International Women's Day

On March 8th we celebrated the 102nd International Women's day.  In my company offices around the world held activities to celebrate.  I must say Im glad to work in an organisation with such a solid  commitment to diversity.

Here is one of the banners put up in the canteen to promote the events.

But I was struck by the choice of image.   Hong Kong's largest and most magnificent erection!

It brought to mind university discussions about Freud and feminism, and I wondered what subconscious patriarchal attitudes were behind such crude phallic symbolism.

I felt sure that my feminist friends would have demanded a more appropriate image.  Perhaps the more maternal lines of Hong Kong's convention center?

Or even something more assertive?

But after investigating further I realize my understanding of semiotics was hopelessly shallow.

 Jacques Lacan, the parent of post-structuralism,  argues in The Significance of the Phallus that we must distinguish between  'being' and 'having' the phallus.    Men are positioned as men insofar as they are seen to have the phallus. Women, not having the phallus, are seen to "be" the phallus.  Being the symbolic phallus is the concept of ....   the divine gift of God.

So, newly educated about this distinction we can read the symbolism as empowering rather than patriarchal.  Perhaps: "you don't need to have a penis to be a 'big swinging dick'! ".