A feminist blogger recently called on Swedish carmaker Volvo to change its ubiquitous circle and upwards-pointing arrow on grounds that she found it a display of male chauvinism, Hungarian women’s automotive blog drivemebaby reports.
“Wake up, Volvo! The world is not the same as it was 90 years ago!” Petra Rees wrote in a Linkedin entry that has since been removed. Rees argued that as it stands, women have to face discrimination from male chauvinistic societies, and she only realized the meaning of the logo while driving her mother’s Volvo.
“How is it possible that in 2021 one of the world’s biggest carmakers still uses the male symbol as its logo?” Rees asked, and even suggested a “gender-neutral” logo to Volvo, which is third logo pictured below.
Volvo — owned by Chinese multinational automotive group Zhejiang Geely Holding Group — responded online by pointing out that contrary to the blogger’s claim, the logo is not intended to represent the male symbol.
The symbol used by the company is the sign that has been used in alchemy since the Middle Ages to symbolize iron. The iron sign thus symbolizes the strength of the Swedish steel used in cars, as Sweden is known for its high-quality steel. Volvo also pointed out to Rees that its company policy is based on “acceptance and diversity”.
