FORGET MATCH.COM, LET'S GO TO A PHEROMONE PARTY!

     Here in the States, many single people rely on sites like Match.com to find a mate. Well, London has found a new way for single people to find a partner and no the women in this photo are not getting high from sniffing the contents in this bag. I'm about to tell you why she's laughing her ass off. 

     So, in a bar in trendy east London, dozens of singles mill about, sniffing plastic bags. There are no drugs inside, just slightly stinky t-shirts. These adventurous single men and women are at a "Pheromone Party." That's right! It's the alternative dating trend based on the idea that smell plays a key role in the choice of a sexual partner. I mean, this has to be true. There's no way someone with my looks can land the woman I'm about to marry. She's definitely way out of my league, as my comedian friend Don Jamieson says. So, my scent must've attracted her to me. 

     Anyway, each attendee at the party agreed to wear the same cotton T-shirt for three nights in a row, sans deodorant or perfume, and then they were instructed to bring the shirt to the party. The clothing, infused with the pure scent of the wearer's body, are placed in transparent plastic bags with numbers on colored labels--Pink for women and blue for the men. Organizer Judy Nadel encouraged the partygoers, "Smell as many bags as you like, have fun!" 

     At first there was some nervous laughter, then there was a sudden rush for the bags, which were laid out on a big table in the middle of the room. Some people opened the bags carefully, taking a timid sniff, while others plunge their noses right inside. Those who get a sniff of their dream partner, snap a photo of themselves with the bag. The images are then projected onto the wall and the lucky owners of the chosen T-shirts have a chance to meet their admirers. Nadel says, "It's such a weird concept. It's a huge ice-breaker because you are smelling a stranger's T-shirt. You can't be cool or pretentious. The idea was inspired by a 1995 experiment by a Swiss scientist, Claus Wedekind and the belief that pheromones, chemicals that are fundamental to the sexual behavior of animals, can also be picked up by humans. 

     I have to admit that this is a pretty interesting concept and with sites like Match.com so popular, I can see this happening here in the States. I can imagine these parties happening in New York City, especially in Brooklyn. I'm just happy that I'm no longer single. If I had to go to a party like this....Actually, I don't think I would go to a party like this. If I did, I would wear that t-shirt for the three days, while I ate Indian food for every single one of those days so that my T-shirt smelled like curry so bad that when anyone smelled my bag, they would run to the bathroom to vomit. To me, that's more fun!