Real Women
Having worked in advertising a bit, I was intrigued by the ongoing debate about the representation of gender in bicycle advertising. At first, I was inclined to be offended too. But then, as I was watching the cyclists in my neighborhood, I realized something: the media really has us women figured out!
For example, I saw this very cute woman with a bike downtown:
Specialized did some solid market research because I actually stumbled on a couple of Bike Nurses offering cycling men a hand!
Of course, the lady cyclists out on the town were very stylish.
But, of course, it’s not all about the clothes.
Which sure makes laundry and getting ready in the morning so much easier.
Hey don’t make the real bike lady look so frumpy -she’s hot! Oh and where are those bike nurses stationed? Great strip..errr I mean comic
I with Megan on this one. Don’t confuse women who choose to ride in skirts and heels with sexist images of women in the media and the provocative statements by a man who’s challenging our assumptions about what’s appropriate bike wear.
I wear dresses and heels most days when I ride to work and I know there are plenty of people who think I’m dressed inappropriately. How do I know? Because they tell me to my face. I even had a local female advocate tell me I was making the rest of them look bad. She wasn’t kidding. She didn’t approve.
If they assume I don’t know how to ride too, well, they’re dead wrong. I can do cyclocross dismounts/remounts in a skirt…on a tandem…and I have proof. http://youtu.be/1OXzKgBwS14
This reminds me of when I was 11 and I asked my mom if I could start shaving my armpits.
She said, “But I thought you were liberated?”
@Megan & @Ladyfleur, I’ll be honored when my little blog is recognized as media and thus worthy of criticism. The haters can bring it, in the meantime, we can dress how we like.
http://bikepretty.com
I like going on bike dates to dinner and dancing with my boyfriend; “slutty” microdress, super high heels, the whole nine yards. But what I like best is when someone calls me out on it; I always challenge them to a race. I haven’t lost yet, because I ride for work, for fun, for exercise, long distance… you name it, and I’m always racing cars on solo rides, I can’t help it.
I like to think of it as doing my part to challenge stereotypes and be a powerful, functional AND sexy woman. But actually, I just get evilly gleeful at the resulting facial expressions.