View Message

Why is it called "guilty pleasures"?
What's to feel guilty about, really? That you like certain names? Who on earth would be harmed by that?
I don't get it.
Archived Thread - replies disabled
vote up1

Replies

I take it to mean names that you like but deem unusable for reasons other than personal associations, or like others have said, make you feel guilty because you know they're bad (say, if you liked Renesmee or Nevaeh). I don't call any of the names I like guilty pleasures, because I don't feel guilty about them and I'm probably not having kids. However, if I were to have children I have an idea of what I'd consider usable and not. For instance, I love the name Arshtat because of a character in a video game (it actually originates in Zoroastrianism) but know that it wouldn't work on an actual child.
vote up1
The names that I refer to as my "guilty pleasures" are names that diverge from my usual style and/or seem like a bad idea to use in real life due to associations that could result in teasing, etc. I don't actually feel guilty for liking them. The term "guilty pleasure" is thrown around so much that it seems to have lost most of its original meaning in the majority of cases. I still use the term despite that, though.
vote up1
I've considered this point of view before.
I like the names Nemo and Symphony and Vyvyan and Chloris.
Sure, there are reasons keeping me from ever using most of them, but do I REALLY have to guilt trip myself over it as well?
vote up1
-That they're names that have all that makes a bad name in my eyes- That I think naming a child that would be doing him or her a disservice.
vote up1
The term itself just means something that you like to indulge in that you know you "shouldn't." Like a stupid TV show or piece of cheesecake. So with names it should just mean names that you like that by your name standards should be bad. But people tend to apply the term to any name you like but wouldn't use, which is using the term pretty loosely.
vote up1
Yes, this is exactly what I was thinking but worded more elegantly. For guilty pleasure names are names that I love but would never use on an actual child because if I did they'd be justified in killing me in my sleep, like Zarathustra. As opposed to Emily which I love but can't use it because it's my cousins name, I don't think that makes it a guilty pleasure.
vote up1
The guilty feeling of knowing the name shouldn't be used due to people's misconceptions.
vote up1
That's not YOUR problem, is it? As long as you don't use it for a child, I mean.

This message was edited 9/25/2012, 10:39 AM

vote up1
I guess that is correct. But there's some names I would say would be awesome if I was in Eastern Europe or Japan that wouldn't be so pleasant in the English speaking world.
vote up1
Sometimes it refers to names you wouldn't use but still like or appreciate, and sometimes it means that the name isn't your style at all. I'd use "guilty pleasure" to describe a name that I like but would classify as 'trendy', since I don't like 'trendy' names as a general rule. Like if you generally don't like a certain genre of music, but you end up liking one or two songs from that genre. I think people also use GP to signify that the name does not represent their taste in names, even if it is a name they like... for instance if someone's "naming style" is classic English names, but they also like the name Imani, they could label that as a GP as a way of telling people that the name doesn't signify anything about their overall style. I understand why it seems like a useless term though (esp. the guilty part).
vote up1