By Joe Crollard and Jonathan Mitchell
The original title for this column was “Advice from a couple of boobs.” The idea was that we weren’t qualified to give out advice because we were “boobs” and the logo was to reflect that by having our goofy faces over a woman’s cleavage. Pretty clever, right?
The problem was that some people thought that the logo would be perceived as sexist because it showed a skinny woman who was conventionally attractive by Western standards with our goofy mugs posted over her jugs. Our intention was never to be sexist…the whole point was to make fun of ourselves.
We tried to circumvent the problem of sexism by putting our faces on the boobs of a mannequin, flanked by two Victoria’s Secret models but this was somehow equally bad. We decided that if it was a matter of gender inequality then we should go after our own gender as to not step on any toes. Thus “Advice from a couple of dickheads” was born. But calling yourself a “dickhead” doesn’t have the same connotation as calling yourself a “boob” plus the consensus was that the image was pretty creepy.
We tried numerous different logos before landing on the one we are using now. We were “blockheads,” “pinheads,” the list goes on and on. We like the logo we have now but are still perplexed by the upset over the original. “Perception is 9/10 of reality,” as the old aphorism goes but should we edit ourselves as to never offend anyone ever? Is such a thing even possible? Plus, isn’t it more sexist to assume that a woman can’t handle seeing a fit woman’s midriff or a pun about their anatomy?
If two women wrote an advice column and called it “Advice from a couple of nuts” and put their faces over a man’s hang downs we wouldn’t be offended. We’d probably laugh the hardest…we’re pretty mature if you hadn’t noticed already. If we want equality, by definition don’t we have to treat one another EQUALLY? We’re all people so why does it matter if you have an innie or an outie? Guess what: it doesn’t.
In this day and age the definitions of gender are changing at a rapid pace anyways. With 36 states already with laws legalizing same sex marriage, and with the Supreme Court currently reviewing the status of four others, it’s clear that, times are changing. Maybe it’s time we catch up and end the battle of the sexes once and for all.
