This is the third in the Readers Guest Post Series.
Welcome Laddie!
I’ve read all of Bobby Michaels’ books but when I think of his work there are two words that come to mind: Jock Dorm. The Jock Dorm series is what Michaels is best known for and there are two reasons for that.
1.) The stories are sweet and simple
2.) The fetishes…oh, the fetishes.
The first book in the Jock Dorm series, Dar and Gregg, introduced me to a fetish I’d never heard of before. The main character, Dar, has a thing for jockstraps. Yeah, he likes the way guys look in them but mostly he likes the sweaty, musky, slightly pissy smell of a dirty jockstrap. The first scene with him lying on a bed, dirty jockstrap over his face, huffing the stink while sucking on the fabric…that first scene had me sitting there a little stunned. I’d just gotten a peek into a world I didn’t even know existed.
Later on in the book it’s revealed that Gregg is uncircumcised and there’s a substance that collects under his foreskin; smegma a.k.a cock cheese. Dar loves the pungent smell of it and the tangy taste. He feasts on it like it’s a delicacy. Once again Michaels was writing about the man’s love of strong funk.
Was there a name for these men that got off on smells? It turns out there is. Scent pigs.
I haven’t run into many fetishes in M/M Romancelandia and of the ones I have encountered, the scent pig phenomenon fascinates me the most.
What is it that makes these men so hot for raunchy smells? This is a question that I wasn’t going to be able to answer on my own. So, I did what anyone would do; I asked someone.
Emu is a lovely young man who loves man smells with a passion. My questions to him were highly opinion based and his answers are interesting. His sense of humor and general awesomeness shines through while he gives us a glimpse of what makes him a scent pig.
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Laddie: So, one thing I’ve wondered about since learning about scent pigs is whether or not you guys always bypass anything that would mask your natural scent? Are things like deodorant and lotion a no-no or do you only go all natural when sex is on the horizon?
Emu: Well, depends on your personal situation. I use lotion 2 times a day, and shower 2 times a day. I use a natural unscented lotion, and natural soaps. As for deodorant it depends on the week. What I mean by that is sometimes I treat my body like crap, in turn it smells like it. So, when I’m on a PERFECT food regimen I go without all day. Even at the gym. But, some days it’s inappropriate in a professional setting, so I’ll buck up and put some natural deodorants on.
Some guys, go hard. All day, every day. NOTHING. I am just not one of those guys, I’m constantly walking somewhere, and sweating like CRAZY.
It’s just impractical… For me.
Laddie: How did you figure out that you were a scent pig? Was it just something that grew on you or is it something that’s always been arousing?
Emu:I had giggled at a silly movie in the 90s, where a gay guy pretended to be straight, and begged to lick this woman’s armpits, saying that was the sexiest part of a mans body…. I don’t remember the name, sadly. But that’s when it started. My curiosity peaked and I remember hearing about pheromones in health class…
I was a total fatass at the time, I didn’t know sweat was, didn’t know where it came from. And if you asked me when I sweat most, I would’ve told you “When you catch me eating Doritos in my room and try to take the bag.”
During my first Grindr hookup, in the backseat of a car (like a classy gent- of course), my hot bottom lifted his arms behind his head, and as I went to lick and bite his neck…. I just couldn’t control it. I shoved my face in his pits and licked like I was trying to get to the center of a tootsie pop! He LOVED IT. That’s when it all started…
Laddie: The huffing of jockstraps; the raunchier the better? Is there a point where a smell is just too rank?
Emu: For me, I do have a point of no return. If you reach that point with me, there is no turning back, I won’t be able to huff your ‘strap again. It’s personal. I am so scent and sight based during sex, I can’t turn off my scent memory.
The point is around the time when it smells like a men’s restroom at a public park during the peak of summer…. Right beyond that. That’s my personal line. I’ve had guys beg me to go way beyond for them.
Laddie: Smegma! Before I read about it in a M/M Romance I didn’t even know about smegma. It seems like in books it’s damn near a delicacy. Is finding an uncut guy like hitting the jackpot for you?
Emu: Hah! I honestly had to google that! It’s easy to explain in a book why it’s a delicacy, for me cut or uncut doesn’t matter much. As long as there is a cock throbbing in my face….
Laddie: Which smells, in your experience, tend to be favorites for most men?
Emu: Sweat is a texture, and smell I think every man secretly loves. It’s like nothing else.
Laddie: Does taste play a part too?
Emu: For me your sweat tells me lots of things, I am a self proclaimed sweat connoisseur. I can tell how well you care for yourself from your taste. Self worth means a lot to me, so in the confusing wiring of my brain, it means a GREAT deal.
Laddie: I’ve heard of the site NaughtyBids, so are there other sites like it where people with a scent fetish can buy or trade each other’s dirty jockstraps and things?
Emu: Have you heard the statement “Where there is mud, the pigs will play?”
It’s true… Naughtybids is very popular, but I’ve exchanged jocks on twitter, tumblr, and even Facebook! Like I said… The pigs will play.
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Emu’s answers made me wonder about something that I’ve questioned a lot since I first read a Bobby Michaels book. How come more authors don’t write about the scent pig fetish? It’s out there and there are more than a few men who are into it. There are so many different angles from which the subject can be approached. Emu mentioned that, for him, a person’s taste says something about how well they take care of themselves and that matters to him. It would be amazing to read about a character with such a detailed fetish.
The Jock Dorm series continues to be one of my favorites in the M/M Romance genre mostly because of the fact that the sex in it is so different and so much raunchier that what’s found in most books. Now, I can only hope that some author will stumble upon the scent pig fetish and decide to work it into a story because it’s just so naughty in such a fascinating way.
Author Bio: Laddie stumbled upon M/M Romance years ago and immediately fell in love with the stories. She’s a contributor on The LL’s Word: A Blog For M/M Romance Readers. Other places to find her are Twitter (@La_La_Laddie) and Goodreads.
Thank you Laddie. I seriously was fascinated by this article.
Please leave your comments for Emu and Laddie below.
Edited to add a link to Naughtybids