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<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; The world sure has changed over the decades, but one question must be asked &#8212; do we smell better?</p><p>It seems there are thousands of fragrances out there today, for women and men, that are named after most high fashion designers and cost more for a few ounces than a weekend down the shore back in the day.</p><p>How far we have come!</p><p>Anyway, the whole idea of splashing on a favorite perfume or fragrance can cause quite a debate &#8212; especially with men. There are many men out there who reluctantly use an aftershave or cologne because their significant other demands it.</p><p>I know some of these guys. They would rather emit the sweet smell of a good cigar, or a recently downed elk or a near-record bass than any sweet-smelling concoction that cost more than their brand-new Nikes.</p><p>So the debate on whether a real man should ever smell of a high-priced cologne will go on forever. But the mere thought of where this all started intrigues me.</p><p>The only point of reference I have is my dad, who fought in World War II, lost his right leg, then returned home and worked his entire life to support his wife and kid. A man&#8217;s man, for sure.</p><p>My dad was always well-groomed and on Saturday nights, he smelled good too.</p><p>I have memories of watching my dad shave as he got ready to take my mom out for the evening. He would cover his beard with Barbasol shaving cream and then put a new blade in his double-edged razor &#8212; the kind with a blade on both sides that were very sharp.</p><p>After shaving, dad would wash the excess shaving cream off his face and then splash on some aftershave lotion &#8212; usually Old Spice &#8212; and he would apply a generous amount. At this age, I had no idea of the apparent amorous effects Old Spice had on my mom.</p><p>Dad would then take some Vitalis Hair Lotion and rub it into his wavy head of hair. After a few swipes with his comb, dad was ready to go.</p><p>These are fond memories for me. I also know my mom had her routine, but I don&#8217;t know any details. Whatever she did, my dad was very appreciative.</p><p>Whenever I go to a drugstore, I like to check out the fragrance and shaving aisles. And you might be surprised to learn that many of those favorites of yesteryear are still around.</p><p>For instance, you can still purchase Brylcreem &#8212; &#8220;a little dab&#8217;ll do ya&#8221; &#8212;Vitalis, Aqua Velva, Hai Karate, Brut, English Leather, British Sterling, Old Spice, Canoe, Pinaud, Lectric Shave and Barbasol.</p><p>I&#8217;m sure I&#8217;m missing many others, perhaps some of your favorites.</p><p>On a recent national radio show, a former NBA all-star was a guest. He was trying to talk about basketball, offering his opinions on the state of the game and which team might win the title this year. But all the radio host and others in the studio wanted to know was what fragrance he was wearing.</p><p>Now the NBA guy, a 7-footer no less, was more than reluctant to reveal his &#8220;go-to&#8221; fragrance. But the radio people just kept hammering away until the NBA guy finally revealed the fragrance.</p><p>Now, perhaps, listeners could hear what the NBA guy had to say about, well, the NBA.</p><p>This 15-minute stand-off between the radio guys and the NBA guys got me to thinking &#8212; do real men wear cologne and aftershave? The answer is, of course they do. Do other real men prefer not to wear such fragrances? Again, of course.</p><p>Does it matter? Should it matter? Of course not.</p><p>But if you are a fragrance-wearing kind of guy, my suggestion is to never wear it when you are around your non-fragrance-wearing friends. You will be abused. But it won&#8217;t stop them from smoking their cigars. That&#8217;s OK.</p><p>My limited research on this matter has revealed a few facts &#8212; whether or not a man wears a fragrance does not affect his performance in the athletic arena, in the business world, or on the lakes and streams. In fact, I have some reason to believe that large Northern Pike are attracted to bait with a slight scent of Old Spice.</p><p>The real lesson here is that wearing a fragrance should be done with some discretion. Consider your smelling audience &#8212; when around those who are receptive to such scents, by all means splash it on generously.</p><p>And when around card-playing, bait-casting, cigar-smoking friends, leave the cap on the fragrance bottle and, maybe, light up a cigar.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Bill O&#8217;Boyle </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/web1_Columnshot-2-.jpg</photo0><caption0>Bill O&#8217;Boyle </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Bill O&#8217;Boyle</p><p>boboyle@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Bill O&#8217;Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle, or email at boboyle@www.timesleader.com.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Beyond the Byline: Choose wisely when you wear a fragrance