A new logo released on Thursday for Florida's economic development group, Enterprise Florida, has ignited a gender debate - because it includes a necktie.
The logo includes the word "Florida" written in green letters, replacing the "i" with an orange necktie. The tagline reads, "the perfect climate for business." But because women don't wear neckties, some female business leaders consider the logo sexist and encourage the group to create a new one.
"I thought immediately that it set us back, all the work that we've done," Pamela Rogan, the President of the Central Florida Chapter of NAWBO, the National Association of Women Business Owners, told Fox News. "It's not that they have to make it pink or 'girlie,' but maybe put a briefcase or something like an iPhone or smartphone in there to represent business. There are a lot of other icons I think can better represent business."
Rogan and other women argued online that this particular logo may fail to attract businesswomen to the Sunshine State. "When you're going to a strange place, and you think that's the stigma that's there, you may think twice," she said.
But Enterprise Florida Public Relations manager Sean Helton told My Fox Orlando that he has no intention to change the logo. "We feel confident in the brand, as a clear and effective message to both businesses in the state and worldwide, that Florida is a top destination for business," he said.
Helton added to My Fox Orlando that Enterprise's design company interviewed 25 female employees before launching the logo, and none of them had a negative response.
But Rogan disagrees, and sees something different in the logo. "It's not even one of those ties they had back in the day because that was the thing, she told My Fox Orlando. "It's a bold tie. And nothing against men, but I think they could have had something a little more generic that represented business."
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