Femen parody the Apple logo

Since I last wrote about Ukraine's most famous feminists, they have moved their main operations to Paris, France, and have started merchandising quite heavily to raise funds for their ongoing topless activism.

I wonder what lawsuit-happy Apple will think of this one?

FHM presents "The 100 sexiest women in nonexistence"

Betty or Veronica? Other Betty or Wilma? Erin Esurance or Kim Possible?

Since the stone age,  oversexed boys (and men) have fantasized about women who are figments of artistic imagination, from Venus figurines to coffee mascots.

To fan the hormonal fires, ladmag FHM is currently running a Facebok-based pageant in which users are encouraged to nominate and vote on "The 100 Sexiest Women in Nonexistence".

A motley collection of mythical, cartoon and literary characters, commercial mascots, internet memes, classical art and even pictograms, the list is intended to be a joke.

(The iPhone personal assistant, Siri, is on the list even though "she" is only a voice.)

But with this kind of humour also comes the opportunity to cross a few lines...

As the contest copy says, "This is your chance to vote for the sexiest non-existent woman ever. Lusty logos, saucy statues, cute cartoons: they're all here so get voting and make one imaginary woman very happy indeed."

While not exactly helping the status of women, it's just more dumb, boy humour. Although, I will have to admit — if somebody nominates the Feministing logo, I will be required by the rules of irony to laugh heartily.

Tip via Brands of The World

The YAHOO! logo meets its long-lost deadbeat father

BoingBoing has a cool post about the eerie similarity between the YAHOO! logo, launched in the digital neolithic period (1995) and the hand-drawn identity of the anti-establishment performance art movement known as the Youth International Party, or "YIPPIE!"

This is a 1960s YIP flyer secretly kept on file by the FBI of the time (recently released under the Freedom of Information Act):

Here's a side-by-side:

Whoa.

BoingBoing notes, "Yahoo's was designed by Organic, Inc. in 1995, and refined a few years later to use the Able typeface (also used in the Harry Potter franchise) Able, from foundry T26. The typeface was designed by Marcus Burlile, who was not born until the 1970s."

Now THERE's a conspiracy theory worth looking into, G-men...

"Our bodies, our brands"

Feministing just posted a visual essay by "Art Fag City" about the lack of imagination shown in visual identities for women's organizations.

Feministing put it into words:

"Frankly, I find it beyond depressing. Of course it’s natural to think of women’s bodies, particularly for organizations that are health-related, but must every one end up as some squiggle-of-dancing-feminine-curves?"

Here are some examples:

Women leaping.

Women dancing.

Women meditating.

Women as trees.

Women as... ummm...

The point being that we branding folk seem to be rehashing the same stereotypes over and over again. Am I guilty? Of course. But this collection will definitely make me think next time we take on a similar assignment.

There was also an amusing apologetic in the Feministing post because, as they knew readers would hasten to point out, their logo is also a female form:

And an awesome one at that!

Here is their rationale:

"I also understand that a lot of people take issue with our logo, which, indeed, is a woman’s body. But in our case, I think the concept is pretty damn original–reclaiming an image that has been so patently misogynistic by arming her with a definitive point of view."

Whatever. You had me at "F*ck you!" ;)