Pop culture insists men who wear flowers, or floral fragrances, are somehow betraying their “masculinity.” Except for the occasional boutonnière, the message is everywhere: “Real men don’t wear flowers.” Do it, and suddenly you’re sending the wrong signal (or so they say). Brands like Axe and Old Spice have made millions feeding that fear. Here’s advice from the January 2013 issue of Esquire:

“When a man wants to smell like a man, who wants to smell like a cologne, there is one family of scents that he should turn to: wood.”

Wood. Really. Sounds like a bad joke, right? Historically, it’s also completely wrong. Up until the late 18th century, nothing could be further from the truth.

Perfume began in Persia, India, and Egypt, and flowers were everywhere. Men and women alike wore them. Fragrance wasn’t about gender, it was about status, where the most precious ingredients were reserved for royalty. Flowers were sacred, gifts from the gods, tiny pieces of heaven you could carry. Wearing them, or even smelling them, brought you closer to the divine.

In Egypt, the story starts with the lotus. Amen Ra emerges from the waters of Nun inside a lotus blossom. The flower stands for the sun, creation, and rebirth. It opens with the day and closes at night. It also symbolizes Upper Egypt, appearing alongside papyrus in pharaohs’ crowns to mark unity with Lower Egypt (the ankh).

Nefertem, god of healing and beauty, is often depicted wearing a lotus crown. Oils from lotus flowers appeared in perfumes, cosmetics, and unguents, worn by men and women alike. Egyptians even sniffed lotus before entering temples, a small ritual to touch the divine. Lotus is just one example of how flowers shaped daily life in ancient Egypt.

Yes, Virginia, the great Caesar wore roses. Romans loved flowers in religious ceremonies, and no flower commanded more attention than the rose. A symbol of love, desire, and strength, it still carries the same weight today.

The Greeks introduced roses to Rome, and myths followed. Eros, the god of love—and an anagram of “rose”—is said to have gifted the first bloom. Roman baths were scented with rose petals, marking elites apart from commoners. Streets were strewn with petals during games, processions, and military parades. Cleopatra reportedly scattered petals at Mark Antony’s feet. True Roman men wore roses.

Alexander the Great, one of history’s greatest warriors, also loved roses. He studied botany, grew his own, and carried them everywhere he conquered. Yes, a warrior and a rose lover at the same time.

In Japan, an old proverb says:

“In flowers the cherry blossom, in men the samurai.”

The cherry blossom is Japan’s national flower and a symbol of beauty, transience, and the Samurai spirit. When the blossoms fall, they do so all at once, decisive and fearless. Every spring, Sakura Matsuri celebrates them with song, dance, and poetry. The scent shows up in rituals for men and women alike, a fragrant reminder that courage and beauty go together.

Across civilizations, beauty was a virtue sought by men and women alike. Fragrance wasn’t about gender, it was a shared way to show status, artistry, and ritual. Chrysanthemum in China, jasmine in India, tuberose in Polynesia, everywhere you look, flowers mattered.

Today, the idea that flowers threaten masculinity is just a myth, albeit a profitable one. The truth is simple: the most masculine thing about any fragrance is you, your confidence, your presence, and the way you wear it. Wear what makes you feel like yourself.

History is clear: real men have, can, and do wear flowers.