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Call for questions: POLITICS OF SMELL (Patreon)

Published:
2025-04-08 23:01:16
Imported:
2026-06

Content

The thesis heard around the world: "Olfactory Ethics: The Politics of Smell in Modern and Contemporary Prose." Dr. Ally Louks went viral for this thesis -- some positive feedback and a whole lot of skepticism, criticism, and derision. Oh, and rape threats.

In a few days I'm interviewing Dr. Louks about her research, a legitimate examination of "how certain authors of the past century used smell in literature to indicate social hostilities, such as prejudice and exploitation."

Post your questions for Dr. Louks in the comments. For more background, read her statement in The Conversation.

Deadline: Thursday, April 10 at 5pm PST

 

Files

Comments

Megan R

This is so exciting! I'm wondering right off the bat what her favorite and least favorite smells are, and if she's had any scents she previously hated but changed her mind about once she learned more about it?

Andrea

Do you think that smells that aren’t directly related to a conversation could subtly influence someone to think a certain way? Like a pleasant smell could make someone lean towards an idea/person?

Yuri

Yes! Smell is HUGE. I'm highly allergic to artificial fragrances, and people get SO OFFENDED when they are asked to tone it down. They can't separate it from themselves, and act like it's a personal attack /infringing on their human rights. It's a lot like smoking used to be in the 90s - the science is there that artificial fragrances are literally neurotoxins and contribute to cancer and screw up important hormones, but if you imply you'd rather not smell them (or smell smoke), they go on the attack. This is its obviously different than the oligists thesis, but to me it's interrelated because the emotional reactions are real and strong.

Jessi B

AH, I have so many questions! In your work and research, do you ever explore any connections between smell and memory? I’m wondering how these references in literature trigger past experiences or certain people’s social histories. Do you see a difference in these connections with different cultures?

Joe Porfido

For me intense smells can trigger my anxiety attacks, so I was wondering if smells can trigger emotions and how that might work.

Yuri

As an Asian person, the smell of our food would often be racialized and attacked. Even well meaning people would say things like 'what's that SMELL' in a disgusted tone. It's exhausting continuous micro aggressions. My spouse is allergic to Alliums, and did you know that onions and garlic smelll disgusting on other people and in restaurants when you don't eat them? I absolutely believe it's social, and learned/habituated behavior. The problem is when people ascribe judgement of moral worth, and or center oneself as the norm.

Leah Anderson

If a store or restaurant uses Fabuloso to clean, I can't enter. The smell makes my throat and tongue burn. I have wanted to write to the places that use it to let them know that some folks really can't deal with hella strong cleaning smells, but I also know that Fabuloso is beloved among many folks in my community. How classist is it to want to contact management about smells?

Adam Foote

Fascinating topic! I don't have a specific question because it's just a topic I haven't thought about before, super cool

Allie Brown

Has there been research on what scents different communities/cultures find bad or good? And why?

Bennett Vanderbosch

What should I be on the lookout for when reading modern literature?

Joey Mattingly

What are some general smells that correlate strongly to different feelings, and how did we come to make those correlations?

Robin Kuehn

Are there commonly used English phrases that have roots in olfactory prejudice that we should learn to replace in our vocabulary? Please tell me how to be a better human in community.

Alia Myers

NO FUCKING WAY A REAL CELEBRITY!!

Alia Myers

What are some smells we tend to associate with certain social classes?

MJ Boyle

After major surgery a decade ago, I experienced an extreme sensitivity to smell as a long lasting side effect, so I’m super curious about this! A few questions: 1) What is the etiquette about calling out a scent no one else notices, but is driving you up the wall? 2) How much does our social conditioning impact our reaction to or preference for certain fragrances? 3) Does smell privilege exist? (Maybe on a spectrum from nose blind to pregnancy nose?)

Mouse Paxton

What trends have you noticed in the past century regarding the use of smell in prose? Are there any recent changes? Do you find smell tends to be used in more subtle ways than other sensory cues? Is there a use of smell (either positive or negative) that you found particularly intriguing?

Seán Thomas Kane

How do these discussions of smell in the sources you described in your thesis connect or build upon the idea of miasma and bad air being dangerous to one’s health?

Lisa Gorman

Interesting topic! How have you found the use of smell in prose to have changed over the time period you studied? What groups have tended to be singled out as "other" via smell in both prose and in real life?

Mana

OMG!!! this is heaven for a scent nerd AND an ologies fan...First time question asker !! I'd love for Dr. Louks to dive into her opinion on the way people interact with perfumes and overconsumption. On that note, if someone needs niche & obscure decants from a collector, I can provide ! Allllll the love from Montréal <3

Hailey Bate

First I just wanna say I think the subject matter of your thesis is phenomenal. Learning about the brilliant analytical people like you in the world gives me hope). Question: In researching your thesis, what was the most unusual/unexpected example you found?

Erin White

1: (Not a question but very important) Colin Wright can go fuck himself. 2: Why do some people smell good to us and some don't? There are people that I think are nice and attractive who wash regularly and everything but naturally smell unpleasant to me. Why is this? 3: Saying that 'the poor smell bad' or anything like it is obviously awful and classist/racist etc. Question though- Diet impacts how you smell, so do the diets of certain cultures or groups of people (due to financial constraints or cultural patterns) actually change how you smell noticeably?

Levin Dotimas

What’s a good way to tell people you frequently interact with that they smell really bad? (FTQA and serious question)

Lorri Fishman

Two questions: Are fragrances from laundry dryer sheets as toxic as they smell? After I’m outside for a walk or gardening, my adult sons complain that I smell. If I just change my clothes, the smell on my body goes away. I think I smell like I’ve been outside, not of sweat. What’s going on?

amandaowly

1st timer* Is nose blindness real and how do you combat it?

Katy

In what ways does Dr. Louks see the topic of her thesis play out in modern literature and daily life? I've personally seen plenty of online conversations about the appropriate amount of fragrance to use, what makes certain fragrances smell cheap vs expensive, and discussions of "old lady" vs "middle school" fragrances - and I often see classist and/or racist undertones pop up in those. Would love to see what the ologist has noticed out in the world since starting her research.

Cecily Templeton

It seems like the people who smell in literature is the group that society deems as "lesser". I'm rewatching TV from early 2000s and often seen that fat people are made fun of, sometimes for thier bad smell. Who is today's "bad smelling group" (if any)?

Cooper Michael

How has the political nature of smell shifted over time and throughout cultures? For example, I think of the Elizabethan era and how hygiene has changed so much. Do we see the way smell is depicted change based on when and where a work of literature was written/set? Also, how does genre play into it?

Bronwyn Eyre

Is it possible to train your brain to react differently to a particular smell? I’m sure that repeated exposure would make it less noticeable, but would you ever be able to grow to love a smell you initially hated?

Matt Ceccato

I used to hold my nose down the pet food aisle at the supermarket when I was a kid. I now have two cats and it doesn’t bother me anymore. Still, I’m curious

mish the fish

can you talk about how new jersey smells bad? as a kid in the car going to western pa, i distinctly remember crossing over the george washington bridge into new jersey and it smelled *so* bad right away. new jersey is the butt of many jokes, does smell influence that at all?

BeckytheSassySeagrassScientist

How might this social hostilities and smells issue be related to different cultural opinions on or sensitivities to smells? Por ejemplo, when I lived in Australia in undergrad, oh the socially acceptable stankiness! and when we visited Japan last year, we were very aware of a Japanese aversion to any strong smell, even like a perfumed deodorant.

BeckytheSassySeagrassScientist

As a Jersian, you are only smelling the parkway/turnpike! There's traffic, and some oil refineries. The rest of the state is incredible and smells like the beach, pizza and porkroll.

Matt Hirschl

I’ve anecdotally heard that smell is the most powerful sense in memory. Is that true?

BeckytheSassySeagrassScientist

Authors using smell in 'literature'... what about Twilight? How does the whole protagonist smells delicious thing fit into this pattern?

BeckytheSassySeagrassScientist

Is there something with pheromones involved with people-smell-bias? Or is it just cultural or personal preference?

Katie Hammond

Do we know if biases have changed with the advent of deodorant?

Twenty Three Skidoo

Today I detected the strong scent of puppy when I got into my car—we don’t have a puppy…or a dog for that matter—and I immediately thought about the myth that smelling almonds is a sign of a stroke. So, what might puppy smell be a sign of?

David Fieni

I wonder if you've engaged with scholars working with literature and other senses? I have a piece coming out in a volume entitled "Literature as Sound Studies" and it has been a revelation to me how foregrounding a given sense opens entirely new ways of reading and understanding writing and culture in general. Also: does synesthesia play a role in your work? Do people see smells or smell sounds?

Eli

I first read your sentence as "this is heaven-scent" 😂

Priyal

As a person from a group that gets vilified on the basis of smell- I'm South Asian diaspora (you all smell like curry etc)- this topic is so interesting. How does current prejudiced language/hate speech around smell align with your literary research? Is this another one of those depressing "the more things change, the more they stay the same" situations we are seeing a lot of at the moment?

Elysha Schuhbauer

This movie is mentioned in the statement Alie linked so they'll probably discuss it!

RoadLesTravelled

As a youth I remember one of the many ways to denigrate an ethnic group was to talk about the overwhelming scent of (insert smell here). It must have been 20 years realizing the denigration, resisting its use, and finally to call out abuse by others.

Mana

OH I wish i'd thought of that one 🤣

Mark Condon

What thoughts does Dr. Louks have about experiencing smells during dreams? I occasionally have dreams in which a smell dominates the events. They are always very strong and foul, but do not resemble any any smells that I have experienced while awake. Any thoughts on "dreamed smells"? Thanks!

Andrew McVay

I’m interested in how artificial aromas are used to coat our senses to prevent smelling other aromas. In contrast to marketing that suggests that artificial aromas are instead “neutralizing” the aromas we don’t want to smell. Are artificial fragrances chemical warfare on our senses? As a trained sensory scientist I’m very aware of how the environment around our noses constantly changes our perception of what we’re trying to smell.

Amy

I have the same reaction to Fabuloso

Amy

Yes please

Amy

In the process of researching and writing this thesis, was there a moment that surprised you—an author who used smell in a way you hadn’t expected, or a moment when you suddenly understood a text or film completly differently?

leigh jolivette

How do you feel about that line in mean girls where Kady has gone “full plastic”and it’s noted by her wearing Regina’s perfume? She smells “a baby prostitute” I think ?? It’s been a while since I’ve seen it

Rosa

Have you seen any examples in literature of one smell going from positively described to negatively described (or vice versa) over a period of time depending on how its association with privileged groups changes? If so, what are some example scents?

leigh jolivette

Not a question but this reminded me in rural Louisiana you can tell who works on sugarcane farms bc during burn season the sweet smoke smell clings to clothes/hair.

Her Ladyship Jen

Fellow NJ folk here. Adding lovely farms and pastures for your grassy smell needs. And bison!!

Rosa

I’ve read about how the English language has remarkably few words used to describe scent considering how many words we have to describe other senses. Did you find this is true in past literature too? Did people find ways to expand their vocabularies in the literature you’ve studied?

Her Ladyship Jen

What categories of smell are most present? When I think of scents used in a derogatory fashion, almost all of them are food. What are some examples of non food smells that have negative applications? BO comes to mind but seems very broad. Any others?

Rosa

It seems like different smells (such as food smells) have often been used to promote racism and other xenophobia from privileged groups against everyone else. But then different forms of segregation put less privileged groups of people into closer proximity to pollution, and then the scent of the pollution is used by assholes in power to defend their xenophobia. Can this tendency be seen in historical literature?

tofu_bahn_mi

I can’t smell most farts, and I eat a vegan diet and pass gas all day. A) What are people going to write about me in the next century, and B) why doesn’t any one call me out on it?

Rosa

I know that food smells such as curry can be described in offensive and racist language. However, curry is one of those things that has simultaneously gotten quite trendy at restaurants in the US so the same smell might be described positively or negatively depending on the context and who is involved. Do you see this same concept in past literature that the exact same smell is described in different ways depending on who it relates to?

Rosa

Historically, some people thought that bad smells carry diseases. Was that the primary explanation as to why certain smells are inherently bad? Were there other myths about the meanings of smells that were considered bad?

Rachel von Morrigan

Wowie wow wee wow! Sorry. I get really excited about smells. I’d love to know if you’re looking at scent that’s deeper than what folks are thinking on the surface. Things like petrichor, nonenal odor, nidor, vellichor…you know? Specific smells that folks don’t realize there’s a name for.

Euan Munro

I work mostly in the waste sector (or the circular economy if I'm being woke 🫠) and a lot of the time at plants dealing with food waste. Odour tends to be the biggest complaints these sites get, as it seems to be a very emotive issue. What seems to be an issue here in the UK is that housing developments are getting built close to existing sites or in one case the waste site and houses were built at the same time (great planning!). Could you ask Dr Louk about her knowledge of the modern politics (normally local politics) of smell in terms of where things get built?

Naomi Jane

Like a contextual conditioning, interesting! If the brand equivalent works for consumers (certain shops smelling the same), I guess it would. Like when people bake bread/have flowers out when trying to sell their home.

Leila Laco

Yesss! I've been waiting for this ever since I saw the tweet a week or so after it went viral, but I assumed you'd wait till her book was about to come out. So this is very exciting! I've just woken up so I'll try to think of a proper Q later 😆

Naomi Jane

This may have been covered more (or differently) in the episode on disgust (I didn't imagine that one, right?) but: Dr Louks says in The Conversation article that we're taught which smells to find disgusting, rather than it being a protective mechanism. Unsafe things like rotting meat or off milk smell and would have consequences if eaten. Aren't those objectively bad smells, rather than subjective prejudices?

Gregor

With our society's accelerated tendency to limit bodily odors, do you feel we're missing out on important scentborne information about one another? Both as subverbal communication, but also possibly an understanding of how certain scents can be direct evidence of specific illnesses? Could we have a revolution in scent acceptance that brings society closer together?

Pink Puppy

Wet wool especially school blazers. Puppy paws smell like corn chips!

Pink Puppy

For Twilight I felt scent highlighted the power imbalance between the hunter and their victim.

Pink Puppy

"The nose is also the only organ that can see backwards in time." (Terry Pratchett, Thud!)

Anjali Himali

How do we get used to smells, especially bad smells? When I walk into a bad bathroom sometimes my nose will get used to it after a while. Is it my brain or my nose that’s muting the scent?

Abi R.

I was just having a conversation with my partner the other day about how people used to smoke cigarettes EVERYWHERE in the u.s. but it's been effectively regulated out of most public places, so I feel like it's a shock (to me anyway) to see someone smoking in their car now. Are there any other similar examples of historical smells that would have been pervasive that aren't anymore? Is there a scientific explanation behind why "fresh" and "stale" smoke smell so different?

Quinn

Why do some people like pheromones, but others don’t? Like when someone’s partner or preferred gender is sweaty from working out

Quinn

Are scent memories real? And do you carry around a little thing that smells nice? Ariana Grande and Lisa from BlackPink both do so there’s gotta be some benefit right?

Dawnaechello

If you haven't already, please talk about Plessy v. Ferguson.

fullmetalknee

Have there been smells that have changed social meaning over time?

Meaghan Ratcliffe

what’s the best way to move past biases around smell? i tend to be very sensitive to smells and i’ve found myself guilty of negatively judging unfamiliar smells, especially those associated with other cultures i’ve not been exposed to. would it just require more frequent exposure or mindset shifting?

Marxe Orbach

My landlord recently put a "scent marketing device" in the small stairway of our 6-unit building. It is constantly pumping out overly strong synthetic scents that we have no input on or choice in. I guess I'm wondering why this is something they've chosen to spend money on in the first place, and also why every scent they seem to choose is just the worst

Cheyenne Montgomery

I came across a reading list for the olfactory ethics thesis and I’m wondering which of the books you included is your favorite.

Olga Kolesnikova

Yes hello I have a question, my question is I want to end all the people who threatened you. Oops I guess that wasn't a question...

Dave Brewer

Two excellent questions! It amazes me that I can now smell a cigarette from many yards away.

Dave Brewer

I don’t think I’ve ever had a dream that included smells. Fascinating!

Aimee Ford

It is pretty commonly accepted that humans tend to respond to "new" things or "different" things with a fear response. Like uncanny valley triggers a visceral response to avoid things that almost but don't quite look like a healthy human. Could the perception of body scent trigger a similar involuntary response? A "this human's smell is unfamiliar, is this safe?" response? And then once the scent is identified, a reaction applied to it (positive or negative) which could be used to describe and convey concepts via language? A lot of spices used by cultures around the world carry through in body odor. Especially cumin, which is used in a lot of areas that were colonized by the English and Spanish. If a people group smelled strongly of a spice not used in a new comer's diet, and the new comer decides these people are "scary/bad/ignorant/a threat/or generally 'other'" could that scent become seen as smelling bad from the association? Can a person who has not experienced an olfactory trigger be trained to perceive it negatively before they have been exposed to it and then when they have their first exposure perceive it negatively because they received xenophobic training in advance? People regularly describe certain flowers as having a positive scent. Sweet, pleasant, lovely are all common descriptions of flowers, but more often then not, I think they smell horrible. So I'm curious how much we perceive things based on how we have been told by our society to perceive them vs our intrinsic responses.

Aimee Ford

Could you speak on the emotional baggage of the words smell vs scent vs odor vs stink? They each have different meanings and I'm interested that you used smell for your thesis instead of scent.

Dave Brewer

When I was growing up near Seattle, Tacoma was the place that smelled bad. Besides the rhyme with aroma, it came about because of a smelter in the area. While the smelter and the aroma are both long gone, the reputation of Tacoma still suffers in the eyes (or noses) of many people my age or older.

Maisy Kate

Could you tell us a bit about the language used when describing class differences? And I’m interested to see whether there is nuance when discussing the ‘’middle class’ as opposed to the proletariat vs bourgeoisie, as the middle class is a relatively new phenomenon. Thanks, love your work <3

Dylan

i have no questions but i will be listening

redheadedscientist

I know smell is closely entwined with memory. How do scent memories factor into the politics of smell? (ps--huge congrats on achieving your doctorate!!)

Aimee Ford

Did you dig into sexism in your thesis? And where is the line between describing the way someone smells to flesh out a character and using it for symbolism? Women's bodies are overwhelmingly described by the way they smell in pop literature. Especially if the book has a sensual or sexual theme. *Especially* the female character's genitalia. Frequently the descriptions are... not what I imagine is natural for the female body to smell like. Frequently things of an edible nature. (Honeydew anyone?) WHYYYYYY???? I understand if you are describing a person's preferred perfume or soap, but in my limited exposure to vulvas, they don't smell like vanilla, cinnamon, or fruit. And it's a common theme (in more than literature) that vulvas can smell fishy, which is given a negative tone. One of being unclean. When, let's be real, lots of fish gets eaten around the world every day, and while there is a spectrum of what is healthy, I would expect that to be the way a vulva would smell more than smelling like a vanilla pod. Male characters are also described by how they smell, but it's their overall scent (which tend to be less edible like pine or a concept like "the night." Citrus and spices are the exception.) But I cannot think of any character's penis being described by smell, when, let's be real, male junk carries smell too. If authors insist on describing bodies intimate areas by something edible, I'd give you fresh bread thanks to yeast being a part of real life, but I've not seen that before. Why are female body scents described by edible things and male body scents usually aren't? Is it a power symbol? Or an image of temptation? Something else?

Aimee Ford

I read this and immediately thought of the descriptive trope of a "smelling like a hooker and cheap perfume." Also, the idea of a vulva described as smelling like canned tuna and that both of those are bad smells. Yeah, you are on to something.

HazHydro

You mention that we are taught what smells to consider repulsive. My husband does not like scents of any kind. Everything we buy is unscented; there's no cologne or perfume; and I usually use cleaning products when he is not around. What did his parents do to him!? 🙄

Jessy Banninga

After one instance of COVID, I lost my sense of smell. It slowly came back over the next few months, but with an added sensitivity/new bad smells no one else could smell. Certain savory foods (soups and stews, lunch meat, pork, breads) and even the mildest body odor suddenly registered as an intense cloying, rotting meat, sour smell. It was terrible. I had to leave the room at times when people were eating the most random foods, reassuring them that it was my nose's problem and nothing about their food. I constantly struggled with eating, since typical food for me suddenly smelled spoiled and rotted. I sometimes wore a mask around the house (with peppermint oil on it in extreme cases) just to not lose my mind about the common smells of people and food. I'm happy to report that my nose has mostly gotten back to it's pre-covid status, but that was an especially difficult time to deal with any smell.

Andy Pepper

I know (I think?) you’re specifically studying literature in English, but are there any cultures, past or present, whose literature describes human body odor as the odor of the elite?

GhoulNextDoor

This is fantastically exciting, I hadn’t heard about this before but I’m so curious. When did humans begin large scale perfuming our bodies? I know perfumes have been around for thousands of years but were they always to disguise scent or to enhance?

GhoulNextDoor

The more I think into the ways we interact/ judge based on smell the more excited I get for this episode

izzy bee

i’m curious about if there’s connections between the smells of cultural cuisines (some people have already mentioned Indian or Mexican cuisine for example), diet culture, and racism/classism/other prejudices?

Melyssa Hall

Did everyone in the past smell like cigarettes all the time? I love old Hollywood movies and everyone is always smoking! Inside! In fancy places! I'm a smoker and I feel like now cigarette smoke is associated with the lower classes and I'm super careful *not* to smell like my beloved cancer sticks. But what about the 50's?

Fran

Why do so many white Americans claim to hate the smell of garlic/garlic breath? I've never noticed anyone with bad garlic breath and garlic is delicious. However, COFFEE breath is HORRIBLE.

Melissa Mark

I am curious about the overlap of development and attraction to certain smells. It seems a lot of young women from pre-puberty to young adulthood (11-25) adore SUPER intense fragrances (think the headache inducing Bath and Body Works) that smell like fruity candy flower cookie. Is this societal pressure making them think their bodies smell weird into puberty? Or does puberty change our sense of smell? Why do women prefer different scents as they get older, like jasmine or musk, but want to smell like a jolly rancher air freshener when they are teens?

Thorpasaurus Jess

As a high school teacher, I am subjected to many smells on a regular basis, many of which I would classify as unpleasant. I also see firsthand just how much scent is deeply important to my students (queue a 45 second continuous stream of axe body spray or 57 consecutive squirts of vanilla bubblegum lilac princess peach perfume). I’m curious, as my students are at a pivotal point in time cognitively for social development, is there any correlation with age in where scent is mentioned in literature? Like do we see it valued or emphasized more in particular age groups? I’m also curious how its mention in literature might vary across different cultures and parts of the world (not sure if the ologist’s work focused on the US/western literature or not.)

Thorpasaurus Jess

Where is scent in romance novels?! I read a lot of romance, and it surprises me a bit that smells aren’t mentioned more as part of either attraction or repulsion from a prospective partner. (At least that I notice!) I’m curious if there are old timey digs in books like Pride and Prejudice that involve scent. Or on the flip side, if certain smells in literature are ever used to signal positive things- like attractiveness or wealth.

Voxothoth

How does scent and it's interpretation vary amongst cultures?

SoManyQuestions

What do you think some of the authors you read smelled like?

Liv Tambrini

Not a question, but I thought this was so laughable because this is a PhD thesis that I would expect to come out. So many people don’t know what academia really is like, and it shows.

Scott Hanley

Top fragrances fetch high prices and are not available to lower income noses. Think Creed, etc. If that isn’t a cultural disparity I don’t know one.

Don Elliot

Just something to interject, not specifically about a smell, but as someone with congenital anosmia (have never had a sense of smell), among the many, many things I am missing (which include things you smellers have not considered) is the complete essence of scenes in novels that almost always include reference to odors. Like the lack of the strong memory trigger smells can invoke, this is another fundamental, emotional, inspirational, transformational experience that I miss out on.

Kate Noonan

Maybe not related to smell in literature but sometimes I get this smell in my nose, it’s brief and in different locations, am I smelling my own nose??

Jernelle

They do this in hotels too!

Clur 🌱

Just popping in to say that I read Ally's (not Alie??? Confusing) response that you linked and WOW I never thought about this, I am FASCINATED, and so very much in support of this research. Ally, you rock, and don't let any Larrys on the Internet tell you otherwise. They're just jealous of your hair probably.

Zandra Lea

From my own experience in 1998 Dublin, where people could still smoke in pubs & restaurants: yes, yes they did. I (a non-smoker) smelled like smoke the next day after every night out.

Zandra Lea

It might not be only a preference, but also a physical reaction: after a mould exposure I experience headaches, sore throat, stomach aches, and brain fog whenever I’m around perfumes, paint, cleaning products, and smoke. He might have a milder reaction that translates to aversion.

Zandra Lea

Oh this is the worst. I can tolerate hotel smells for a night or two, but in my own building? I’d have to move.

HazHydro

I think there is some truth there. We grew up in a time before smoking bans, for example, and heavy perfume and cologne use was normal--ugh. That, on top of being generally sensitive, could create a genuine aversion. I grew up on a farm with a parent who smoked so smells were just part of life. I harass him about many of his quirks, like using a flip phone, but having a generally scent-free house isn't one of them.

Miranda Panda

We know a decent amount about poor neighborhoods near pollution and the negative effects, but what about the impact on quality of life in folks living near stinky places?

Lyssa Mercier

What a fascinating topic, I had never really considered smell from this angle before but it makes total sense! In the Victorian era there was a popular belief that bad air and smells carried disease. How did the old medical concept of "miasma" impact people's relationship to smell in day to day life and did it worsen discrimination towards poor and foreign communities? Did this period mark a change in the way smell was used in literature?

Darren Bush

My daughter teaches middle school. She hands out deodorant to students who never heard of it. She should get combat pay.

Darren Bush

So so so agree. Especially truck stop coffee.

Darren Bush

I had a girlfriend in 1983 who wore a perfume called Sand and Sable. I've been happily married for 41 years, but I caught a whiff of it a few years ago and I was right back at the homecoming dance. The distance between olfactory bulbs and lizard brain is short.

Daisy Moser

This is a good one! I have worked with many sent sensitive people who request others not use fragrance and some even request others not use strong smelling detergents. Not blasting the office with a diffuser is one thing, but asking others to change their detergents or shampoo seems a bit overboard. Am I the asshole for not wanting to switch my shampoo? Who owns the airspace? Who makes the rules? Is it all just anarchy?

Daisy Moser

Can we talk Kepel fruit? Supposedly it makes your bodily excrements smell like violets, and was reserved only for royalty. Fact or film flam? I ate lbs of this fruit one day and did not notice a big difference in my smell.

Erin Whidden

I have met very few people who have been able to understand the life-altering consequence of post-Covid smell issues!! I still have smells that have the rotting/sour smell. Lots of outdoor smells went rancid for me, but the worst was coffee. Once one of my very favorite smells, I spent at least a year gagging every time I smelled it. I even made my mom double bag her coffee and keep it in the freezer when she would come stay at my house. I’m finally okay with the smell now, but it’s still not back to pre-Covid.

DudeWhereAreMyWheels

When you were researching how people used smells in literature, did you actively seek out those smells to experience them? If so, how many times did you regret your decision to write this thesis?