Rose, C’est La Vie: How Perfume Helped Shape the 20th Century

Perfume is having a renaissance—influencing TikTok trends, podcast obsessions, and in-store buzz. But long before the viral bottle hauls, scent played a powerful role in shaping American material culture.

In this interactive lecture, Nellie Beckett explores how rose perfumes mirrored the major moments of the 20th century—from pop culture to advertising, gender politics to consumer desire. Perfume wasn’t just a beauty product; it was a cultural signal, an emotional technology, and a reflection of who we thought we were.

Join us for a look at how something as fleeting as scent can leave a lasting imprint on how we tell stories about ourselves and our past.

Nellie Beckett is community engagement producer at the Gulf States Newsroom, a public radio collaborative covering Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana. She's a passionate advocate and connector of programs and people whether teaching workshops, leading discussion, building communities or running events. She also writes, learns, and teaches…