The Scent Of Justice

Stormy Danielss new fragrance, Truth, lit up social media when it launched. Could the buzz be a whiff of whats to come at the polls?

- Amy Keller Laird

With everything that Donald Trump and Co. have been accused of, from shady business dealings to colluding with Russia, it feels satisfyingly fitting that a porn star has managed to deliver the first strike.

“How ya like me now?!” tweeted Stormy Daniels after Michael Cohen, President Trump’s former personal lawyer and fixer, pleaded guilty in mid-August to paying Daniels $130,000—at Trump’s direction—to keep her quiet about her alleged sexual relationship with the then presidential candidate. Daniels has since been called both a feminist icon and an opportunist. Frankly, a case can be made for both. She’s remained steadfast in standing up for her legal rights amid a storm of national criticism, and at the same time, she’s monetized her newfound fame with “Make America Horny Again” strip-club appearances and—her latest venture—a signature scent called Truth, which was selling for $65 a bottle at its launch. As a former beauty editor and current political news junkie, I feel my Spidey senses tingle: I must speak to Daniels about her fragrance! I DM her on Instagram. I tweet at her. I even invite her to join my network on LinkedIn (yes, she’s there, along with four others of the same name). Crickets.

Finally, I connect with Daniels’s attorney, Michael Avenatti, through a friend. Ten minutes later, the most famous lawyer in America has responded: Though Daniels would love to chat about her new perfume, she can’t due to pending litigation with the president of the United States.