What's The 'Smells' PhD Discourse On Twitter About? Dr. Ally Louks' 'Olfactory Ethics' Thesis Explained

A PhD graduate from the University of Cambridge named Dr. Ally Louks went viral on Twitter / X over the weekend for a tweet in which she championed her thesis called "Olfactory Ethics: The Politics of Smell in Modern and Contemporary Prose."

In an odd turn of events, Dr. Louks found herself at the center of viral discourse concerning people's gripes with academia, intellectualism and quote-unquote "woke" culture. Many of the reactions turned nasty as X users devolved into what some perceived as outright misogyny and racism. Her supporters squared off against her detractors in truly the most nothing of burgers.

So, what happened? Why did Dr. Ally Louks' PhD thesis on smells in English literature go viral and why did she receive so much backlash? Let's explain.

Who Is Dr. Ally Louks?

Dr. Ally Louks, real name Amelia Louks, is a teacher at the University of Cambridge who just received her Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) for her thesis called, "Olfactory Ethics: The Politics of Smell in Modern and Contemporary Prose."

According to her staff page on the university website, Dr. Louks originally attended the University of Exeter where she received a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in English Literature. She later received her Master's at London's Global University (UCL).

What Is The 'Olfactory Ethics: The Politics of Smell in Modern and Contemporary Prose' PhD Thesis About?

Dr. Louks became a doctor of philosophy last month after completing her thesis "Olfactory Ethics: The Politics of Smell in Modern and Contemporary Prose."

She shared the abstract on X over the weekend, further explaining the somewhat confusing title. In layman's terms, her thesis is about the function of smell description in English literature from the late 19th century to the present day. She argues that the description of smell can both break down and reinforce power structures divided by race, gender, class and even species.

Why Did This Go Viral On Twitter / X?

Dr. Ally Louks didn't have a major following on X, "the everything app," before she posted about earning her PhD. Last Wednesday, she wrote in a tweet, "Thrilled to say I passed my viva with no corrections and am officially PhDone."

What was supposed to be a positive announcement became a topic of viral debate a few days later when non-followers decided to quote tweet Dr. Louks' post to joke about the seemingly nonsensical, overly heady and likely redundant subject matter. "I kid you not – this is an actual thesis from a PhD…" the original quote tweeter joked.

Her detractors splintered off into different, yet similar criticisms of Dr. Louks' study. "Burn it all to the ground," said one X user, referring to academia as a whole. "10 years of childbearing youth that she'll never regain," said another viral tweet, inferring that she'd not only wasted her time but also the time of the patriarchy's bloodline.

As her opponents got louder, people came to defend Dr. Louks and, in turn, also came to defend academia, intellectualism and women's rights. For instance, in response to "Burn it all to the ground," one X user remarked, "Anti-intellectualism is one of the main characteristics of fascism by the way."

The discussion only got louder from there, throwing itself into the feeds of anyone scrolling on X.

For the full history of Dr. Ally Louks' "Olfactory Ethics: The Politics of Smell in Modern and Contemporary Prose" PhD Study, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's entry for even more information.