"Too strong"

[franz]

I thought this thread was asking the question "What do people colloquially mean when they comment on a fragrance being 'too strong' [on someone]?"

What it sounds like now is "In the case where someone sampling different fragrances dismisses one or more of them for being 'too strong,' what do they actually mean?"

I gots no idea, but forgive me for being confused at first.

Americans are afraid of fragrance. It's that simple.

I doubt Americans per se are afraid of fragrance. At least if the college "bro's" who stink up the elevator in my building are any indication.

 

[CptBlueBear]

I think you are dealing with the modern inability to express one's self. It seems that many people are more or less incapable of communicating anything unfamiliar or complicated. We live in a society dominated by the visual and where the vast majority of members are passive consumers. As a result, many people lack the verbal and reasoning skills to effectively communicate. Some develop these skills via life experience or an interest in a technical or specialist subject. Experience gives you more references and makes one less inclined to make snap judgements.

(I think it was Tom Lehrer who said that if a person can't communicate the very least they can do is to shut up.)

Another angle: our environment, at least for the wealthier, white collar and middle class amongst us, is increasingly "deodorised" and sanitised. This makes people hypersensitive to unfamiliar smells just because they lack references. My preferred solution would be to pack people off to the third world, or at least where people live a little closer to nature, so they can find out what the world really smells like. It might also make us a little more grateful for what we have a little more tolerant of others. If you've experienced Mumbai on a hot night with no wind you'll understand the purpose of a strong cologne.

A third: personal scents have been dumbed down colossally in the past generation. Most people never experience anything more sophisticated than body spray, which is carefully formulated to appeal to the lowest common denominator. The idea that a scent might evolve and change is alien. This is the flip-side of the chemical revolution that gave us these cheap scents that don't rely on a expensive and hard to get natural ingredients.

Female scents: there is a woman who works in the office next door to me (real estate agents) who wears something loud, obnoxious and, to me, cheap. It does genuinely lie in her wake for several minutes. The only reason I can think of to follow her scent is to let her know she's overdoing it, but alas it's so overpowering that I cannot pinpoint who it is.

 

[Featherweight]

I think you are dealing with the modern inability to express one's self. It seems that many people are more or less incapable of communicating anything unfamiliar or complicated. We live in a society dominated by the visual and where the vast majority of members are passive consumers. As a result, many people lack the verbal and reasoning skills to effectively communicate. Some develop these skills via life experience or an interest in a technical or specialist subject. Experience gives you more references and makes one less inclined to make snap judgements.

(I think it was Tom Lehrer who said that if a person can't communicate the very least they can do is to shut up.)

Another angle: our environment, at least for the wealthier, white collar and middle class amongst us, is increasingly "deodorised" and sanitised. This makes people hypersensitive to unfamiliar smells just because they lack references. My preferred solution would be to pack people off to the third world, or at least where people live a little closer to nature, so they can find out what the world really smells like. It might also make us a little more grateful for what we have a little more tolerant of others. If you've experienced Mumbai on a hot night with no wind you'll understand the purpose of a strong cologne.

A third: personal scents have been dumbed down colossally in the past generation. Most people never experience anything more sophisticated than body spray, which is carefully formulated to appeal to the lowest common denominator. The idea that a scent might evolve and change is alien. This is the flip-side of the chemical revolution that gave us these cheap scents that don't rely on a expensive and hard to get natural ingredients.

Female scents: there is a woman who works in the office next door to me (real estate agents) who wears something loud, obnoxious and, to me, cheap. It does genuinely lie in her wake for several minutes. The only reason I can think of to follow her scent is to let her know she's overdoing it, but alas it's so overpowering that I cannot pinpoint who it is.

Well put.

We do need to reconnect with the world, and with the earth. Our senses are far too detached. 90% of the stimulation my peers experience comes from their i-Phone.

Fragrance and specific types of scents can elicit associations, which have the magical, alchemical power to transform our feelings towards those fragrances. I've encountered my share of ladies who wear loud, obnoxious fragrances, things I usually dislike. But I tend to wonder if my feeling toward the scent would change if I were to become . . . much better acquainted with certain said ladies. Romance and nostalgia are built into the nose.



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