Is this the rudest necklace ever? 'phallic' pendants spark fury



Controversial designer Tom Ford has sparked fury by launching a range of penis necklaces - just in time for Christmas.  The phallic pendants - which resemble the shape of a cross - come in gold or silver and are available with small, medium and large charms.

Intended as the perfect holiday gifts for kinky fashionistas, size apparently doesn't matter as they are all priced $790.

But the latest offering from the designer provoked outrage on Twitter from users who said the necklaces were 'unbelievably offensive' to Christians and branded Ford 'sick' for combining a phallic image with a religious symbol.

Kevlyn Hall added: 'How dare you use a phallic symbol in the Christian cross! You insulting piece of trash! HOW DARE YOU!'

One user said on Twitter: 'This is unbelievably offensive to me. Is he insane?'

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I have no doubt that these pendants were meant to offend and were probably seen by their creator as innovative and original.  They are not however.  The cross was originally a pagan sex symbol, meant to symbolize a male penetrating a female.  With the encouragement of St. Paul, however, the early Christians adopted many pagan practices, such as Sunday observance, Easter etc.  Use of the cross is another such borrowing.

In the original Greek of the New Testament there is no mention of Christ dying on a cross.  The words usually translated as "cross" are either "xylon", which simply means "wood" or "stauros", which simply means "stake'.  Christ was executed by nailing him to a stake with his hands both directly above his head.  Why bother to add a crossbar when a simple stake could do all that was needed? -- JR

Posted by John J. Ray (M.A.; Ph.D.).