Dear Mistress Maeve,
Why are some guys into body odor? I am dating this guy who started grinding his nose into my armpits the first time we fooled around. Now that we’ve been dating a while, he asks me not to shower before we have sex because he says he likes my “scent.” He gets even more excited when we have sex after I get home from the gym — he even goes down on me, saying my vagina tastes better after a good workout. For the most part I don’t mind his attraction to my natural body smell, but I think it’s a little weird.
Signed,
Curious
Dear Curious,
Sense of smell is a huge contributing factor to arousal, just like sight, taste and feel. For some people, your guy included, the olfactory system goes into overdrive when it detects the natural odors emitted by the human body.
I’m no scientist, but from what I gather, it all has to do with pheromones — the chemicals present in animals that garner reactions from others of the species. You’ve heard the term “sexual chemistry,” right? Well, according to many studies, a lot of chemistry comes from one’s olfactory responders reacting to someone else’s scent or pheromones. There’s even a study from the University of Pennsylvania that says women are more relaxed and open to sex after smelling the armpits of a sweaty male — so perhaps you ought to return your guy’s underarm advances.
The bottom line is that your partner can’t get enough of you — appreciate it. Your guy is attracted to the natural you, not the you who’s slathered in beauty products and perfume. My advice is to lie back, relax and enjoy every pungent moment of his attention.
Sniff sniff,
mm
This article appears in Aug 17-23, 2011.
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