Friday, September 9, 2011

What's In A Smell?

 Happy Friday, everyone! Today, I thought I'd discuss something the makes me roll my eyes every time I stumble upon it while reading.

Smell. Particularly guys that smell. *eye roll*  With the way I'm talking you'd think I was talking about a bad smell but I'm not. I'm talking about how every single author, (mainly YA authors) at some point, mentions the smell of the potential love interest for our female MC.  I defy you to find a YA book where it doesn't mention some guy's scent.

It's usually described as some manly pine, musky, scent. OK, the truth is I'm so sick of it I skim these parts with a exaggerated sigh and an accompanying eye roll. What is the freaking big deal about this apparently hugely important detail?! Personally, I kinda think guys stink and unless they're wearing my favorite cologne you aren't going to catch me swooning.


I'm thinking it has something to do with the advice you'll find in any how-to-write book these days. There's always a chapter on engaging all the senses: sight, touch, sound, taste, and the ever annoying smell. This is very good advice. It takes us as the reader further into the story and helps us imagine things even better than we might have, but does all that smelly detail have to be talking about a guy? All the time?!

I have two theories. Theory number one: Most woman are more particular about smell than I am and actually notice it. So when a mans smell is written about in a book they can relate and appreciate it. This saddens me for two reason. One, I'm starting to worry I'm not womanly enough and, two, why in the blazes are women walking around smelling guys and actually vocalizing it in their minds?! My sister informs me that she was very aware of her husband's "smell"  before they got married and she loved it so I'm starting to think that, in fact, I'm just not womanly enough. Sigh! Oh well, you woman can obsess about a guys smell I'll stick to admiring their calves.

Theory number two: I once read somewhere...actually I'm sure I read it more than once...that guys think other guys are stinky, but they think woman smell so good, almost flowery. So did some woman author out there decide one day that, that just wasn't fair? She probably enjoyed the manly scent of men and decided she would let the world know. Now there's some secret, underground group of woman authors who have made a blood pact that all their books must have a reference to a mans scent and that it must be a good scent, dang it! The female MC must swoon when she smells said scent. And  if any author goes against the pact...oh, you don't want to know what will happen. ;)

Anywho, those are my theories. There must be some reason it's in EVERY YA book. So, am I all alone in even noticing this in books? Cause if I am you can just smile nervously and click frantically away from my blog if you want.

22 comments:

  1. I have also noticed it. It doesn't bother me. I don't really notice smell (as in a person's) all that much unless they have bad BO or they're wearing a particularly yummy scent of cologne or perfume. With the perfume, I'm wondering where I can find it. And, with the cologne, my mind goes to all kinds of places that you don't want to know about. ;)

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  2. Hahaha this post made me laugh out loud! I usually notice smell if a guy is wearing a cologne that smells really really good! I used to love the Abercrombie cologne so much at the store that I bought a bottle just for me haha! But when it comes to books I find it kind of annoying when authors describe the smell of a guy...your right...it gets kind of repetitive at times!

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  3. I have notice that too and it hasn't ever bothered me but I have wondered why they always say it is an earthy, naturey, something smell and wondered how in the heck they smell like that unless they have been rolling in the dirt or itching their backs on trees or something. I of course have a terrible nose so maybe men do smell that way...but not the few I have smelled. (And all the men in my family were landscapers or naturey.

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  4. Jenni, Yeah, the BO thing is always noticeable. And there is one cologne that has me thinking things YOU wouldn't want to know about. ;)

    Natalie, The funny thing is they never mention cologne. It's always some natural manly smell that already exists. Is there even such a thing?

    Adams Family, Exactly! I just don't get it. And I do have a good sense of smell and I've never smelled that naturey scent on anyone!

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  5. I totally notice Steve's smell. In fact while on my mission I remember walking by people in the store and noticing the same smell and it would totally remind me of Steve. Oh I hated it but loved it at the same time.

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  6. real-life, Yep, I guess I'm just not womanly enough. ;)

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  7. I'm am guilty on all charges of being a smell fiend. But to be fair, I'm kind of a florist so ALL smells are interesting to me.I guess you either are or you aren't a smell person. It's the first thing I notice about a place/person/thing and smells tend to jog my memory and remind me of something in my past. I'm okay with writers using smell to describe a guy if it's short and sweet, but if it's overly done I'm not crash hot on it either. You're not unwomanly Jenny. After all, you notice the eyes and they're a far better indication of a man than what aftershave he wears :)

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  8. In college my roommates and I decided there were two types of girls... those who liked butts and those who liked pecs. But apparently there is this whole world of smells vs. calves that I was unaware of. :)

    I've noticed the smelly descriptions in a lot of books, but I've never met an earthy smelling guy, either. Seems like most real guys fall into the: you can smell them coming boy-funk category, or the too much cologne group, or the I don't notice a smell at all group. I'm a fan of the last one.

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  9. It depends on how much cologne/ aftershave/ deoderant the guy puts on, lol. I can usually notice something, and at least on a couple guys I know, it smells sooo nice that I am swooning. So I get it, to a degree. I was actually struggling with this in my story, what would sound normal and not weird. It's kind of a fine line. Sorta like when describing physical features on a person.

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  10. Lan, Yes, smells do bring up memories for me too. I just don't think I've never noticed a guys smell; unless it's his cologne.

    Kathy, Hee hee! I think I'm in a very small group of calve lovers.

    Jessica, Well, I think if you write about a guys scent that's a cologne your one step ahead because that's what girls notice but it's never mentioned in all these books. It's as if the guy just naturally smells good. Yeah, I don't think so.

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  11. I don't know where I fall here. I have a pretty strong sense of smell and so that makes me excited in terms of chocolate and delicious foods, and being outside. Clean boy smell and like outdoorsy/campfire-y boy smell are nice. Beyond that, it's hard to imagine anyone having a natural smell of cloves and pine needles or whatever it is these days.

    But the mention of smell in a story grabs my attention because it throws me into the moment. Is that strange?

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  12. Kaye, Oh dear, you're one of those woman who appreciates a guys smell...wait did that group of women YA authors threaten you? JK ;)

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  13. This makes me laugh, too. Truthfully, I never thought about it. But.....I've actually read studies about smell and it's power over the opposite sex. I'm also laughing at all the comments. What a thought provoking blog!!!)

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  14. LOL Jenny. Have you really never smelt a guy before? I can't say all guys smell like musk or pine needles but there's definitely a scent there. Maybe I have too many guy friends and I notice it more....

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  15. What? I just left you an awesome comment and google ate it.

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  16. Cowboy mom, Yeah, yeah, but guys don't naturally smell good. At least I don't think so...maybe that's why I'm still single. ;)

    Lan, Oh, I've smelled guys before, I just think if they smell at all it's either cologne or deodorant or their laundry detergent. Not some magical smell that just exists naturally and even if it does do we have to hear about it in every book?

    Boy Mom, Oh man! I'm sure it would have been great...maybe even stolen the whole show. ;)

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  17. What a lovely post!

    Another theory might be that smell is one of the most powerful attraction devices... our animal instinct if you will... to the opposite sex. And authors eat that up.

    And it's true that when you fall in love with a guy, one of the best things is to stick your face in their neck or hair and drink in their scent, not their cologne/soap etc. but just them.

    So I guess what I'm saying is... I get it. But it is overly done, I agree, and I do find it interesting that they all smell the same!

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  18. Suey, Oh, Blech!!!! See? This is probably why I'm not married. I just don't get it. But mainly I hate how over used it is.

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  19. Remind me not to let you read any of the books I'm trying to write because you'll probably end up killing me! Lots of smelly people. In other news, you should probably keep away from Isobelle Carmody's Alyzon Whitestarr as well because that whole book is about an MC whose power is that she attributes smells to people!

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  20. Lan, No, no. I'd love to read anything you wrote smelly detail or not. ;) I actually have Alyzon Whitestarr on my TBR list so I'll read it anyway but thanks for the warning.

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  21. You had me giggling so hard! I don't normally notice smell in real life, except Old Spice and Brute remind me of my dad and grandfather. And then there is my hubby, his colone, shaving cream and even deoderant make me . . well I will keep it PG. But I don't notice a constant outdoorsy musky smell (other than grease and diesel fuel from his work)

    Smells do seem to get over used, and they make me laugh in the historical romances that I read when they describe a man's scent as not offensive or of rotten teeth! There is a man you can love HAHAHA!

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  22. Ang, See? It seems like those that do notice a smell are smelling something legit like cologne etc., not just some natural smell. Yeah, what a compliment...well at least he doesn't smell of rotten teeth! LOL!

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