CULTURAL STUDIES: FRAGRANCE & APHRODISIACS

Aphrodisiacs are foods, scents, and sensations that people swear can boost libido, stimulate arousal, or enhance sexual performance. Materials like cacao, cinnamon, jasmine, and musk have reputations for “turning people on,” but aphrodisiacs aren’t just substances, they’re stories. 

In this Valentine’s Day special class, we’ll explore how fragrant materials got their erotic associations through medicine, religion, colonial trade, and advertising. We’ll smell raw materials and fragrances to learn how “sexy” becomes its own category, and ask what gets erased when desire is bottled, branded, and sold.