The names and advertising of new fragrances today are emphatically asexual. What can not be said about the compositions themselves – attractive, sensual, bright. Why did the manufacturers go to such dissonance? Because of the fear of being accused of the two deadly sins of the modern world: harassment and sexism.
Before, say, ten years ago, sex actively sold everything. This is not about girls with low social responsibility, but about fashion, art, songs, films, magazine covers, commercials, product packaging and even perfumes. But why “even”? After all, perfume and sex are inextricably linked.
All of the articles in the Ten Tips to Become Sexier series ranked fragrances with such seductive tools as silk lingerie and scarlet lipstick. Therefore, most perfumes have moved through the theme of sex, sensuality and flirting.
The theme of aphrodisiacs was also popular – volatile molecules that in the animal world serve to attract individuals of the opposite sex. And although their presence and effectiveness have not been proven in humans, perfumers vied with each other to poison tales about the magical effect, for example, of indole on men.
Today, amid harassment scandals, objectification is banned
By the way, indole is a substance whose molecules are also included in the aroma of white flowers: jasmine, tuberose, gardenia, orange blossom. But there are also indole notes in the smell of human and animal secretions. That’s why, the pros claimed, the notes of white flowers attract men so much. True, they did not specify why the stronger sex in women’s eyes, or rather noses, these same fragrances do not make them sexier.
In any case, this is already in the past. Today, against the background of scandals with harassment and other harassment, objectification is banned.
Go into denial?
Sex no longer sells, it repels. Everything that can excite, intrigue and provoke is anathematized. Stockings, stilettos, mini and neckline – this is “old style”. Sneakers and shapeless sweater skirts are the new attributes of femininity. The word “sex” on the covers of magazines was replaced by the abbreviation HLS. Body positivity and single selfies are gaining momentum on Instagram.
In Europe, the number of not only homosexual, but also monomarriages is growing. So women legitimize their right to loneliness, giving themselves wedding rings, signing the relevant documents at the mayor’s office. And even arranging magnificent weddings with guests, yourself at the head of the table and a cake with a single figurine of the bride.
These egocentric changes could not but affect perfumery. Not a single major house will risk positioning fragrance as a means of seduction now. On the contrary, most of the new products promote the ideas of feminism, freedom, self-sufficiency and self-confidence. Are we being called to renunciation of men and monasticism?
You are alone
No, no, manufacturers justify themselves, there are other messages and priorities. A woman must realize that first of all she uses perfume for herself. And listen to your feelings, perceiving the composition subjectively. And if her notes, even if advertised as super sexy, make you sick, then the date will definitely be wasted.
But when you personally like the fragrance, it will add a hundred points to self-confidence and seductiveness. This is the superpower of perfumery. The main thing here is not to overdo it with the quantity. After all, if you or your companion get a headache from a suffocating veil, the prospects for sex, again, will not be the most rosy.
But today’s market is good because you can choose a scent that both of you like. By the way, the perfume giant Firmenich has promised to soon end the division of fragrances into men’s and women’s, believing that everyone should rely only on their nose. And to impose a gender vector means to limit the freedom of choice.
It may be democratic, but few men like it when a woman invades his aroma territory, expropriating lavender and eucalyptus.
no name
The rejection of the propaganda of “aromasex” also affected the names of the compositions. On the bottles of new products of the last two or three years, we read neutral L’Interdit, Twilly, Gabrielle, Joy. And remember how at the beginning of the XNUMXs we were beckoned by J’Adore, Dior; Amor Amor, Cacharel; Sensi, Giorgio Armani, and Kenzo Amour.
Love and adoration sounded in the names of 90% of new products. And commercials for them sometimes competed with 18+ films. So, in the early 2000s, some countries even vetoed outdoor advertising for Opium, YSL, with a naked Sophie Dahl in a draft pose. The reason is the increased number of accidents on the roads.
New sex is travel, independence, self-realization. And no attachment to your companion
Whether it’s the case now: the heroines of advertising are maximally dressed, restrained and behave asexually. In the commercials Chance, Chanel, the girls participate in a dance casting, in the microfilm J’Adore Charlize Theron, united with other girls, goes into the dawn. Chloé Nomade’s video celebrates independence and travel.
The main message of Kenzo World is to do what you like, giving vent to emotions and gestures. About the same – the visual range of Hermès Twilly. Actress Rooney Mara, the heroine of L’Interdit advertising, comes to a private party and leaves it alone. The protagonists of Women, Calvin Klein, talk about female friendship and feminism. Zero temptation and men within a radius of a kilometer.
New sex is travel, independence, self-realization. And no attachment to your companion. “Love yourself, and the man will wait” – this is the motto of today’s perfumery. But not everyone agrees with this!
sex machines
This new, puritanical aroma world also has its own rebels who continue to exploit the topic of sex, considering it to be the main and invincible one. The undisputed leaders of the movement were, of course, the great Kilian Hennessy and Tom Ford. They don’t care about feminism, gender equality and harassment. For them, a woman is a fatal temptress. And neither one nor the other masters intend to hide this attraction behind neutral names.
Tom Ford is constantly accused that he has nothing but sex in the names of the funds, and he is happy about it. Take at least the names of lipstick shades – Softcore, Exhibitionist, Fetishist, Dominate, Vinyl. Even the latest fragrance of Tom Ford with the innocent name Lost Cherry speaks of the loss of this very innocence. After all, the “lost cherry” is an English playful expression that means this piquant moment.
Kilian Hennessey is not far behind with his Prelude to Love, Voulez-Vous Coucher Avec Moi, Good Girl Gone Bad, etc. And what about his lipstick, fragrant with the aroma of Love and recognizing only all shades of scarlet!
False bottom
Many perfumers are jealous that Ford and Kilian get away with everything. And they admit that, having adopted the laws of external puritanism, they recoup on the compositions themselves, making them feminine. White flowers, musk and amber – the main notes of this year’s novelties can whet a serious appetite in men.
And believe me, having inhaled this mix from your hair and neck, the last thing a man wants to know is the name of the fragrance, the plot of the advertisement and the shape of the bottle. So, all these tricks are just politics that have nothing to do with love and sex.