I have often seen this designation and wondered what it meant. A little research seems to indicate that OG is an abbreviation for Original Gangster. What?!?! Original Gangster??? Where did this epithet originate??? Sounds really bizarre applied to perfume. For that matter, unless you are talking about one of the oldest mobsters in history, it sounds bizarre period.
Just wondering....
It originated in hip-hop culture to mean "original gangster" but is now simply used to refer to the original version of something rather than a variation that came later, for example: "He drives an O.G. Dodge Charger," meaning he drives the original version of the Charger from the 60s rather than the updated look that's been around since 2005. The way it's usually used in the fragrance community is to differentiate the original fragrance from its flankers or reformulation/update.
^^^ I see...well, I just as soon would use OV for Original Version. 😄
I always thought OG was the original as opposed to flankers. I thought it might be with a weird case choice such as OriGinal but knowing it's the Original Gangster is great fun! Thanks for the post!
Glad I’m not the only one. I cannot stand the abbreviation, or what it stands for, or hip-hop, and to me it says someone is too lazy to type out full words, lacks the ability to express themselves and/or wants desperately to be part of some zeitgeist.
Glad I’m not the only one. I cannot stand the abbreviation, or what it stands for, or hip-hop, and to me it says someone is too lazy to type out full words, lacks the ability to express themselves and/or wants desperately to be part of some zeitgeist.
I take your point. If nothing else, I cannot think of any of my perfumes as "gangsters," original or otherwise.
It might be easier to think of it as an idiom of sorts to come out of AAVE. As someone who often "code switches" and occasionally uses AAVE, referring to something as OG makes sense, so long as it isn't taken literally. We also say things like, "Don't throw out the baby with the bath water." No one means that literally (I hope).
I have no idea what AAVE means either! 😄
Expressions can be odd to the say the least. Over my life time I have frequently used the expression "kill two birds with one stone." I am sure we all know what that means. I find it an horrible expression since I am bird lover, but nonetheless, it has been ingrained in me since childhood, and I have yet to find an expression that means the same thing and is less offensive to me, and still I use it.... Go figure....
