Mi capita spesso di immaginare la mia autobiografia inizio con "C'era una volta viveva un giovane che era un collezionista di odori." Molto allo stesso modo era ossessionato protagonista infame Suskind con aroma di cattura, così anche ci penso giorno e notte fragranza…pur senza quei fastidiosi unità a commettere atti violenti. One of the reasons I felt so strongly about that novel, Profumo, was because its author keenly crafted a character that possessed a quality never before explored in my literary experience, a quality I knew all too well. It was as if Suskind was speaking directly to me.
My personal introduction to writing about fragrance asked the question, “When is it simply too much?” The “it” being fragrance, naturalmente. Here I am 6 years later and I still ask myself the same question. Come tale, the next line of my autobiography would go something like this: “Rather than feed starving children or save money for a down payment on a house, he purchased perfume.” That’s a bit sad, don’t you think? But then again, I have made a career out of my love for fragrance and thanks to my good friend Mr. Internet, such a career has been partially supported by my writing about perfume.
During those sleepless nights when I browse fragrance blogs, I find solace in learning that I am not alone. Infatti, there are others like me who are crying out for help…usually to locate a bottle of Cacharel Gloria or to consider the merits of buying yet another Escada.
As a former mental health therapist, I often challenge my inclination to browse Ebay’s fragrance listings as a response to boredom by questioning, “Is it a hobby or an addiction?” I figured this would be a great topic for my inaugural installment of my new column as the question will likely frame all future writing. I briefly considered writing about my 2010 expenses on fragrance but then once I actually calculated the staggering amount I had to be taken to the hospital by ambulance, gasping for breath, in shock all the way to the emergency room.
I have friends who cannot get through a day without downloading movies or music, others need that sixth beer, and still others will self-destruct without their morning coffee. I can’t say that I get itchy and break into a rash without daily fragrance shopping, but when I do decide to spend, I am filled with an incomparable sense of joy and fulfillment.
Some people consider money or romance dreams to be the most exciting. Not me. My favorite dreams are finding a Perfumania that is going out of business and hence selling their stock for 75% off. My favorite dreams involve stepping off a plane in Rio only to be whisked away to an O Boticario boutique. I think I would prefer a trip to the Guerlain flagship over a trip to the d’Orsay or Louvre. Infatti, I have a 6 hour layover in Paris next week and what I am focusing on to get me through the trip – I hate air travel – is French Fragrance Duty Free.
Sì, for me fragrance is an art comparable to sculpture or musical composition. Infatti, I would go so far as to suggest that it is actually both of these: Many of the bottles are sculptures and the fragrances are aromatic compositions. Diamine, we even use similar terminology to discuss music and fragrance. A patron of perfumery is still a patron of the arts, destra?
One of my favorite Fragrantica profiles discusses the looks a particular member gets when telling people about his fragrance collection. I believe he followed it up with a discussion about the looks he gives people who admit to being stamp collectors. Which
brings me to another topic – why oh why do we not have scratch and sniff stamps? Maybe then I would be more interested…but I digress. The question I am asking, ancora, is what is the difference between a fragrance hobby and a fragrance addiction?
Hobby: A hobby is an activity or interest that is undertaken for pleasure or relaxation, typically done during one’s leisure time.
Controllo. Fragrance is an interest undertaken for pleasure AND relaxation, typically during my leisure time.
Addiction: physical and psychological dependence on psychoactive substances which cross the blood-brain-barrier once ingested, temporarily altering the chemical milieu of the brain. Addiction can also be viewed as a continued involvement with a substance or activity despite the negative consequences associated with it. Pleasure and enjoyment would have originally been sought, however over a period of time involvement with the substance or activity is needed to feel normal.
Uh-oh. Could it be that all of this fragrance sniffing has altered the chemical milieu of my brain? Infatti, I think I’ve already joked about that in a previous column…but my memory seems to be poor lately…surely nothing to do with inhaling fumes on a daily basis. And I already mentioned the negative consequences…the still-starving children, lack of a mortgage and that trip to the emergency room. But here’s the danger button, “involvement with the substance or activity is needed to feel normal.”
Could you imagine a day without scent? Ho. It isn’t pretty. I once went for a week without using fragrance and I could feel Serge Lutens’ anger rising with each day that passed unscented. I refuse to be responsible for the mental illness of perfumers and designers around the world. And for me, “normal” involves scent. I don’t feel normal without it. Nothing in the world makes me happier than that first moment with a new fragrance. It’s like meeting a person for the first time. There’s a process of discovery, a consideration of whether or not the scent is “me”, a memory-making period where scents become associated with locations, emotions, highs, and sadly, sometimes lows. I see people in fragrances: so-and-so is such a Contradiction; she is more of an Ange than a Demon; ecc. Aroma calms me, stimulates me and centers me.
I think it is safe to conclude that for me, aroma is both a hobby AND an addiction, one for which I refuse to seek treatment, unless it involves aromatherapy and then I might reconsider. It is true: My name is Marlen and I am an aromaholic.
The definitions above quoted from Wikipedia.com.
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too cute. "Hello Marlen!" *waves from across group therapy room*
LOL! Bene, if I’m honest, there *are* days when I don’t want to wear perfume, to ‘cleanse the palate’ forse, or maybe to remember what I smell like without scent. Naturalmente, these days are very, very rare!
Are you familiar with Profumo: The Story of a Murderer by the German novelist Patrick Suskind? You probably know it already but, if not, you're in for a synaesthetic treat! It is about a man who is born without scent but searches for the perfect human aroma. It would be worth small breaks away from dissertation.