Che Guevara Perfume?

Celebrity endorsed perfume is nothing new. Everyone from Paris Hilton to Liz Taylor have had perfumes that smell like a florid whorehouse. But it is rarer for a scent to be named for a socialist guerrilla. A Cuban firm has released a cologne called Ernesto, which is inspired by the controversial Argentine revolutionary. The smell is described as "A woodsy and refreshing citric scent with notes of talcum powder". I don't think that's what Che smelled like. I imagine he smelled like BO and Marxism. I mean, he was up in those mountains for months with rare baths. My family is Cuban and were familiar with some of the revolutionary figures. My aunt went to law school with Fidel and said his dorm room was disgusting.

The same company also created a cologne called Hugo that is inspired by the late Venezuelan leader and cartoon character Hugo Chavez. That one is fruitier...there is a surprise. It's no surprise that Che is being used to sell products. I've been to Cuba and they've slapped Che Guevara on everything from t-shirts to jewelry. It's ironic that a rabid communist would be used in a capitalist enterprise as hocking a perfume. I suppose that people can't control what happens to their memory after their deaths. The Cuban government encourages this kind of hero worship of Guevara. After all, it's part of the complex mythological complex they've built up to replace religion. I'm kind of curious about this cologne. Maybe I'll have my cousin send me some.