I was reading a magazine (I think health, something health related) that said women find body odor more important/attractive than looks. That reminds me of a few things.
There is a guy I know who looks almost exactly like Brad Pitt. However he sometimes doesn’t bathe or use mouthwash so just being near him is unpleasant. It makes me wonder how the guy does with women, but I think he does pretty well. Of course he probably practices better hygiene during those interludes.
I am in a ballroom dancing class and some of the women have the same problem, they don’t bathe, use deodorant or mouthwash and it is very noticeable when dancing with them. This is odd as I always thought it was men who forgot to do that stuff. When I am dancing with a woman no matter how attractive she is if she smells bad I can’t find her desirable. I can find her attractive, but I will not be attracted to her. On the other hand I can think of numerous times I have seen women who were mediocre looking but who had nice breath and nice perfume who I found alot more attractive than I would’ve found had they had neither.
So in your experience how important is body odor in finding the opposite sex attractive? Are bad odors a deal breaker, are good odors a major turn on for you? Body odor is very easy to change but for me at least it is almost impossible for me to be attracted to a woman with bad breath or bad body odor. As for good body odor, I like it but its not a gigantic attractor.
Hm… I think colognes or any sort of scent on a man is disgusting. Why cover up your natural smell? I think the way a guy smells naturally is way sexier in comparison. Of course there’s a difference between being odorless/natural and vile.
Same goes for women. Every time one of those trendy looking girls walks by me on campus, a strong cloud of some shitty perfume floats along in her wake, choking me in the process. Perfume should enhance your smell when someone is close enough to you, it should not be used as a mating call. Same goes for cologne if one is so inclined to use it.
Personally, I don’t use any perfumes or breath fresheners. I’m sort of a naturalist. My deodorant is an odorless salt stick sorta thing, and my toothpaste is natural. I see no need to send various self defining smells and odors out to choke everyone around me.
I can’t speak to the article in the OP because I didn’t read it but ones like it I have read are more subtle than that. It isn’t just a matter of BO versus non-BO, it is a matter of individual body chemistry that gives each person a unique smell. Studies have shown that different people are attracted to different scents on used clothing. The preference is pretty strong even if they haven’t met the people involved.
I have a pretty good sense of smell and I have gone from moderately attracted to a female to “must have this person right now” based on subtle but pervasive natural scent cues. It has been so striking at times that I am taken aback. Conversely, some visually attractive females have put me off by their scent (not BO).
BO or stinky breath is also a complete deal-breaker for me. I do love a faint hint of cologne, though…say if I’m leaving, and I hug a guy before I go, and since I’m so close I can just catch a whiff of his cologne…
Well, let’s just say I’ll be thinking of that guy for sometime.
According to an experiment by Dr Robert Winston, we are most attracted to the body odour of those who are most genetically different from us - as the greater the genetic differences, the stronger and healthier any offspring will be. I don’t know why this would be more pronounced in women, however, - certainly the experiment suggested this applied to both men and women.