scent : Gay & Black Glossary

When you think of someone who misuses scent, an elderly lady comes to mind whose sense of smell has died, who slaps on enough perfume to reek for blocks around. However, young gays often make the same mistake. They make two errors:

• They think because they cannot smell the scent, it must have evaporated and it needs to be reapplied. It is just that their nose has become numb to it.
• They pick artificial scents that feel like a ice pick probing the nose to some people. Those people can’t get near them.

Less is more. Scent works best below conscious awareness. For universal appeal, use natural scents. Almost any artificially-scented cologne or after-shave will be disgusting to a sizeable segment of the population.