3.09.2010

Aromatherapy and Juicy Things That Smell Like Fruit

I realize that a lot of fruit/food smelling soap products are geared towards female consumers (Bath & Body Works and The Body Shop products come to mind) but I'm sure there are more guys than we think who like things that smell like fruit. The reason why I'm bringing this up is because today I was looking at my body wash (Softsoap's Juicy Pomegranate & Mango Infusions) and shampoo (Suave's Juicy Green Apple shampoo), and both of them included the word "juicy" in the product's name.
Why does it matter whether or not my soap is "juicy"? I can't ingest it. When I smell fruity soaps, with supposedly "juicy" scents, are those scents supposed to be so appealing, so "juicy" that I cannot help but want to quench my thirst with something as sweet as my body wash or shampoo?

Back then (which was last year) when I did my research paper on consumerism and gender binaries in 80s cartoon shows,
I noticed that even though I thoroughly enjoyed Strawberry Shortcake television specials as a kid, the whole entire series itself was like an early age diabetes trap with characters named after sweet confectioneries and houses that look like desserts.


chez Strawberry Shortcake

chez Blueberry Muffin

chez Huckleberry Pie

Strawberry Shortcake sends off the message that the stereotypical role for females is to be domestic, soft, dealing with problems by talking about your feelings, and I guess, sweet-smelling... just as sweet as her strawberry shortcakes.

One of the most appalling things said in that show is when the character Angel Cake is eating candy and says, "I always say, if you don't think about it, the calories don't count." Oh hon, the calories are so there.I like how the other day when I was watching How I Met Your Mother, I kept on seeing this one Old Spice commercial, where the guy is telling female viewers to tell their men to use Old Spice instead of "lady scented body wash." What's wrong with guys using fruity smelling body wash? If anything, the smell of food/fruit is aromatherapeutic and calming. Isn't that why Glade makes tons of food/fruit smelling scents like Creamy Custard & Blushing Apple? The scent of comfort foods from candles, soaps, and air fresheners allows us to indulge ourselves without making us gain any calories.

As a woman, I actually find it pleasing when a man smells good. Maybe it's a pheromone thing? (Oh, gosh I found this thing on pheromones. ew. Love Potion #9 much? ...Yes, I'm a sucker for old Sandy Bullock ^^ll. Yes, I own While You Were Sleeping. I am such a "chick." Guilty. No, I have not seen The Blind Side and I'm not sure if I want to watch it.)
It impresses me when a man is naturally hygienic because there are probably ten times more women who are hygienic than there are men with good hygiene. I admit that the two scents (that I'm conscious of) that attract me to men are non-fruity scents... so maybe the Old Spice guy does have a point there. Oh, in case you're wondering what scents those are, it's the smell of Nivea shaving cream and Irish Spring soap.

P.S. I have this amazing smelling shaving cream called Cashmere Rain. I always thought Cashmere Rain was such a random but clever name for a shaving cream scent. Who gets to name all these soap products? Can I have their job?

1 comment:

Manda said...

Men are only allowed to smell like ocean breeze.