Like most penises I encounter, the Federal Government’s infamous Women’s Network logo has quietly vanished just as quickly as it appeared.
In case you missed it, the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (PM&C) unveiled a new logo for its Women’s Network which looked exactly like a dick — balls and all.
The logo was almost the same shade of purple as the eggplant emoji and its long phallic shape was nestled into a curly “W” that looked suspiciously like balls with a single pube.
It was met with backlash from basically everyone who understood the implications of a government known for its sexism assigning a penis to a women’s space. One Twitter user described it as “teenage boy malevolence”.
Yes @JaneCaro this PM&C “Women’s Network” logo looks like a cock & balls. It satirises what all women and men of goodwill are trying to achieve: the empowerment of women, equal rights and an end to a culture of violence, sexual assault and misogyny. pic.twitter.com/ejzgjgQDAc
— Quentin Dempster (@QuentinDempster) March 13, 2022
Now, like a player in a game of ding dong ditch, the penis has disappeared off the Women’s Network website. The Department of PM&C has released a statement defending its concepti- uh, I mean inception.
According to news.com.au, a spokesperson for the Department of PM&C said that the staff diversity networks — including the Women’s Network — were rebranded “to establish a consistent look and feel”.
Look and feel? Why does this sound like a condom advert? Everything about this logo is cursed.
https://twitter.com/AmyRemeikis/status/1502896136222240770?s=20&t=tVJIcSvPUDgJVxSXPkc1bA
“The Women’s Network logo retained a ‘W’ icon which staff had been using for a number of years,” the spokesperson said, per news.com.au.
“The rebrand was completed internally, using existing resources, and designs were consulted on widely. No external providers were engaged for this work.
“The logo has been removed from the department’s website, pending consultation with staff.”
Yeah, it sure as hell was made internally because no external graphic designer worth their salt would ever suggest using this logo for a network aimed to empower women.
Apparently Scott Morrison and his office “were not part of this logo design”, but I’d love to know who was.
