Unemployed Kat

Attraction is a funny thing.

As a female with a strangely strong sense of smell, I’m convinced I can sniff out potential mates long before my brain consciously gets in on the process.

There are some men — perfectly attractive guys — who emit an odor so unpleasant it causes the hair on the back of my neck to stand up. The moment they approach me, I’m acutely aware of a pungent stench emanating from their pores.

It’s not that these guys are traditionally smelly per se; They don’t have overpowering B.O. or the kind of sticky mouth plaque that causes bad breath, it’s more that everything about their scent just doesn’t jive with me.

In some cases, there is a sour, greasy smell that seems rooted in their hair or facial scruff. For others, I’ve noticed a too-sweet, puke-y chemical sitting on the tip of their tongue after even just a single sip of beer.

When that face approaches mine, I immediately start gagging.

In contrast, certain people make me melt.

Despite literally no rational reasoning behind the attraction, there have been a handful of humans in my life where everything about their smell tells me… it’s go time.

He’ll open the door, greet me with a quick hug, and the woodsy scent that somehow still radiates from his skin after a long day in the office makes every part of my body hum with desire.

There’s no logical explanation for it. It’s purely chemical.

The molecular differences between The Stinky and The Sexy are probably undetectable to anyone else, but I can’t ignore it. There’s a warm, inviting, almost perfect scent that some people have. It pulls me in and makes me overlook everything else.

You could literally chew on a bulb of garlic and I’d still want our lips pressed together, tongues entwined.

I find it baffling how seemingly random the entire experience is, too.

It’s got to be tied to hormones and pheromones and the animal part of my brain telling me who I should or shouldn’t have babies with, but regardless, in the meantime, it’s kind of a confusing way to approach dating…

Of course, anyone who makes you feel nauseous is immediately out of the running, but should you pursue something serious with someone whose smell makes you swoon at the expense of everything else?

Or, do you settle for someone with a so-so scent if they check every other relationship box?

Is it literally possible to sniff out a husband? Or is that as ridiculous as it sounds?