Saturday, July 28, 2007

The scent of insolence

Guerlain has created a new perfume for Women called "Insolence."

If you're in the mood, they have a website, http://www.insolence.com/.

I'm really surprised that someone else hasn't grabbed that domain name long ago.

Insolence, according to these people, is the "sparkle in the eye of a carefree spirit."

Hmmm. My dictionary defines it as being "disrespectful of custom or authority."

To me, the word is negative; it implies childish disrespect for rules that should be followed, as opposed to rules that are unjust or merely confining. I don't think of some happy hippie dancing in a daisy field but of a bratling who won't give up his seat on the bus for a senior citizen.

6 comments:

Dawn said...

Look at them trying to reach the bad girl in all of us... :p

Wanderlust Scarlett said...

I agree a thousand percent, what a horrible name for any product that one would try to sell, but especially for perfume!

Perhaps the person who came up with the name doesn't have a good education, just a lot of influence.


Scarlett & Viaggiatore (the lion)

Eastcoastdweller said...

You know, if it doesn't sell, the status, if not the name, of the company will be "insolvence(y)." )o:

Eastcoastdweller said...

But Adena, my conception of the word insolence, and I may be wrong, is that it should rightfully apply only to a person who is disrespectful in a childish way.

When a person stands up to oppression, they are not being insolent, although the oppressor may abuse the word and claim insolence.

A teenager who scowls at an old Lady and refuses to give up his seat, is being insolent.

Rosa Parks, who refused to give up Her seat to people whose only justification for it was that She was black and they were white -- was not being insolent, although Her oppressors might have misused the word to describe Her.

Eastcoastdweller said...

I guess I still insist that all those oppressors, the Taliban, slave owners, whatever, would be abusing the term insolent, Adena, because they have no right to be ordering other people around. If Justice is a god somewhere, then ultimately, THEY are the ones being insolent, to Him/Her/It.

Eastcoastdweller said...

I'm looking forward to that discussion - I had no idea we could have so much discussion from a post based on perfume!