Well, before I go further, here are my thoughts...
The BDSM symbol reminds me strongly of an old tri-swirl symbol I've seen in Japanese paintings, adorning the garments of samurai and such. I worked on a story once where I was going to use the Japanese symbol, but I wanted to know the meaning of the symbol first so I could tie it in. Turns out, I couldn't find anyone who knew the symbol's actual meaning. I even asked Stan Sakai, since his character, Usagi Yojimbo, is associated with a symbol that seems inspired by it, with three black circles (but without the "tails" that make it a swirl). He didn't know either, but removed the tails and used the three black circles as a stylized rabbit footprint, fitting with the anthropomorphic rabbit Usagi...
In both Stan's case, and, it would appear, in the case of the BDSM community, it wasn't just a random selection, but drawing on inspiration from a long-standing symbol, the meaning of which has been obscured by time, and modifying and thus repurposing it... For those things which have no obvious symbols lending themselves (bondage lifestyles and samurai rabbits), this seems a sound route.
We, however, are in a unique position, as
the feather has long been a universal symbol associated with tickling... I would tend to think that some variety of feather symbolism -- something that indeed lends itself to tickling -- would be important in this... Further, I'd be less in favor of a symbol that could just apply to anything than one that seems could be directed toward something... And that's why, despite how very visually striking the neuron image is that Hari worked up from subtle_feather's thought, I think I'm looking for something else... That would be a great symbol for a psychological society, or Mensa or somesuch, but I don't see tickling there any more than I'd see anything else the brain could process... But it IS an excellent and powerful graphic, for which you both should be commended.
🙂
I guess, for me, it's one thing that outsiders don't see the meaning, but it's another when
the insiders don't see the meaning or a connection unless they're told, "Hey, this is our symbol."...
That said, what I offer may be
too obvious, but I don't know... I'll leave it to y'all to decide. Maybe we can find a middle ground... I'll keep working with my own thoughts which combine the simplest elements that I believe are specific and universal to our interest: feather and flesh.
Below are my first two thoughts: one involving a feather and another a hand (as many say feathers are pointless, I figured I'd offer that variation). I depicted a stomach receding from the feather/fingers, simply because
that is the reaction, is it not? And besides, tummies are one of the places folks go for most often because of sensitivity and access. Hopefully both stomach and hand are rendered such that neither are gender specific. If there are criticisms on my achieving that, offer suggestions for better gender neutrality.
If someone really needs an excuse to tell someone that it's something other than what it is, the feather version could easily be an environmental message with the navel as a reminder of birth and a "leaf"
😉 as a symbol of nature. Alternately, the meaning could be interpreted as neo-Christian if you take the leaf to be a palm frond (representing Palm Sunday) and the navel as not only birth, but being under the palm, as a symbol of rebirth in Christ. And I think the hand variation looks like a folded angel's wing, but maybe that's me.
Anyway, first thoughts:
