We see them daily; drawn, photographed,tattooed and in my case, the symbol of my essence, a pillar that my brand wasbuilt on.
The symbol of the feminine and the masculineare nowadays considered to be iconic. And just like everything, there’s alwaysa story behind their meaning.
The most immediate and intuitive associationis certainly the one that links these two symbols to Sexuality. The associationto the shapes of the female body given by the roundness of the symbol, whilethe arrow recalls the shape of the male genital organ.
Both are also related to the world ofAstronomy. The masculine one is referred to the symbol of planet Mars and thefeminine one to Venus. These two planets, as well as the symbols, refer to Greek and Roman deities, evidenced by ancientwriting and iconography.
The masculine symbol was associated with thespear and shield of Mars, god of war for both the Greeks and Romans, andconsequently to the strength and physical appearance of the god as well.
The female symbol was instead associated withthe goddess Venus: represented with a mirror in her hand. The object itself definesthe characteristics of the divinity (known as the goddess of beauty and love),sensuality and fertility.
Throughout history, more generic connotationof masculine and feminine arised, which started during the Renaissance.
Venus, Mars and the AncientGiovanni da Udine, 1536
From the Renaissance period onwards, Venus andMars have often been included in works of art. In a less explicit way, andmaking more and more use of allegories and symbols, which perhaps only themodern eye ; more attentive and witty, is able to grasp by observing theimages of the two symbols, that thenbecame - centuries later - true icons of gender identity and emblems of aUniversal Language.
Ideograms of a Universal Alphabet
Writing with signs and symbols allows both theaggregation between people and communities and the dissemination of knowledge.Today more than ever- with the Internet, cell phones and new digital devices –it’s possible to synthesize a message or a concept with the help of a symbol,allowing us to communicate with a newfound simplicity beyond any linguistic andcultural barrier.
A symbol, compared to the written word, hasalways been and will always be more suggestive.
Visual communication is definitely one of themost globally shared forms of communication, and its cross-linguisticcodification is an integral part of the scientific baggage of branding a brand.
♂️ and ♀️are defined as "gender identity symbols" because they are commonly used to denote the sex of all forms of life, they are part of the universal symbolsystem because they are widely spread and are recognized worldwide. It’s extraordinary how these symbols alwaysgenerate renewed interest in human beings, perhaps because they involve acomponent that is often discriminating to an individual today: sexual identity. The gender symbols "male" (a circlewith a northeast-facing arrow above it) and "female" (a circle with adownward-facing cross below it) have been emblems of the LGBT community sincethe 1970s. One of the community's most common mantras is that "gender is aspectrum," meaning that there is not just a female gender and a malegender, but a continuous spectrum of genders between these two extremes. The gender spectrum view describes the diverseexperiences that many of us who do not identify with our assigned genderidentity. Alyssa Ashley has always seen gender identityas something that cannot be categorized and is completely free from any rule orprejudice. Through the use of symbols, which have becomean integral part of the logo and brand identity, Alyssa Ashley manifests thedesire for union, inclusion and a desire to escape from those that are canonsand diktats imposed by society. In the world of fragrances there is nodistinction between male and female, the accords commonly classified only"for him" are also ideal for her. The roles are no longer reversedbut mixed and the distinction between the two sexes becomes increasinglyblurred and almost insubstantial: perfumes are for everyone! We can imagine two different ways of freelyinterpreting the same fragrance, through a tale of universal emotions in whichwe can all find ourselves. Alyssa Ashley firmly believes that freedom isthe key ingredient to look for, the freedom to let the public experience hercreations following the personal sensitivity of each one. The fragrances followthe idea of unisex, which does not distinguish by gender, therefore perfectlyadaptable to the people who wear them. Sensations and emotions are the startingpoints for the creation of a fragrance that is then freely reinterpreted bywomen and men: like a true declaration of independence.
Freedom: the key ingredient
