that i played pokemon and yugioh (at that time, those hobbies were unpalatable and considered for losers), but in the end, i remained popular, why, because i didnt let a perception of a hobby define me.

i had a period of my life where i felt like i had to adopt popular hobbies and do away with the ones that people don't take seriously, in order to gain approval from people. not only was i unhappy, but i didnt gain approval either. because people knew i was trying to be someone i wasnt to gain approval.

some people will smirk or condescend you for this hobby, but in the end, their respect for you won't be based on what hobbies you have (as long as they aren't wierd ones like collecting people's dirty underwear). they'll respect you based on your personality, character, ambition, accomplishments, etc.

and in the end, people will judge your masculinity based on who you are inside as a person. not some superficial hobby.

yeah, i went off on a tangent, but i hope it helps.
post #6 of 25
12/29/12 at 11:04pm
Because of certain peoples' cultural values, their lack of understanding of what's important for others and benign ignorance.
post #7 of 25
12/29/12 at 11:17pm
If it's considered gay to buy a product with a half naked dude on the front of a bottle then is it also gay to watch two half naked guys grope and beat the crap out of each other (MMA)? Personally I don't care and I don't ask. If someone thinks I'm gay for wanting to smell good and look halfway decent then I really have nothing to say to that person in the first place.
post #8 of 25
12/30/12 at 12:02am
Quote:
Originally Posted by hednic View Post

Because of certain peoples' cultural values, their lack of understanding of what's important for others and benign ignorance.

This.
post #9 of 25
12/30/12 at 1:54am
Ooh I was just replying to noirdrakkar's thread about "convincing loved ones you aren't crazy" with a similar thought - I think some men take hassle from other men about collecting perfume not because they collect something, but because it's perfume and certain men think it's "girly."

Not sure why that is, but I'd agree with hednic: cultural values and ignorance, though I think sometimes the ignorance isn't totally benign.

And just to add one other thing: judging by the amount of attention I see boys these days giving to their hair, their eyebrows, their skin, etc., the cultural perceptions may be changing.
post #10 of 25
12/30/12 at 3:14am
Some people will deem it metro/gay if a man uses any sort of beauty product. To such people having a cupboard full of perfumes, perhaps another full of body lotions, anti-ageing creams, etc, will undoubtedly seem a tad effeminate, just like say a man wearing eye liner or painting his nails would. It's just a different idea of manliness.

On one hand it's their loss as they're missing out on some lovely smells, on the other I can respect it as they have not fallen prey to the marketing that now pushes the notion that men should use almost as much products as women to look/smell acceptable (and to fill companies' pockets). That said, they probably will spend the money on other luxury items to show off.
post #11 of 25
12/30/12 at 8:46am
I attribute it to a fear of the unknown. Their subconcious thought process probably went this way:

Metrosexuality = unknown
Homosexuality = unknown
Perfume collecting = unknown

Perfume collector must therefore be metrosexual/homosexual. This is
ignorance at its worst.
post #12 of 25
12/30/12 at 9:25am
It's not a gay thing either; gay men might be more knowledgeable than straight men regarding grooming, but perfume? Not so much. Collecting fragrances is just an odd hobby overall. I think it is for women too; if a woman has more than 10-12 fragrances other women will consider it a bit excessive and eccentric.
post #13 of 25
12/30/12 at 9:38am
While perfume collecting by a man may be regarded as "feminine" 'round these parts, most men I know are very into wearing it. And now that I think about it, if I smell perfume on someone, nine times out of ten it's on a man. Rarely a woman. Just last month a plumber came out to the house to fix a minor problem. Hispanic male, early thirties. As I let him in house, I caught a whiff of something that smelled divine. I said so and he said, "Thanks. It's new. Calvin Klein. I'm always looking for good colognes."
post #14 of 25
12/30/12 at 9:39am
I only wonder why public opinion, at least on a certain general level, can hardly accept the fact that there have been straight males passionate about perfume collecting/owning/sampling etc. almost since the very dawning of the fragrance industry (and by fragrance industry, I hereby include the more artisan, pre-industrial, traditional component of fragrance history).

It's funny that looking back on the past, there seem to have been historical ages almost more accepting/accommodating towards male fragrance collecting, than the contemporary age.
post #15 of 25
12/30/12 at 10:31am
There's a helluva lotta stupid bigots in the world.
post #16 of 25
12/30/12 at 11:48am
Quote:
Originally Posted by furrypine View Post

It's not a gay thing either; gay men might be more knowledgeable than straight men regarding grooming, but perfume? Not so much. Collecting fragrances is just an odd hobby overall. I think it is for women too; if a woman has more than 10-12 fragrances other women will consider it a bit excessive and eccentric.

I do agree!
post #17 of 25
12/30/12 at 1:17pm
Very controversial topic - some excellent replies above.

Noirdrakkar and Russel make some excellent comments regarding "fragrance as a hobby" seen as weird ("you have 40 cologne bottles????") and beauty products in general considered feminine.
post #18 of 25
12/30/12 at 2:33pm
Because some people in this world are simple minded, ignorant and have to put a stigma on everything and everyone. Nothing wrong with wanting to smell great!
post #19 of 25
12/31/12 at 1:30pm
In Regency and Victorian times, at least in the UK and Europe, dandies were the fragrance wearers and trendsetters, and nobody questioned their sexual orientation - most seem to have been straight.

I've never thought of men who love perfume as being more likely to be homosexual, though, perhaps because I've lived in the Middle East, where men are generally more knowledgeable about perfumes than they are in the West, and wear them with aplomb. And this is in countries where to be homosexual might get you killed! So I guess they were all straight, or at least acting that way, and I never heard anyone suggest they might be otherwise.
post #20 of 25
12/31/12 at 1:49pm
None of us know why stupid stereotypes are fostered- I'm inclined to agree with diamondflames's "fear of the unknown " theory.

I had a construction worker boyfriend in the early 1970's whose father criticized him constantly for having a "feminine hobby". What was the offending activity???... he grew houseplants. OH THE HORROR!
post #21 of 25
1/3/13 at 8:34pm
As someone who has always been on the wrong side of everything, I've simply stopped asking why and just do my thing. I find it's best to avoid the herd as much as possible.
post #22 of 25
1/4/13 at 12:01am
It's considered a feminine hobby here, along with anything related to taking care of yourself and your appearance, if you're male. I think it's nice here everyone is willing to disregard the idea, but I hope no one has a problem with homosexuals/metrosexuals regardless.
post #23 of 25
1/4/13 at 12:33am
I don't believe there's a correlation between love for fragrances and sexuality, but I have noticed one definite thing from the overall population of this board. What is it?

Intellect, or intelligence. I'm sure most have noticed that in the general population, knowing how to write and spell, and having good grammar, have become VERY rare traits. But on this board, there is clearly an abundance of people who you can tell are very intelligent or have above average intelligence. The writing/spelling skills of the people here are significantly (and noticeably) better than the general population and definitely better than what you see on your typical public message board. One's vocabulary is one of the best indicators of overall intelligence, and I believe that would naturally include writing skills.

So is there a correlation between fragrance lovers and overall intelligence? I think so, although I couldn't possibly say why. But it's clear that we're a very smart group here.
post #24 of 25
1/4/13 at 1:35am
Quote:
Originally Posted by noirdrakkar View Post

in the end, though, it's you that has to break those stereotypes. sure, some of the people who collect fragrances are fruitcakes, but if you act normal, in the end, you won't be casted as "one of them".

if you don't have any overly feminine traits, it shouldn't be a problem

...
and in the end, people will judge your masculinity based on who you are inside as a person. not some superficial hobby.

"fruitcakes"?
"act normal"?
"'one of them'"?

Do you not realize, or just not care, that your comments are offensive to a large number of BN members? I find them offensive and I'm not even gay.

By the way, masculinity has nothing to do with sexual orientation. I've know gay men that could snap me like a twig - they just tend to be better groomed.
post #25 of 25
1/4/13 at 2:34am
Quote:
Originally Posted by rubegon View Post

"fruitcakes"?
"act normal"?
"'one of them'"?

Do you not realize, or just not care, that your comments are offensive to a large number of BN members? I find them offensive and I'm not even gay.

By the way, masculinity has nothing to do with sexual orientation. I've know gay men that could snap me like a twig - they just tend to be better groomed.

completely agree with rubegon's comments.
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
This thread is locked  
Basenotes › Basenotes Forums › Fragrance Discussion › Fragrance Industry and General Fragrance Discussion › Why do people associate perfume collecting with being metrosexual or even homosexual ?