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.
Don’t have a problem if these fashionably impractical folks ride only 5-10 km. every few days. At least it’s something.
So do alot of cycling guys who go to Interbike like the buxom, beautiful babes that grace some of the vendors’ stalls? Does that attract them to the bikes more?
Jean,
I was a professional bike racer and I bike around town in heels that most would break there ankles wearing. Come on these generalizations are killing me. How I look because of how I dress says very little about my intellect, my feelings, my inner being, how I treat others, or my ability to kick you butt on the bike…..Some of these comments that are being generated from this obviously shared social idea that good looking women who have large breasts must be dizzy, not too bright, and lazy or incapable of being athletes are simply 1950’s stinky pudding.
Are we not past this beating up of each other? Or putting woman at odds with one another. This is supposed to be about caring not comparing. Yeah I just kind of rhymed that’s right deal with it.
I don’t care if you want to wear flats, shave your head, and wear a balloon for clothes – do what you want, and I promise I won’t care, condescend you, or treat you with disrespect.
Cause it’s not about you and me it’s about WE.
The concept of “real women” is a highly problematic one and does nothing but alienate. I see myself in the “bimbos” you drew as examples of “not-real” women. I may not be that skinny but I’m just as busty. I ride bikes all the time, sometimes in jeans and a t-shirt, many times in a dress or skirt. Just because I’m showing cleavage (which is impossible for me not to do if I’m wearing anything other than a high-necked shirt) and leg doesn’t mean I’m not a “real” woman, or a serious cyclist. It disappoints me to see you buy into the notion that some women are “real” while some are not; the zero sum attitude that sexiness and seriousness/competency are exclusive.
Is it problematic that women’s bodies and sexuality are used to sell products? Yes. But it’s equally, maybe even more, problematic to shift the blame from the advertisers to women out living their lives. All people should feel free to enjoy the pleasures of biking without judgement, no matter what they look like or how they dress.
I work in a bike shop and i confess, i do a little snoopy dance every time a woman comes in and bypasses the line of step-thru ladybikes for a lighter, more efficient hybrid with full gears etc. etc. Sure, ladybikes coax some timid and older women onto bikes, who would otherwise not try it…but there is no room to grow with those bikes; if you want to go beyond your level seawall or shopping cruise, where you might find a modest hill, forget it. After the initial thrill they wind up rusting in the back of the garage.
The only advantage to those bikes is, yeah, you can ride em in a long slim skirt. But really, the appeal is they are “ladylike” and you don’t need to swing your leg up in a masculine manner. Amelia Bloomer would turn over in her grave, to see how we’ve been re-sold this pile of girly bullshit.
-Carmen
http://www.bicyclebuddha.org
Girly Bullshit?
Seems like smart bikes for women with female concerns.
I’m confused.
I’m happy to swing my leg up with my miniskirt on and show the world my panties – but I’m not sure that is what you mean.