Why wear perfume?
So having looked yesterday at ‘Why wear jewellery?’, today we move on to ‘Why wear perfume?’ The fragrance market is another massive industry in our society today. Fragrances for men and for women. So when I say perfume, I’m talking about scents for men as well as women.
And why am I talking about this? Because today’s section from the book of the Song of Songs is all about fragrance.
While the king was at his table,
my perfume spread its fragrance.
My beloved is to me a sachet of myrrh
resting between my breasts.
My beloved is to me a cluster of henna blossoms
from the vineyards of En Gedi. Song of Songs 1:12-14
It’s been mentioned in this collection of love songs before.
Pleasing is the fragrance of your perfumes; your name is like perfume poured out. No wonder the young women love you! Song of Songs 1:3
It will be mentioned again.
Who is this coming up from the wilderness like a column of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and incense made from all the spices of the merchant? Song of Songs 3:6
How delightful is your love, my sister, my bride! How much more pleasing is your love than wine, and the fragrance of your perfume more than any spice! Song of Songs 4:10
His cheeks are like beds of spice yielding perfume. His lips are like lilies dripping with myrrh. Song of Songs 5:13
How someone smells matters. When we’re attracted to someone, we engage all of our senses as we respond to them. Including smell. They may not use a perfume or eau de toilette or aftershave. It may be their natural smell or the soap they use or the anti-perspirant. Whatever it is, we recognise the smell of the the one we love. And it is good.
As with jewellery, the use of fragrances goes way back. Ancient civilisations all over the world used perfumes and natural oils to produce a pleasant smell – often to cover less pleasant smells!
Why wear perfume?
it makes us happy and gives us pleasure: we respond favourably to nice smells. That’s pretty obvious, I guess. That’s why we wear a perfume that we like the smell of and fill our homes with scented candles and bath products and reed diffusers and…- memory: there’s a strong connection between fragrance and memory. Of course, this can work both ways, but often, a fragrance can take us right back to a pleasurable experience. A particular fragrance is an easy way to connect us to a warm, positive memory. Just look at the range of Yankee Candle fragrances if you need convincing…
- a physical effect: different fragrances affect us differently. Some have a calming effect while others are more energising. Some help us relax and sleep; others refresh and invigorate.
- an expression of self: as with jewellery, we choose fragrance to express something about who we are. Our fragrance may match our mood or our sense of occasion or our personality. Perfume allows us to express our individuality. It’s a glimpse into who we are and how we see ourselves.
- attraction: there’s something about smelling good that makes us feel good about ourselves.
- pheromones: Fragrance has a long history with sex and seduction. Pheromones are scent-triggered hormones that stimulate sexual appetite. Some oils and fragrances have natural pheromone mimicking ingredients. We’re probably not even aware that they are there. They act on us without us realising. Stimulating this sense of smell has traditionally been used to stimulate sexual desire. It’s that link between sensuality and sexuality again.
According to Coco Chanel, ‘A woman who doesn’t wear perfume has no future.’ That’s going a bit far, but maybe fragrance does matter more than we think. How we smell says something about us. What are we wanting our fragrance to say today?
