You know how some pens look more manly than others and reverse. I was wondering about Piccadiarlly Circus - does the pen make you think it's more of a man or woman pen?

Hmm, tough question in this case. It doesn't fit any fashion, has silver metal & parts cool blue and grey with lip-stick red swirls, an arch-conservative shape with an unconventional colouring ... lets call it 'Metrosexual'

I've seen it live in daylight in a shop window. I still don't know, if I would buy it or like it

Could you post a pic or a link for the pen? I'd lovew to see it

i don't draw that particular line. I know hubby wouldn't be caught with it. But there we're back to pink shirts again.

For me, while I can appreciate why some would say a pen has a masculine look vs. a feminine look, I just can't apply any of that to what I like in a pen. For whatever reason, an FP is completely open to interpretation while a pink gel pen with pink "dingleberries" (another technical term hubby would use that translates to anything fuzzy, beaded or otherwise overdressed) on it definitely seems girlie to me. Or should I say "gurly". But a pink FP - not so much. Maybe it's because I see the FP as a utensil and mechanical in nature. It makes perfect sense to me to dress up an FP - none to dress up a Bic stic.

The PC in particular, even if stepping back and taking it out of my view of FPs as a whole, would not qualify for either gurly or masculine. I probably wouldn't even go for Metro on this one. It's bright, it's colorful, but it's colors are bold enough to my eye to be pretty much middle-of-the-road. And of course, as was pointed out, the Pelikan design is already so conservative that adding color or delicate features of any sort (White tortoise comes to mind) doesn't really outweigh the design and make it a man's pen or a woman's pen.

Consider pens like David Oscarson's (sp?) - these are definitely uh... colorful and jewelry-like. Yet I would be willing to bet that most users are male and wouldn't consider them feminine.

I might draw the line with Tighe's (sp? again) pens. As a straight female, carrying around a pen with a nude female on it has absolutely no appeal whatsoever.

I'd say this is definitely a man's pen. I believe the male gender has a higher incidence of color blindness, and only a color blind person could find the Piccadilly color scheme attractive.

Fortunately I don't get to be the beauty police and have no power to enforce my particular aesthetic.

I love Pelikans for their reliability and quality and I own several. I was thrilled when the city series came out.

But the hideous Piccadilly? I'm quite sure the red color in it is the result of the pen being embarassed by itself... I feel sorry for this pen.

Petra

No man! The Pelikan Piccadilly Circus is switched on, it's a bit of all right, it's groovy baby, yeah! It certainly has a sort of "swinging sixties" look with it's almost psychedelic pattern. It would have fit in well in the pocket's of London mods and other "dedicated followers of fashion" back then.

Yeah Baby, nice pic of the Yarbirds..It's that Jimmy Page lurking there ?.

I'm not sure what that pen would do to my "mojo" though ?.

It's a right pucker colour for the 60's ain't it. Down the Palias in my new whistle and flute..cor blimey guv. Would match my tie of those days. Would have to watch out for the Rockers though..

Gary

Interesting question. Color-blindness and testosterone aside, I liked the esthetics of the Piccadilly when I first saw it but figured it was too "hair-dresser" for me. I think men and women may have different tastes arising directly from gender, but I note that I was not making a decision based on my esthetic, but was making a decision based on how I wanted my self expressed. I'm not saying that I was afraid others would think it effeminate, but a little message went off in my head, "nice, but too girlie."

No doubt this is a flaw in my own thinking but I'm guessing it's fairly prevalent. Generally though, pens are gender neutral, except I always assumed people with those really gigantic D-cell size pens had some kind of sexually related psychopathology going on. But hey, sometimes a pen is just a pen.

Anyway, I think there may be a mechanism completely outside our esthetic sense that requires us to make decisions based on what we think is appropriate expression of our gender or sexual preference. I'm not necessarily saying this mechanism is good, but I bet a lot of purchasing decisions exploit this mechanism, and what is considered masculine or feminine isn't hard-wired into us, but is a culturally inculcated and something that changes as often as hair fashions. Uh oh, a hairdresser reference again.

What the heck, maybe I'll just free myself from this constraint and get a Piccadilly. But you won't catch me dead with one of those sissy white tortoise Pelikans.

Doug

Jimmy Page isn't but Eric Clapton is.

Suddenly I feel symptoms of Quadrophenia!

Cool movie Apollo, Sting was the bell-boy wasn't he ?.

Back to the pen, not bad colours but it is a M600 size which is a bit small for me.

eg:- Whilst I would love the new Mini in Union Jack stripes I'm 6'3", I still fit easily in the car but would look a bit silly climbing out of it though.

Gary

well, somewhere there's a thread here about my hubby and pink shirts... and basically what you're talking about.

no, i don't think it's hard-wired either. but definitely could be cultural. Consider the bright colors so often employed in Hispanic themes. Or the incredible variation of color in Winedoc's traditional warrior outfits (sorry Kevin, the name of the attire escapes me.) Would your basic US/UK "manly man" wear those colors? Doubtful. But of course, there are exceptions. Kurt certainly isn't a "phoofey" guy but does get decked out for Mardi Gras - so subcultural ideas probably impact it as well.



<_<

Sissy huh... I'll show you sissy! grrrrr.... I have been occasionally referred to as Macho Woman. I don't wear pink shirts either!

All pens are male to me, but that's a bias inherited from my native language.

But if that can help, numbers "1","3","4" and "7" are masculine, and "2","5","6","8",and "9" are feminine to me.

Hah! Just me trying to be provocative. Actually, I find the white tortoise very pretty, and I think a number of male forumers have one. To each his/her own.

I found that post about your no pink shirt hubby considering fountain pens a woman thing. Pink shirt I can understand -- you're in Texas, right? But I'm surprised at the attitude toward fountain pens. These are very mechanical devices and I'd think it would be okay for real non-quiche eating men to be associated with something that has a PISTON. Plus the historical images of manly men using their big black fountain pens to draft or sign declarations of war, foreclosures of vast properties, revolutionary treatises, illegal annexations of entire kingdoms (whoops, a bit of a sore point here in Hawaii) -- anyway, you'd think this would put fountain pens in the masculine category along with Hummers and Harleys.

Oh well, what do I know? Here in Hawaii the usual work clothes are slacks and floral print aloha shirts. I actually have one with big pink flowers. But pink flowers don't make "phoofey" (to use your term) unless they go along with a funny walk.

All this is kind of nonsensical though. Maybe I should just wear monk's robes and a black fountain pen, that's all a man or woman really needs. Saffron -- what do you think?

Doug

I really really think the piccadiarlly circus look kinda pretty and I am seriously thinking of selling my M405 to get this pen. Help!

I carry a white tortoise M400 on my weekly pen rotations and I find it a very elegant pen. No one has ever questioned my "masculinity" with a white tortoise M400 clipped to my shirt pocket. In fact, I get nothing but compliments on the pen when people see it and a few male and female co-workers have asked where they could get one.

Gary, good memory! Sting did play the Face/Bellboy in Quadrophenia.

As he's an engineer, i sort of was surprised as well. But he grew up using only the cheapest FPs available (and I inherited an Estie cartridge pen and a Sheaffer cartridge pen from him as a result) so I think some of the bias is based on not really enjoying *having* to use them when he was younger. He throws out the "real men" thing just as an excuse. heh... caught him watching Fried Green Tomatoes last night. He claims it's just his way if of trying to understand the female mind. yeahhh.. sure, Bear.

He does find them interesting - but frankly the biggest issue is time. He wants to slam a pen/pencil/eraser in his pocket and head out the door. He doesn't want to have to think about cleaning, inking or otherwise caring for a pen. In fact, I usually get to dig out the leads for his MP when that runs out. And replace the refills in his Rotring Trio. He has these clunky square German hands that just don't handle small items well. I get to hook up the PCs because of that, assemble small household items, etc.

He actually had a couple of Hawai... Hawaai.. floral print shirts when we met. He's also an ex-surfer-dude. But he got away from his Beach Boys phase a good while ago.

i dunno - he grew up in a blue-collar family and I think he just patterns himself a lot after his dad who was an outstanding man but very conservative in dress. And in spending - and that's another reason for his choices, tee shirts and Dockers are inexpensive (at least the way he does them.)

I am starting to wonder if the white tortoise Pelikan pen was also used by Xena, Warrior Princess

you bet - in fact, dye my hair black, put me in 6" heals, add a few pounds strategically, give me a face-lift, and give me a sword and shield.

and I'll look juuuuust like her.

Sorry, but they do, even the non-pink ones!

Edited for grammar.

Doug, you really have to watch out for the uppercut of a Texan woman I hear they have made more than a few grown men cry

Cry with relief when they left 'em?

Yeah - I've been here too many years and I've met very few women in this area that don't let you know what they think. Now they may do it in a very subtle way... "Why, bless your heart honey...."

Sorry, if I get old topic back to life, but I - sort of - had to.

Whew! What a relief to find an another thinking like I do!
I just got my white ivory M400 and like that pen very much!

Oh, and btw: my wife just bought to me a pink shirt because they are in fashion nowdays (so I'm told). Pink shirt and pinstriped suit - believe it or not!

A real man is confident enough not to be intimidated by either white tortoise or pink shirt.

A "fake" man wears a black leather jacket only because his buds would laugh at him if he wore a brown suede jacket on a motorcycle outing.

Flame suit on? Nah, don't need a stinkin' flame suit cuz I'm a real man!

So, PekkaT...don't let the weak ones wear you down!

Bill (wondering if a Piccadilly Circus would go with my glaringly bright tropical shirts)

Me? Down?
No, not ever!

(BTW: I think Piccadilly Circus would feel as home with tropical shirts!)

I do not think that the PC has a gender and would be suitable for anyone.

Insofar as Texas goes, I don't believe that the Piccadilly would be a piccadillo in Amarillo.

:doh:

I don't think it has a gender.

I turned my Piccadilly over, but couldn't tell if it was a man or a woman.

Are these things like earthworms?

Don't sell one pen to buy the other - have both. I have a black M1000 and have just bought a Piccadilly Circus too. To be honest though after the M1000 it is small

If I had that much free-spending money I would definitely keep both of them

I have too many other wants besides fountain pens....like that new Nintendo DS Lite....wow, Tetris where you can play other people on wi-fi!!! That sounds too exciting to pass up..ha ha! I LOVE Tetris!

OT name-dropping: I actually met Alexey Pajitnov (the Tetris creator). Boy, is that one happy looking Russian guy!

Doug

If it makes you feel any better, I'm a guy who loves his PC. I work with the public and constantly get compliments on it from both sexes...Definately a pen a man can enjoy...

I haven't read all the responses so I worry I might offend some, but my opinion is:

this is clearly and obviously a WOMAN's pen!!!!