Nancy at Fritinancy (formerly Away With Words) touches on the Divine:

But enough about Patty. Let’s talk about the dog. Specifically, the dog’s name. On paper she’s “Shann’s Legally Blonde.” But she picks up her ears and smiles a doggy smile when you call her “Diva.”

Then again, who doesn’t? Once upon a time, the term (which means “goddess” in Italian) was applied highly selectively, and with all due respect, to opera megastars such as Maria Callas. These days, everyone with a pair of X chromosomes is a diva. We’re so democratic! Divacratic, even.

Nancy, who makes a living by naming and helping to brand new products, goes on to list a series of Diva-centric product names (not all that I’d care to reprint here). A sampling:

Zappos, the online shoe store, features four pages of shoes code-named Diva, including the Gel-Dirt Diva 2 running shoe and the Diaper Dude Divas Diaper Bag. (Divas do diapers?)

“The Diva” is Old Navy’s name for its lowest-rise jeans.

Diva Furniture sells furniture in Los Angeles and Seattle.

Viva Diva, a clothing boutique not far from where I live, gets points for rhyming.

Diva Espresso, which has four Seattle locations, gets points for referring to itself as “she” (“Diva paid her growing-pains dues…”).

Surf Diva offers surfing lessons in San Diego.

Then there’s the sisterhood of blogging divas: Cooking Diva, Techie Diva (pink! pink! pink!), Retail Design Diva (which had a nice post a few months ago on why store mannequins no longer smile).

What, no Mall Diva? Perhaps she’s lost her Diva cred? Maybe she needs to take the Are You a Diva? quiz or the What Decade Diva Are You? test.

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