When did bestsellers become icons?

摘要

I have a chuckle every time I hear some brand pompously boast about their Iconic Collections. Hardly a minute goes by without someone talking about an iconic shoe, as if such and the same descended from heaven as a gift from God. What does the dictionary define as an icon? The Concise Oxford Dictionary says "Of sacred personage, itself regarded as sacred." Hello? Are we not getting a little carried away when we call our products icons? What is a truly an iconic item, and what is nothing more than a bestseller for a company that was in the right place at the right time with the right type of product - and with a great deal of luck to get that product exposed?