By Kari Milchman

Last Tuesday, The New York Times announced the addition of a new column called Scent Strip, which will include reviews of classic perfumes and even scented candles. The new critic, Chandler Burr, author of The Emperor of Scent: A True Story of Perfume and Obsession, will utilize a four-star rating system, which, one could imagine, ranges from no stars for scents that reek of body odor to four stars for ones that, like Axe body spray, apparently work like pheromones. According to The Times’ press release, Burr believes fragrance to be “one of the highest art forms” and that, like painting and music, it, too, deserves “serious criticism.” Wait, we’re talking about toilet water here, right? Perhaps such innovative analysis is a response to the ban placed on perfume in carry-on luggage after the thwarted trans-Atlantic terrorist attack earlier this month. Many passengers were forced to leave behind expensive bottles of Gucci and Cartier like they were unnecessary frivolities. Well it seems the people at The Times just won’t stand for such a crude perspective and have taken it upon themselves to imbue fragrance with the importance it deserves.