MORONS!

lindsayanng started this discussion · 3/10/2010

I just need to vent here, and i'm sure if JayJay or my mom read this they will feel the same We have been working hard to get "the Girl Spot" up and running and obviously the first step in this would be to get a studio place.. they did that, and the guy who rented the place out to them knew full well what was going in there.. heck, they had a whole damn conversation about where the "stripper poles" were going inside of the space!!! Well.. here we are, days from the grand opening, and this highfalutin yenta baseball moms that go to the batting cage down stairs find our darn logo OFFENSIVE and contacted the building owner to make us take it down. It it the word GIRL so literally they are fighting over a FONT CHOICE.. and seriosuly, if a little kid sees our logo, he sees THE GIRL SPOT and nothing more. I am so annoyed with this.. i just HAD to vent. oh, for those of you who dont know - here is a link to the site with our logo http://thegirlspotct.com

20 replies

Runemist34 · 3/10/2010
Honestly, and I'm sorry this may sound callous, but this doesn't surprise me at all. Considering they've officially decided that Santa Clause can no longer laugh by saying "Ho ho ho!" anymore because it's derogatory toward women or some crap, "The Girl Spot" could be seen as a sexual reference... Although, if they're just arguing font choice, then that's bullshit. Forgive my swearing, but honestly! 🙄 Anyways, I'm very sorry you're going through this. People have become SO paranoid and touchy about so many subjects lately. 👎
lindsayanng · 3/10/2010
well YEAH!! I mean, the girl spot wasn't a name that was chosen by accident, and that logo certainly wasn't an accident.. but its not BLATANT SEXUALITY HERE. Its not a damn strip club in the same building as a play ground. And you are right, its sad but it doesnt surprise me either, but it still does infuriate me! And yes, the entire arguement is over the FONT because they said they would be happy if we just changed the CURSIVE "g" to a regular one to match it.. so yes, they are annoyed by the letter "g" being cursive. I am so flipping pissed i have fire coming out of my ears. Oh.. and then the guy went so far as to say that he should change our WEBSITE.. he said our website says something about "lap dancing" and THAT could be offensive.. I was like, ARE YOU KIDDING?! No, i will NOT change me website and if anything, i will make it even sexier just despite these f*&^%CKERS!
Danielle Tillie · 3/10/2010
What's so wrong with the G being in cursive? I mean... isn't cursive supposed to be classy? >.< I guess I'm confused by that one. As far as them being offended by the lap dancing, they can just shove it, because you're not going to be giving lap dances to their young boys or whatever, duh. Really I am flabbergasted by the cursive G being a problem... I am wracking my brain trying to figure out why the cursive is offensive. Is it because it's curvy perhaps? Are they seriously relating the curves of a cursive G with the curves of a sexual woman? Really? We live in a sad.... sad... world.
lindsayanng · 3/10/2010
Its because when you look at it, you notice "the Girl Spot" so it being a different font from the rest makes it stand out more meaning we are really being naughty by doing it. Its so sad and sickening that people are that damn picky. The guy said to me... "Well.. what if a mom comes in with her young daughter and the daughter sees "Ohh the GIRL spot" mommy can you take me there?" and then the mom has to explain to the daughter that its POLE DANCING" I was like.> FIRST OFF - the mom doesn't have to explain that its POLE dancing, all they have to say is "Hunny, see here, it says ALTERNATIVE FITNESS FOR WOMEN" so right there on the sign it says FOR WOMEN.. secondly.. whats wrong with explaining to a girl what pole FITNESS IS. and what happened to saying NO to kids?? Oh yea.. and for the record.. there are no boys allowed here.. there are no windows, and no glass door that people can peek in.. so really. WHO GIVES A FLYING F&&^*CK what we are doing up there.. really.
Mary Ellyn · 3/10/2010
Are they complaining about the "G" or the whole name "The Girl Spot" as it seems like you're getting mixed complaints here. The concern about a little girl wanting to go and mom having to explain it's for ADULT girls is just ridiculous! In our conservative little suburb, when we offered "Vertical Fitness" at the part district (they actually approached ME and asked me to teach it) no one had a problem with it being right there in the park district brochure and people even laughed when a local blog writer related how her son saw they were offering vertical fitness and wanted to take the class but she had to explain to him that it wasn't "rock climbing"!!! Everyone thought it was funny! On the other hand...my initial impression about the large, cursive "G" was that visually it looks like it's emphasizing a play on words. In fact when I first saw the website I just presumed that was what it's suppose to be - a play on the words the "G" spot. which it kind of looks like at first glance. Now...my second thought when I saw that was "how clever" and I wished I had thought of something like that but then I LIKE to push the sensual envelope!! On the other hand, I could understand how conservative and narrow minded people (who will obviously be your problem here) are going to make a big stink about that sort of name. Again..I LOVE it and wish would have thought of that myself! But...I'm seeing something here that coule potentially irritate some people and definitely give them fuel for their fire!
lindsayanng · 3/10/2010
heres the thing.. we DID design the logo that way - obviously.. Good design ALWAYS has a purpose. In any logo created by a professional, they will always be able to explain exactly why the imagry works the way it does and why it makes you feel a certain way. I could go into the whole science of design, but you get it.. Theres a reason/ SO.. theres two way to design.. OUT IN YOUR FACE or subtle.. we chose subtle. We COULD have gone with the IN YOUR FACE pin up girls and mud flap girl imagery that is on a lot of pole fitness website out there. I mean, we took the turn of the boutique fitness center. I'm not saying one is worse than the other. But there's some food for thought.. You have DICKS sporting goods HOOTERS I mean, what is OUR pole fitness studio doing that these other places aren't. It really has nothing to do with the word GIRL or the cursive G because if they didn't know WHAT we were doing up there, they would never even consider the G spot.
Mary Ellyn · 3/10/2010
Oh I agree with how ridiculous it is that they are complaining! I know that our studio gets problems just because we hve the word "Exotic" in our title so I really know what it's like. I"m just not surprised in a time when having a pink and black website or high heeled shoes indicates you're business is inappropriate it's obvious that people will use any excuse they can to make trouble. But it seemed some people weren't understanding what they were complaining about so I thought for a minute maybe I was off base on the name!
minicoopergrl · 3/10/2010
As a mom myself, if my daughter asked about your place Id simply explain to her its for women and not kids. There enough said. If they dont want thier kids to see it, they turn them the other direction. I feel like its like we have to be sensitive to everyone nowadays. No matter what someone is gonna find something offensive about what we do or what kind of businesses we run. No one is forcing them to look at your sign or sign up for your classes. But dont worry, I bet you she will try it out one day.
Runemist34 · 3/10/2010
I think Empy hit the nail on the head right there: "It's obvious that people will use any excuse they can to make trouble." 🙄 So many times I see it, and it bothers the heck out of me. We can't have a cartoon show depicting all boys, we can't have "Boy Scouts" anymore (Dunno if you guys have that in the US?). However, we can have all-girls fitness, including yoga and stuff, because there's NO way any "real man" would want to take that! (Sorry, a little bitter...my husband can't take yoga around here because it's all "female only.") And we can have "Girl Scouts" that boys don't join. Anyways, getting slightly off topic, sorry. I think these people are just trying to complain so they can feel big and powerful, so they can "protect their children" or some such. Drives me crazy, because what are we protecting them from? Sex? Love? Well, we're obviously fine with showing them violence, death and hatred. So, the idea that you're emphasizing the "G" would mean (gasp!) you're referencing something purely sexual and for pleasure! We can't have that! 🙄 Okay, okay, sorry. Getting up on my soapbox. It just (as I said) drives me up the wall. So, are you guys going to have to change the name just because someone complained? Can you defend yourselves from stuff like this?
chemgoddess1 · 3/10/2010
What you are facing is typical for many pole studios opening. When Be opened she had the cops show up at her door on several occasions because people thought she had naked women running around and that is against code. Each time the cops were called she invited them in and showed them around. Eventually the calls stopped. You have a contract with the landlord. He knew full well what you were and he had no issues with it. If you were able to get a permit to run your studio in the area where you have it then the landlord cannot do anything about it. Also since you have a contract he cannot do anything about it. If he continues to harass you or if any of these busy bodies continue to harass then contact either the police or the building department for your city. Worse comes to worse sue him for breach of contract, throw the money into an escrow account so that he cannot kick you out of your space and continue your business. Practice saying: No, I will not change a thing.
Journey · 3/10/2010
If it helps any, I'm more conservative and I'm a mother and saw nothing wrong with your logo. Just because a small child - that probably has no idea what a g-spot is - notices the sign doesn't mean that the parent has to panic and worry about having to explain to their child what that sign is supposed to be insinuating. And it's not necessarily insinuating anything bad, either - it's meant to be a play on words. I'm sure the kids are hearing much worse at school, anyway. People are the ones who give meaning to words, and just because a word is sexual, doesn't mean it's bad - they're the ones with the problem here. Once again - coming from a more conservative Christian pole dancing mom here. People put the first letters of signs in a different font all the time - it looks cool! You shouldn't have to change your business logo and all your advertising stuff just because the building your using is in proximity with people who are offended by it. Why does the building owner care what logo is on your website??? Does he/she have direct influence over that, too? It's stupid to change something that effects your entire business over something like this... If I were in your shoes, the only thing I might do to try and find a happy medium is maybe make that cursive G smaller, but not drastically, and not changing the font. Or even make a sign with just a giant cursive G on it! (a round one... lol) You can keep the overall design the same but it won't draw as much attention to "the issue" with that particular physical sign that they're complaining about. I wouldn't change the one on the website - if people are offended by that, they're the ones that went to the site instead of just happening by it on the street or something. And all that would be if you're feeling generous - you really shouldn't have to change a thing. *still shaking head* ~Journey aka Foxy Rei
glitterhips · 3/10/2010
This is kind of straying from the topic but it always seems like the people who get offended about something like your logo are the ones who let their 11 year old daughters run around with mini skirts and those little tops that let their belly hang out...but they don't want their kids knowing about anything that might possibly be sexual but isn't even in your face sexual, it all just depends on how you take the logo. im learning that there is someone out there that will be offended by anything really, so considering its impossible not to offend anyone anymore no matter how careful you are ive just stopped caring completely 😀
Mary Ellyn · 3/11/2010
I agree with Chem...we were talking about this yesterday and if I understand it correctly: 1. He cannot ask you to change anything in your logo since it's your business name if your business name was written into your contract. 2. If you included lap dance or if your contract stated you were teaching "dance" and didn't specify what type of dance but he signed off on it, he cannot try to prevent you from teaching lap dance either.
Webmaster · 3/11/2010
It is unfortunate that people get their panties in a bundle regarding simple things like this, it's not like those children they are concerned about came about through immaculate conception. We live in a time where schools are banning Webster's Dictionary because it contains words such as copulation and sex. I think the biggest question is, has anyone yet consulted a lawyer regarding this? In most states there are several things to be concerned about, however laws and definitions of these things vary from state to state so you should consult legal representation if things escalate. Tradename vs. Trade mark - Trade name is a name you have legally registered, under which you do business. Trademark refers to imagery you use to represent your business, this includes your logo. Often times in a lease contract you will represent your trade name but not your trade mark leaving a legal door open for the owner of the property to dispute/debate the imagery you use to represent your business and giving him/her control over how their property is represented. Decency laws - Every state and some cities/counties have them and some states are rather puritanical. Many people think they refer to just strip clubs and the like, they don't. Decency laws have been used to bring down businesses of all types, gyms, bars, and restaurants have all been victims, know your state's laws to keep covered. Things to consider with decency laws, distance from establishments frequented by minors, distance from schools, what kind of contact is encouraged in your business, how much clothing is worn etc... but once again these laws vary drastically from state to state and even city to city. I hope things work out for the best, and as one of my mentors once told me "don't sacrifice your dream of business ownership over something that doesn't matter in the long run".
lindsayanng · 3/11/2010
WOW, i love the conversation here.. Let me address one thing.. There is no law that can save us BECAUSE it says in the lease that the building owner has the right to approve or deny any signage. Now the thing is, I bet that if we gave him the signs before they were displayed and complained about, he would have likely approved the artwork. If he did that we wouldnt have to do anything. So because the lease that was signed specifically states that he can deny signage, theres nothing we can do about the sign.. he CAN NOT, however change our website.. or anything inside of the space that we rent. I am just at a loss.. We redesigned the sign to say the Girl spot that was not acceptable because the letter "G" was capitalized.. Yes, a capital G in the same font was STILL not allowed.. RETARDED ..
Judy Jovanelly · 3/11/2010
ok, now it's time for jayjay to weigh in, since i thought up the whole girl spot with the prominent g to look like g spot in the first place.... it literally just popped into my head out of nowhere, and i could not believe how cute a play on words it was. to be safe, though, i took a small straw poll among some good friends showing a couple other names. the Girl spot won, hands down. lindsayanng has done an OUTSTANDING job of bringing that business name and logo to life. it is beautiful and classy, and if anybody out there needs a graphic designer (webby -- you wanna throw in the towel yet LOL), then she is the girl for you. i am very sad that our little neck of new england has their panties bundled so tight. the sign is so pretty. but -- dumb butt me did not read my lease carefully enough : we were supposed to get the landlord's approval on any signage we wanted to put up, but failed to do so. had we done so, we would have argued and won, one way or another. so.... despite becoming intimate with the statement 'it made my blood boil' we are sucking it up and have revised the font. takin' the high road, and hoping to educate anyone out there who thinks what we are doing is vulgar or dirty. and in the meantime we will also strive to turn our little studio into enough of a success that we can tell this landlord to shove it and go find a bigger space !
EVamp83 · 3/11/2010
I think, if it were my studio, I'd make a big round sign featuring just the G to hang outside. Then use regular font to stick the address of the website to the window, so people know what the full name of the place is. And keep the website the same (logo included). Like, have the G from the logo as a mini logo to hang above the door or something. Idk, just my two pence from the top of my head. 🫡 I hope everything works out!! Good luck on your great adventure!!! 🥂
lindsayanng · 3/11/2010
Thats funny that you mention that because I just designed these stickers: http://localhosthttp://i574.photobucket.com/albums/ss182/bscDesign/sticker.jpg We havent printed them yet, but i just HAD to design them..
EVamp83 · 3/11/2010
Seriously! So pretty! 🥂
lindsayanng · 3/11/2010
THANKS - I really love it too..I got some samples coming in the mail, HOPEFULLY they will look just as awesome and we can get some printed. I mean, if they hate the letter G, then they should take that up with the people who created the alphabet right? ha. Basically the goal in the branding of this company is to make that "G" their trademark. The logo is technically already trademarked.. but the "g" is next...