There is no shortage of kinks, fetishes, and sexual preferences out there, but they can be hard to understand if you’re not into them. That said, just because you don’t understand something doesn’t make it wrong, which is something people who practice maschalagnia know all about.
Maschalagnia, also known as axillism, is a type of fetish in which a person gets sexually aroused by armpits, in particular smelling them.
Keep reading to find out a little more about this popular fetish, dispel some misconceptions you may have on the topic, and most importantly, what you can do if you're interested in exploring it.
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Maschalagnia has everything to do with the pheromones released from armpit sweat.
A study conducted by the National Library of Medicine in 2013 showed that the pheromones produced by male sweat, particularly the axillary sweat in the underarm, may help boost the mood of partners and provide a heightened focus for women’s sexual responses, though it's been more popularized by queer men.
Los Angeles-based content creator Will Tantra of Tantric Fitness, who works with people experiencing anything from erectile dysfunction to a desire to explore a kink or fetish, discusses the familiarity with the scent and how it may enhance sexual pleasure.
“If you have a boyfriend, it’s like, ‘Oh, that’s my man,’” he says when I tell him I like to smell my man in the morning. “There’s a familiar scent. You could pick him out of a crowd. You know when you feel that sort of connection, and it might even spark some intimacy.”
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Everybody has different preferences, even when it comes down to the scents. For example, Will doesn’t like his partners fully shaved or full of “lotions and potions” because he’s attracted to authentic presentation, which is something maschalagnia practitioners tend toward.
“Natural body scent is part of that,” he explains. “In regard to Tantra, we learn how to connect with ourselves and others through all of our senses. Scent can be more heightened in some people, just like you might get more aroused when you like what you see. It can also be a part of how a person as an animal relates to their environment more.”
In the same way someone may enjoy watching their loved one move around, Will says the smell “comes to their nose, and then their genitals become aroused, and that begins the breeding process. They’re kind of wired in ways that are related to a primal connection.”
That primal connection is key. “We’re all animals first,” says Will. “There’s even evidence that through scent, there are DNA markers that let us know if a partner is a good mate to be with, based on their level of immunity. Our scent can also identify different hormonal changes. You’re going to smell differently before and after sex, and people can pick up on that.”
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Anytime someone has a kink or a fetish that may otherwise be considered “taboo,” there will always be a long list of misconceptions people have on the topic.
When it comes to sniffing armpits, Will says the biggest misconception outsiders have is that those who practice maschalagnia are dirty. Part of people’s reservations may also center around the bacteria that create the odor, which perpetuates the stigma.
“That is not necessarily true,” he asserts. “Sometimes they’re not clean, yeah, but the amount of scent people have just naturally varies. Like, I can take a shower and use soap under my arms, and 10 minutes later I can sniff my pits and it smells like armpit. Even freshly washed people can smell. The main negative that people have culturally is that a person is either dirty or imposing their fetish or their scent on other people without consent.”
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Although everyone has a different reason or reaction when they smell someone’s armpit, it still has a similar effect to getting high.
For Will, he uses the term “huffing” in the same way people may use the term for sniffing poppers or paint.
“I prefer a natural scent to turn me on, rather than poppers or any sort of chemical,” he says. “I just adopted the same word people use for those chemicals, whether legal or not, to make the armpit a little more relatable and maybe more sexy for people to try. Armpit sniffing is chemical, and the chemical reactions that take place stimulate your desire and don’t require you going to the sex store and buying something that will fry your brain over the years.”
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Fear of judgment is a prime detractor when it comes to exploring your sexual fantasies, but there isn’t a need to be nervous so long as you’re open and communicative with your partner.
“When I play with somebody, I have a full boundaries and preferences and consent conversation,” says Will. “I’ll ask people if they’re into armpits, because if someone finds it stomach churning, you want to know that. I don’t want to turn somebody off before we start.”
Even if you’re nervous, Will encourages to be vocal about your interests. “You could be totally into pits and go to stuff your face in one and get a strong whiff of deodorant instead, so it goes both ways.”
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Will says that if sniffing armpits is enjoyable to you, it could also be linked to a subconscious memory that gets triggered.
“Maybe it’s older males and your family smelled that way when you were going through your early sexual awakening,” he says. “For me, it’s the locker room. When I was going through puberty and started exploring my sexuality, that scent became very familiar and comforting. Scent is comforting and familiar, so that trigger could be a reason people do it.”
The taboo side of things can also be appealing to people because they might get some sort of thrill out of feeling “naughty” or that they might get caught.
Still, Will says he thinks sexual preferences, gender expressions, and fetishes are overall becoming less judged and demonized, thanks to the internet.
“Previously, if you were into armpits, you might just think you’re the only one,” he says, which specifically impacted people in smaller towns more than those in the city. With the internet, people “feel like they’re more normal and see their fetishes are welcomed and represented all over the internet. Events like Folsom Street in San Francisco and Berlin get bigger every year. Those types of events typically shun deodorant.”
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You may think you’re alone in your interest, fetish, or kink, but, good news you're not. There are so many people out there who shares your preferences and desires.
If you’re ever in San Francisco, the Powerhouse bar has a monthly Stank night, which includes Ripe Pit Contests and Shirts-off Specials.
In any city you go, a hunt for a gay bar with the name “Eagle” in it will also land you where you want to go, as it usually caters to leather and other kink subcultures with over 30 locations nationwide.
Pheromone in New York City occurs every third Thursday at the Nowhere Bar and is specifically catered to let people put their faces in other people’s pits.
At those types of places, Will says that it’s “expected that you wouldn’t have any sort of foreign or applied scent to your body and that you would just be naturally scented.” He also says these are the best type of spaces to go to if you’re looking to explore.
Outside of some of the dedicated spaces, there are plenty of online areas where you can meet like-minded people, including the dating apps that provide you with your closest pool of options.
