If you've ever been an art student involved in a class critique (or if you've ever looked at any of bananaphone's submissions here on Threadless) you've probably experienced this.
Invariably, somebody at some point finds it necessary to say, "That composition features some rather prominent phallic elements." They think it makes them sound smart. But the truth is, there's nothing intelligent about pointing out that every vaguely cylindrical object resembles a penis. Unless, of course, it was obviously the artist's intention for you to make that coorelation.
I was in a critique one time where one of the other students looked at my art and said, "I see a boob in it." I said that I didn't see that and his response was, "Well you need to grow up." Fortunately someone else in class commented, "You see boobs in everything and he's the one that needs to grow up?"
Now, I've grown up and I want to know... Why ARE there boobs all over this shirt?
Yeah, there were a lot of options, but I wanted to pick just three to represent animal, vegetable, and mineral.
The daikon radish -- probably the oldest cultivated vegetable in the world -- even has an ancient Japanese folk song devoted to how it looks like a penis. Remember that when you're on Jeopardy.
I also don't find any of those particular items phallical. I think the far majority of the public as a whole who happen to say something looks phallic do so as a joke or because they have penises on the mind. ;)
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