Old Lady Perfume: Scent, Sexism and Ageism “Perfume Profiling”

perfumer vero kern 2016

The Ageless Beauty of 76 year old Perfumer Vero Kern of Vero Profumo

"Youth has no age." – Pablo Picasso

 

 susan sarnadon at 69

Actress activist Susan Sarandon is 69

Twenty-five years ago I married a man several years my junior.  At the time friends accused me of robbing the cradle.  Technically I qualified as a "cougar", but age was never an issue between the two of us.  Sadly, our attitude about age is not reflected by society at large.

Marilyn Ciafone Olson, semi-retired writer, painter and political activist living in St. Louis, MO.

Marilyn Ciafone Olson, semi-retired writer, painter and political activist living in St. Louis, MO. is in her 60s. photo courtesy of Marilyn and Bruce Olsen

Liz Ryan, feature writer for forbes.com, has this to say: "Age discrimination is everywhere.  I hear more examples of age discrimination than I hear about sex discrimination, racial discrimination and every other kind put together.  Mean spirited or thoughtless age profiling pervades our culture and even influences how we write and talk about fragrance.

stevraabmichelyn camen

Editor in Chief Michelyn Camen Of ÇaFleureBon is in her 50s and  her 30 year old niece Stevi 2016

Yes!  I am referring to such pejorative nonsense as the ubiquitous "old lady perfume", "scent of an old woman", "granny juice" and "aunty-scent".  Other cop-outs include "girly frag", “teeny-bopper spritz", "your grand daughter's fruitchouli" and "chippy chypre".  Remarks like these, no matter how clever, are so subjective as to be meaningless to anyone save the person who penned them and possibly offensive to at least one third of the population. Political correctness aside, dismissive comments often reveal more about the writer than they do about the perfume. 

Valerie Sperrer AKA the Cookie Queen blogger in Vienna

Valerie  Sperrer  AKA the Cookie Queen Contributor for Australian Perfume Junkies in Vienna 2016 is in her 50s (Photo courtesy of Valerie Sperrer)

As we get older body odor changes and olfaction diminishes.  That being said, should we smell like who we are right now- in real time – or smell like who we want to be – a baby, a nubile tween, young jock, elegant matron, revered grandparent or something else? Also, even though "oldsters" tend to wear mass quantities of heavier perfumes, excess is not necessarily a factor of age.  When I was young my application of fragrance was so liberal that my music comp professor took me aside, one hot spring afternoon, and advised me on the appropriate use of perfumes and colognes.  I remember his exact words – and ignore them to this day. 

vivienne westwood 2009 grandmother of punk

Vivienne Westwood 2009 grandmother of punk is in her 70s

Historically, scents of certain flowers, fragrance types and even individual perfumes can hallmark an era. Also, there is no doubt that memory and association affect the perception of a fragrance and the other way round! One man's grandmother could be another's Lolita and the youthful scent of today might be the offensive scrubber of tomorrow. So much for Old Lady perfume!

Jeanne Rose cafleurebon Profiles in American perfumery 2010

Natural Perfumer Jeanne Rose is in her 80s

Thinking about age profiling and perfume brings to mind the 1953 fragrance mega-hit, Estee Lauder Youth Dew by Josephine Catapano.  Sixty-three years after introduction Youth Dew remains a polarizing force in perfume-land.  Years ago Estee Lauder, today thought of as Old Lady Perfume, described Youth Dew as "a very, very sexy, modern fragrance".(2) Comments on current blogs and forums read like this: "The smell of seduction", "powdery old hag", "the dreamiest and the creamiest", "stinky and outdated", Old Lady Perfume!  John Oakes in his "The Book of Perfumes" (1996) refers to Youth Dew as:  "… a perfume for evenings only…It's certainly X-rated, so keep Granny well away from it in case she gets ideas beyond her capacity!"

Irma Morrison age 100 with baby

Gail's husband's grandmother Irma Morrison age 100 with baby

"It takes a long time to become young." – Picasso

What do you think of the term Old Lady Perfume?  Do age related comments effectively describe fragrance or are they simply thoughtless profiling and Old Lady Perfume? 

gail gross cafleurebon

Gail Gross is in her 60s

Gail Gross, Contributor

1 Ryan, Liz, "The Ugly Truth About Age Discrimination", forbes.com, January 31, 2014.

2 Oakes, John, The Book of Perfumes (Sydney: Harper Collins, 1996), 279.

Editor’s Note: Gail has joined the team of CaFleureBon as a weekly Contributor. Please give Gail a warm welcome

 

 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *


21 comments

  • Julesinrose says:

    Welcome, Gail! What a great post! Love that you’ve started this conversation and love the photos. I’m in my fifties and So far my sense of smell is as good as ever. Everything else doesn’t work as well, though honestly, the older I get, the happier I am, as the superficial things in life get less important

    Yes, there is indeed age discrimination. And yes, it’s mostly sloppy (and snarky) to use terms of age to disparage. Occasionally it’ll make a point, but even then it can be hurtful. It’s a fine line indeed. I have bad associations with my idea of “old lady smell,” as my grandmother reeked of mothballs and Pond’s cold cream. The sheer force of her scent was difficult for me as a child! But, I really am not sure what the “old lady smell” IS when people refer to it. Use better descriptive language please!

    Thanks again for raising this issue and delighting this older woman with photos of even older women! It’s a treat. I especially enjoyed the photo of Vivienne Westeood!

  • merlina says:

    It is better to be old than dying young! I am 44 and I don’t mind having wrinkles 😉 Talking about perfumes, I used to wear Coco and Opium when I was 20 (among others…) , people told me they were “old woman scents”…but of course I didn’t care, I thought they had no idea about what a good perfume is! Today I still wear them from time to time and still some people tell me the same…and I think they would say the same when I am 90! Let’s this arrive! When it is supposed to wear such beauties? 😀

  • Rae Lynn says:

    I think women come into their full beauty at 50. I love the photos! I hate age related sayings that pertain to women. Smell is subjective and has nothing to do with age. Rose is often considered an “old lady” smell, but, I have always loved it.

  • fazalcheema says:

    I am in 30s but I have perfumes from decades as early as 1940s (not in the sense that such perfumes first came in that era but in the sense that my particular perfume was bought in that era). When people attach age to perfumes, I think the main culprit is the fact that perfumes are powerful part of our memories. The moment we smell a perfume that is same or close to what some loved one wore, we cannot help but think of the person or the generation to which that person belonged.

    I also have a system of prescribing time period to perfumes because instead of using generations as the unit of measure, I use decades. For example, I don’t call Opium old lady perfume but a perfume that represents the 80s to me. Chanel 5 def. represents the era from 1950s to 1970s even though I know it came much earlier than that and so on. On the other hand, there are some I find timeless while others find them oldish the greatest examples of whom include vintage Dior Eau Sauvage and vintage Givenchy Gentleman in my case.

  • Maggie Mahboubian says:

    Interesting that all the agist comments refer to older women but not to older men. What’s up with that? Sexism rearing its ugly head. I love the radical chic proposed by older women as well as their fragrance choices. Thank you Gail and welcome. Can’t wait to read more!

  • tiffanie says:

    I like to think there is something powerful and positive about every age and stage of life. And as we move through the years our tastes (in all things), our vision (both with our eyes and our minds), and our noses must certainly change along with us.

    I believe that fragrance is ageless and genderless. Even so, I feel like some stereotypes and age-ist assumptions about fragrance are inescapable, although those assumptions can certainly be challenged with great success. I like to think of a heavier fragrance as having a certain gravitas which reminds me of the wisdom and experience that come with age. At the same time I like to think a very young person somewhere revels with great abandon in that same powerful scent, whether it’s Youth Dew, Shalimar, or Joy.

    And I was thrilled by CdG Grace by Grace Coddington, a delightfully delicate and refreshing “young” fragrance, which comes from the life-well-lived of the fashion industry icon. I was disappointed that it did not meld well with my skin, but on my daughter (a teen) and on my mother (in her 70s) it smelled delightfully fresh and rosy.

    Thank you, Gail, for giving me a moment to pause and think on this.

  • Hikmat Sher Afridi says:

    Welcome Gail Dross, Thanks for the post.
    I am in mid 50’s and wear what I like or love. I don’t believe in age restriction and gender bender in perfume wearing. Even baby, old lady smell is not in my dictionary. Michelyn in the photo looks younger than her niece or of the same age. I agree upon the statement “there is no doubt that memory and association affect the perception of a fragrance and the other way round! One man’s grandmother could be another’s Lolita and the youthful scent of today might be the offensive scrubber of tomorrow.”

  • Daniela says:

    Gail your spot on article was shard on Facebook by my 26 yr old daughter. This article comes at a very good time.She borrows my Mitsouko and recently for her birthday I bought her Chanel Misia. Her boyfriend told her she smelled like an old lady when she wore Mitsouko and that Misia reminded him of his aunt. She was upset but continues to love and wear each. No comment on why he is still her boyfriend. A mother can hope though. I love my Prada Candy l Eau and duelle both might be considered not age appropriate. I wear fragrance exactly as you wrote to express myself and what I feel.
    The photos of the beautiful women in this article of all ages is proof age is a number. As a vero kern fan she is stunning. Jeanne Rose is in her 8os? As Amazing Michelynn in her 50s. Her niece looks 18!!Everyone radiates vitality. Your 100 yr old grandmother is inspiring as is your writing and your own beauty in your 60s
    It takes a long time become young YES

  • echinacea says:

    Womanity and beauty is ageless. I hate all these comments about “old woman smell”, “old woman chic”or “old woman taste”. Not because there is anything wrong with being old, but because they suggest so.
    Welcome, Gail! Thank you for the story and looking forward to more!

  • Cynthia says:

    I do think perfume tastes evolve as you experience life, and in fact seek out new experiences, including in the perfume you wear. I hate the phrase “old lady perfume” because it does imply rudeness on the speaker’s part; however, for me it is a signal I need to try this perfume because it very well may be one I like. Welcome Gail!

  • mozaik says:

    Welcome Gail and thank you for this important entry. I can’t stand all this ageist/sexist patronizing like ” this is not something you should wear”, “this is too masculine, too fresh, too girly, inapropriate, un-ladylike…” when it comes to perfume, jewellery, clothes. No one will ever tell me what to wear.
    When I was 16-17, my favorite scent was Obsession by CK. I can’t count how many times I heard that it’s inaproppriate for a young girl. Well, I could only reply that if someone doesn’t like it, they shouldn’t come close enough to smell it. And it’s what I think nowadays, if someone doesn’t like something about me, they shouldn’t invade my personal space with rude comments.

  • Toblerone says:

    Yes! It takes a long time to become young!

    Welcome, Gail! I am happy you joined CaFleureBon 🙂

  • sunmisun says:

    Hi Gail! It’s so wonderful to have another venue for reading your articles! I don’t think that anyone should feel limited in what they wear – regardless of who the fragrance is marketed to (men, women, younger or older). That being said, I think fragrances trend just like anything else (names, for instance – we don’t have very many Beatrices or Hershels these days, but in 60 years Aiden/Jayden/etc will be the Bettys of today). So, today’s “grand-daughter’s fruitchouli” will someday be “grandma’s fruitchouli” haha. I doubt it’s particularly helpful in describing anything, but I think a lot of people lack the vocabulary to define what it is in particular that associates a scent with a particular period of time, so they might say the first thing that they personally associate it with. I’d like to think it doesn’t have to always be a negative thing, but maybe that’s just wishful thinking. 🙂 Anyhow, welcome to CaFleurebon!

  • Lauren says:

    This is a great post mom! Such a good point about how perfumes are labeled as old or young… I just wear what I want! Who cares, right?

  • greennote says:

    I’ve always been amazed by Val and Vero. And it was beautiful to see others that I knew and didn’t in there as well. Such a great post, Gail.

  • Lisa says:

    “Old Lady Perfume” to me is the heavy, aldehyde-based fragrances that older women (and yes, let’s just be honest, it is always OLDER women) drench themselves with. I like to go running at a certain park, and there are times when I can smell a headache-inducing “old lady perfume” out in the middle of the woods, and then sure enough 100 yards later I come up behind a woman of a certain age leaving a vapor trail of Chanel No. 5 behind her. I detest that smell, especially when I’m outdoors and enjoying the fresh air and smells of nature.

  • Madelyn E says:

    I find this association with the disrespect of the older woman unacceptable and disgraceful . Old lady as a term is reprehensible . That it is misused to characterize a classic fragrance as unappealing, stinky and other insults is revolting . I prefer the classic aldehydes and chypres . I have many fond memories romantic and nostalgic wafting these . Ageism , racism must stop . It is up to us to spread the word

  • Madelyn E says:

    I find this association with the disrespect of the older woman unacceptable and disgraceful . Old lady as a term is reprehensible . That it is misused to characterize a classic fragrance as unappealing, stinky and other insults is revolting . I prefer the classic aldehydes and chypres . I have many fond memories romantic and nostalgic wafting these . Ageism , racism must stop . It is up to us to spread the word

  • Caroline says:

    Omigod – this is a *great* article!
    My husband is 8 years younger than me, and we both married for the first time late(r) in life. He was 43 and I was 51. Age simply doesn’t come up with us, unless it’s me remembering watching, at the age of four, Neil Armstrong walk on the moon – before my beau was born.

    As for liking “old lady” perfumes, here’s a story for you: I worked in retail back in the Dark Ages at Bloomingdale’s in Los Angeles. I saved my perfume spritzes for when I arrived at work, mostly to save on my own stash, but also to help advertise for co-workers. (I have never owned a bottle of Estee Lauder’s Intense Pleasures, but I know I helped sell at least a dozen bottles of it!)

    One of the scents I love wearing is Shalimar. So when the whippersnapper twentysomethings in Cosmetics caught me stepping into a Shalimar ribbon of sillage, I was chastised on the spot for expressing interest in “that perfume for Old Ladies”. -I reminded them I was old enough to be their mother (at the time, 38), and then walked past them. They ALL swooned when they caught the smell on me, and never once gave me grief for choosing it.

    It made believers out of all of them!