colour names, nail polish and cars-these names make consumers want to buy them to be cool by association, self included.
The appeal of lipsticks named Triple Chocolate Parfait or Hot Mama and what they communicate to women and, by extension, others are the subjects of this article. Based on Goffman’s concept of presentation of self and impression management as theory and Barthes’ semiotic model as method, I studied the names of 1,722 lipsticks of 52 national brands. The findings show, beyond simple color names, that most of the lipsticks are named after food, beverages, sex, and romance. The American cultural imperative of beauty prompts many women to doubt their self-worth and keeps attainment of the beauty ideal just out of reach. Understanding how meaning is constructed through lipstick naming is an important step toward apprehending the role of cosmetics in conflating femininity, self-esteem, and body image with the goals of patriarchal hegemony.
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The University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School was interested enough to conduct a study, concluding that the more outlandish and bizarre the color or flavor name of a product, the more likely a consumer is to purchase it (source: The Philadelphia Inquirer). It works. According to a make-up artist for Nars cosmetics, "Orgasm definitely sells totally because of the name." (For any readers who don't live at Sephora, Orgasm is the color name of a Nars blush).
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Article by Emma Forrest in The Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2005/may/14/fiction.features
"Make-up has its practical uses, but for novelist and beauty addict Emma Forrest it is the names that really count - and who wouldn't be seduced by a nail varnish called I'm Not Really A Waitress, or a lipstick called Wanton?"
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