Hey Hey APJ Friends and Family,
Are you ever too freaked out by a bottle, fragrance name or even advertising to go near it? For years now I have steered clear of today’s fragrance because the name felt like such an obvious Drag Queen thing. It’s like Thierry and his crew were delving for drag expression, rather than feminine power or woman as equals or even the power of woman. Let’s put some ripe fig that when cut looks like a woman’s vagina “Snicker, snicker”, lets put some fishy caviar in “snicker, snicker” and lets call it the most beyond UBER womanly word we can invent “Snicker, snicker” and the Drag Queens will love it. HA HA HA HA!! Back slapping and belly laughs all round.
That was how I had envisaged the creation of
Womanity by Thierry Mugler 2010
Photo Stolen Fragrantica
Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Fig fruit, caviar, fig leaf, fig wood
Why then am I writing about Womanity? What changed? Well mainly I changed. I had had a couple of decants and run through them in no time, ashamedly, then it was there in the store day before yesterday as a tester and I spritzed it like crazy. I thought, “In for a penny, in for a pound!” This is day two surrounded by its rich figgy/saline goodness, its rich sweetness cut through with wood and salt that is so beautiful and dramatic because I went back today and bought a bottle. Womanity is an elegant and fun fragrance that is exactly as two faced as we all are, light/dark, strong/weak, sweet/savoury, good/bad. All the parts that go to make us up seem to be reflected in the very short Womanity story that lasts forever. I can’t remember such staying power in a fragrance and so linear that I woke up this morning, after spritzing in the afternoon and having a bath before bed, still smelling of Womanity. Extraordinary!!
Photo Stolen PaperBlog
How does it make me feel? It feels like a second skin actually. A beautiful, magical, alluring and enchanting second skin. After about 10 hours my own sweaty smell comes through and makes it a thorough skank fest, deliciously and naughtily unkempt. In fact I smell like morning me plus salty fig. Disgusting but oddly compelling, Jin thinks I smell FAN TAS TIC! I smell salty/briny and sweet fig jam with a woodsy whisper and sweaty bloke. I would love to smell how Womanity worked on a male athlete, I would love it even more if it was called something else. Candy Perfume Boy says, “‘Womanity’ is intended to be a portmanteau of the words ‘Woman’ and ‘Community’” which kind of clarifies the thinking and gets me at dead wrong but I still think it’s dumb.
Further reading: The Candy Perfume Boy and Perfume Shrine
FragranceNet starts at around $12/10ml and has $31/50ml before coupon
My Perfume Samples starts at $2/ml
Were you scared off by Womanity or did you love it from day 1?
See you tomorrow,
Portia xx
Australian Perfume Junkies 
You have articulated why I have been put off by this fascinating fragrance. I disagree on only one point. Marketers are big brother mad scientists of psychological manipulation. They say something harmless like ‘community,’ fine. They’re covering their asses. Because they know, in frightening detail, about every association and double meaning of their manipulative devices, which, not coincidentally, are built on and generally advance the most small-minded and bigoted aspects of our cultural mainstreams. I also read ‘Womanity’ as existing in relation to ‘Humanity.’ Cute? I guess. Feminist? Hell no. A problem? Yup.
Now that you’ve named the beast I feel free to enjoy its contents, and I will. Thank you.
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Thanks LeatherMountain,
Sometimes I feel like they are riding us. They probably are.
Do enjoy it now, wear it with abandon.
Portia xx
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Sure they are. Sometimes we have to take them down. Sometimes We Ride Them.
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It’s Mugler! It’s got a weird name, it’s sold in department stores. I haven’t come within a 3 meter circling radius of this one. Guess I need to change my attitude and go in for a spritz, especially since we can be scent twins on so many things. Sigh, as if I need one more scent in my collection. Tee hee.
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Ha Ha ha! Tatiana, if you don’t get to the Department Store frag floor sometimes you miss magic. Not too often but sometimes. I am glad I finally tried it.
Portia xx
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I’m sorry but I hated it! It repulsed me and offended me in equal measure. It was like rancid pastry, oh and then the savoury note! I was vehemently offended by this. However, that’s part of the fun of perfume. It can evoke extreme reactions, and even emotions in you. Great review though Portia!
best wishes
Samantha
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YAY! Samantha, I love that you hated this. It’s what I wanted to do. That’s exactly what I was gearing up to but dang-nab-it I fell in LOVE.
Portia xx
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Thanks Portia. I wanted to hate Alien but ended up trying it and really liking it. Only in tiny doses though… 🙂
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Hated it at first sniff but then, I wanted to smell it again. Now I have a bottle and a back up bottle. I love it.
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Ha Ha Ha! We are TWINS Poodle. What a scent!!
Portia xx
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Like Poodle, I hated Womanity at first. Hated the name, hated the pink juice, hated the bottle. Then it grew on me. I don’t hate it anymore and in fact, I really admire it.
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Funny how we change and grow BaconBiscuit212. This perfume thing is constantly opening my mind to new experiences.
And it’s fun.
WOMANITY ROCKS!!
Portia x
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I’m embarrassed to say I never really thought about all the implications of the name. I thought it was silly but I tend to ignore the names and the marketing, mostly—until I read your take on it, and Leathermountain’s comments above.
But this raises the question, should we avoid a fragrance because the marketing behind it is annoying or offensive? Or not appreciate a book or a painting because we don’t agree with the author’s or painter’s politics, etc.? My instinct is to just take it for what it is, or else there would be so much I’d have to pass up. Very interesting discussion, though!
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Hey Janice,
If CHANEL were alive today with her racism and bigotry I would not buy her product. There are a couple of frag teams I won’t buy due to their recent history.
Though I feel that Bertrand Duchaufour was put in a position that he was blind to, and hadn’t seriously thought out any implications because he was just doing his job.
Part of someones work is going to have their politics mixed into it and there are times I am convinced of the persons bad intention.
Usually marketing etc passes me by, others it grates my very last nerve. Mercurial? A bit.
I am glad you came and commented, I hope my rant hasn’t put a downer on your day. That is my personal credo and it’s just for me, you don’t need to agree. In fact, I love that you like to enjoy every bit.
Portia xx
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Now that you mention it there is at least one company that I wouldn’t buy from either… and I suppose we each have to decide where to draw that line—what’s merely annoying marketing vs. what is actually damaging and something we just will not support. But I will definitely be more aware of it.
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I know exactly what you mean about the aversion to name(s), bottles or ads, I have a list of those (I really do 🙂 ). As to Womanity… I liked the perfume from the first time I tried it but I get tired of it when I wear it (I have a couple of samples). I would have baught the smallest bottle if it camewith the sprayer but probably I won’t buy any since I don’t think I can wear it often.
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Heya Undina,
Yeah, I have a list too. Seems like I need to go and smell a couple of them though because this baby sings on my skin. It smells like magic and lasts for ages.
A little bit in love,
Portia xx
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I can’t believe how much I loOOoove Womanity. Mugler surely is the king of ‘out there’ fragrances, and Womanity is no exception. It’s a powerhouse with huge sillage and longevity – it just keeps keeping on. It’s certainly not for a faint hearted wall flower because you’ll sure get noticed when you wear this. His refillable bottles are a $$ saver too. I bow before the great Thierry Mugler.
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TOTALLY with you on this Waltzing Matilda. He is a cool guy with a nerve of steel to release these outrageous frags. Some of his flankers are SHITE though, he he he.
Portia xx
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To tell you the truth, I was turned off by the whole thing, the name, the notes and decided not to try it. I kept on hearing so much positiveness about it that one day I just walked into Priceline and sniffed, then inhaled, then sniffed again…hmmm I thought, if I was a mermaid I would smell like this! I like it, but not enough to buy a bottle 😉
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Ha Ha Ha! If I was a MERMAID I’d smell like this. Amarah, that is the quote of the WEEK! You need to start writing for us
Portia xx
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I’ve been Team Womanity since its launch. I love it. I think it’s weird and creative; yet, wearable. And I love the Giger-esque meets Metropolis bottle. But, the name, oh, the name. It’s dumb.
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YAY!! I am on board with VICTORIA! Weird, creative AND wearable. Thierry Mugler all over.
Portia xx
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I dunno-fishy caviar i don’t think so, i can’t do skank in the form of a bacterial infection, just sayin. But hey i tryed girlfriend the other day and didn’t hate it so, i will try for sure. Maybe not on myself though, paper strip please.
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You are VERY wise PatriciaC. Sometimes I wish I’d used a paper strip. Womanity is salty, not fishy on my skin, salted fig in a thousand layers but basically linear.
Portia xx
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Oh gosh i tryed a few fragrances this past week that i hated and i scrubbed and scrubbed and still took overnight to wear off. I wonder if my cats would think of Womanity? Amarah says:if I was a mermaid I would smell like this!
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When I first smelled Womanity my reaction was a sort of muted ‘well done Mugler’ vibe. Now I can only see it as nothing short of a stroke of genius – there is simply nothing else quite like it on Earth. Great review!
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Thank you CPB,
He knows how to rock a frag doesn’t he. When I come to the UK next year we will have to step out as Womanity scent twins.
Portia xx
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THIS MUST HAPPEN!!!! I wouldn’t miss it for the world.
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I thought the bottle was really cool-looking but the name was stupid. However, that was before you pointed out the whole fish/caviar angle of it (what can I say? I can be naïve) so now I’m….. not so thrilled.
In the end, it doesn’t really matter for me because Womanity is a HOT MESS on my skin. Thankfully I have other figs I can wear, but dagnabit, I really do like that bottle.
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That is the bummer of the year Dionne, I am sad that Womanity doesn’t work for you. GRRRR! I have fallen quite madly in love with it though.
When we FINALLY meet it will be so interesting to compare the way frags react on us.
Portia xx
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LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!
I loved Womanity from the first sniff! I still love and I it will always have a special place in my heart as it was the first Thierry Mugler perfume I tested! I tested it because people used to trash talk Womanity on Fragrantica, as I like to try perfumes, and not only perfumes that people usually hate. This why I fell in love with Womanity but also with Mugler!
Love, love, love! Thank you for the great review!
XOXO
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