Being Ridiculed for Wearing Fragrances as a Man

[Hugh V.]

Some people have a certain bias against men who wear a fragrance. It can trigger jokes about your sexuality. Or they can give you names as "the perfume boy" or "mister cologne". Even if you're not overspraying. Some people tend to laugh with this hobby and totally ridicule it. As if it's an idiotic thing to do. I know which answers I can expect in this thread. "I do what I want / I don't care" But it's really pissing me off beyond belief.

Interesting. I never have encountered anything like that. I would assume that it might happen if you go out of your way to tell people about your hobby, you're wearing a different fragrance everyday, and/or the fragrances being worn are viewed as effeminate. But I would think it more likely would be the first two.

I tend to view wearing cologne as just part of a morning hygiene routine, in particular if the fragrance is more on the subtle side.

If the fragrance is something really flamboyant or challenging, then yeah, it might come across as a little "extra" to those around you. If a 30something at the office is wearing, say, Ralph Lauren Polo, that's going to really stick out in 2023. It's like they're going out of their way to get people to notice them, even if that's not their intention.

Count me in with the 'DGAF' brigade because I truly don't. I can't ever remember a time when anyone has ever commented on a fragrance I'm wearing. That is probably because I generally wear 'close to the skin' fragrances because I prefer them. I do not like 'loud screechy, here I am' fragrances.

Same. I like wearing fragrances that are only noticeable if someone gets really close to me.

It's always perplexed me somewhat why so few people seem to like and wear Christian Dior's Eau Sauvage. Maybe they simply don't like how it smells? That would be a valid reason. But I think it's something else because there's very little about Eau Sauvage to dislike, it's a masterpiece of masculine perfumery by one of the finest perfumers the world's ever seen.

But it struck me the other day what the likely reason was — it's not very strong. What's the point of wearing a masterpiece if noone else can smell it? That's probably one of the reasons why I love it and wear it so much.

Eau Sauvage is a very, high-class scent imo, despite it originally being advertised as something sexy. I would assume though that most people aren't wearing it today is because 1) it's from the 1960s, so they're less likely to know about it, and 2) it smells retro.

 

[davidcalgary29]

Most of the olfactory bulbs in my town have been blown out by the local pulp mill and ever-present forest fires, so I spread a happy diversion with my delightful fragrance picks. The women in my office LOVE Tales from Zanzibar (a little much for me), so I'm happy to give them a spritz every now and then.

 

[dogtoe]

I try to avoid the neural toxin/hormone disrupter aspects of perfumery by spraying my shirt.

My brothers are the ones who get on my back about wearing fragrances even though they both did in high school. Now they think it’s weird as they approach their 70s. You would think they’d mellow out, but no.

 

[Sandy]

Our head of class (a male) at the last (40 years) reunion asked me about my life, favourite pastimes. Among others I mentioned my hobby with frags. He looked at me as if I was trying to spit on him.
Strangely, in the meantime of 3-4 years it turned out that even when in secondary school, he seduced my very shy mild-hearted class-mate, a girl, her life was ruined, never fully recovered, spent years in mental hospitals with borderline illness.
He became a drunkard, lost his whole family. BUT this all is nothing, compared to my hobby.

 

[Ifti]

Fear not - Its tough - we're human - we have emotions - we get hurt - words can cut deeper than blades and heal less.
However! Lol you can get some script answers ready to shut down those who ridicule - firstly they're 100% showing off their own failures, insecurities, confidence and what have you.
What we'd say in the UK here as "waste men" - empty lives so they find trolling others to fill desperate voids.

Sack em off! I hear you though, too many sad toxic people out there, especially online. The real question is, what happened to YOU, what's going wrong that has led you to this less than normal human behaviour, what had been perverted in your own mind to think that trashing others is ok.

Very fast finding things have been turned on their head out there. What had been termed "normative human behaviour" since day 1 is seemingly in our current age flipped right round.

Lol sorry to get deep!!