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pheromone party (n) a social gathering where attendees choose anonymous mates based entirely on scent
What Claire missed most about dating pre-Covid was the smell of a lover, the feeling of waking up next to someone completely engulfed in their scent. She fondly remembered going to raucous pheromone parties in Miami before everything abruptly shut down.
This week’s term is something that, in the times of Covid-19, might become a disappearing cultural relic. Remember parties? Remember teeming, undulating masses where perspiring revelers pressed up against each other, shouting unintelligibly into each other’s faces? Neither do I. Well, in this bygone era of large group gatherings, there existed such a thing as a pheromone party, which we’re discussing today purely because of how uniquely terrible it would be in our pandemic-panicked milieu.
At pheromone parties, a pleasure-seeker uses scent instead of outdated Hinge photos to find a prospective match. Those who sign up to attend the party are instructed to wear a clean white T-shirt for several days in a row, and then bring the pheromone-doused garment to the party in a sealed plastic bag. The bag is placed in a pile with everyone else’s shirts, and partygoers trade off smelling the clothes and writing down sniff notes for the ones they were most drawn to. Based entirely on scent, they eventually pick potential mates they want to get to know better.
The science of pheromones when it comes to human attraction is still largely theoretical, but it’s fun to think that the chemicals our bodies constantly secrete could be the key to finding our perfect match.
Like so many things—movie theaters, water parks, bras—the delight of inhaling a romantic interest’s essence has been lost to coronavirus. Sure, people are getting creative with dating or hooking up via Zoom, but you still can’t replicate breathing deeply into someone’s chest or getting that delicate whiff of overpriced hair conditioner they busted out for this special occasion. Thinking back to a period when the idea of a pheromone party was even possible shows how much our lives have changed. But it also gives us hope for a time when we can return to the full-dimensional, all-senses-engaged version of our intimate lives.