I never would have imagined sitting down to write a review of an underarm deodorant…. but I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised. One of my earliest articles, submitted 10 years ago to my University newspaper ‘The Gauntlet’, referenced Secret’s advertising campaign ’strong enough for a man, but made for a woman’. At the time, it offended my feminist sensibilities to the point that I vowed never to use their product again.

The truth of the matter is that I’m not a big fan of deodorant. Most women’s underarm products are too strongly scented – usually with an undertone of baby powder. Why does our culture want women to smell like babies? Do we need to mask the evidence of real physical exertion with the scent of pure innocence? Well, in a schizophrenic society, if my only two options are to aspire to be a virgin or a whore, I’m gonna have to choose……. well, not virgin. I despise the smell of baby powder.

Imagine my surprise upon finding a line of new deodorants by Secret, one of which (the ‘Asian Pear’) having completely captivated my nose and my loyalty. It’s scent is fruity and light (kind of reminds me of a good Bath and Body Works product), and it’s a reasonably good ‘invisible’ solid. The scent is so different from the norm that I actually find myself surruptitiously taking a sniff mid-day. I keep trying to convince myself that I’m checking to see if it works, but the truth is, I’m kind of thrilled by the smell. I could beat myself up for selling out my feminist ideals, but my therapist has me working on positive self-talk, so I guess I’ll just have to forgive my underarm indescretion. Give it a try girls, you won’t be disappointed!

© Copyright 2008.

All Rights Reserved. All Wrongs Avenged.