Maryam mentioned that all the women in this image are thin, bouncing around with purses and dresses. This is not what I think of when I think of bicycling women. I think of women of all shapes and sizes with panniers or practical bags and helmets. Heels and skirts are great, but not all women who bike wear them. Certainly this image of women who bike does reflect some women who bike... but by making all of the women in the image fit this reflection, are others excluded?
I think it's awesome that Epicenter Cycling's having this free ladies night event, but perhaps this caters to a particular type of woman bicyclist that is not reflective of the entire women's bike culture/community in Santa Cruz. How does that inhibit women from participating in bicycling as a means of transportation? Does this poster reflect a particular socioeconomic status that might exclude people in our community? Is it realistic that women who bike all be expected to have Barbie-sized waists? If a woman does not fit this description/image, would she feel less likely to attend the event?
Post your thoughts in the comments!
I think that this partially goes back to the divide between different kinds of riders. It's a totally different experience going into a shop with a nice bike and just looking around either with an old bike or normal clothes or whatever. You would not believe the difference in the employees' reactions (who by the way do not always know as much as they think they do) depending on what you look like to them. America needs to get over this cultural snobbishness that permeates through a lot of sports, not just cycling.
ReplyDeletePeople come in different shapes and sizes, but money has gotten in the way with racing and sponsors and people expect you to look the part of a "cyclist" or whatever your trying to do. It is this exclusiveness that will keep women who are interested in getting into cycling from going to an event like that and the same goes for people going to shops in general. I could keep going about this.
Corin, you're so right! The image of a "cyclist" as presented by the industry (with sponsors, magazines, clothing for racing cyclists, etc) has become a fixture in our society's mind of what it means to ride a bike. In places like Copenhagen, everyone bikes and it's not just people in spandex on Sunday mornings who ride bikes regularly. Thanks for pointing that out--I agree!
DeleteI think there's a way for you to tie this into your internship project... let's talk tomorrow in Gillman's class.
Melissa, I really appreciate you reopening this for discussion. Corin made an excellent point in noting how your gender, outfit, or bicycle makes a world of difference how you will be treated in a bicycle shop. When I go into the bike church (or any bike shop for that matter) in a skirt or a dress, I receive the most condescending tones and raised eyebrows. I may as well waltz into the shop and yell, "help me, I'm foolish!" I have been treated with the most respect when I look like a gristly, dirty biker chick. Even then, I do not feel treated as an equal, and I resent that I need to change my appearance for a little bit of respect. For Epicenter to appeal to female cyclists that identify beautiful, delicate flowers is a little unrealistic and contradictory in this city based on my personal experiences.
ReplyDeleteTransportation aside, it is frustrating to be portrayed almost exclusively in such an unrealistic, appearance-oriented manner. If any of the girls on that poster were to e jerked around on a rugged mountain bike trail, their wrists and ankles would surely snap. Each woman looks feminine, affluent, well-groomed, consumer-oriented, fragile, and sexualized. I am not saying that these are bad things, but in no way does this image emulate strength, capacity, sustainability and practicality - terms I associate with cycling.
As I am doing research for my internship, I cannot really say how much my project relates to sustainability and carbon emissions. I am working on bicycling and social justice, and also empowering and educating the youths about the significance of bicycling. I do not know to what extent that I would have to rely on data and calculations, because my project does not really deal with those types of information. Either way, I understand that riding a bicycle or walking does not release any amount of greenhouse gases, mostly carbon dioxide, into the atmosphere. This makes those two forms of transportation have a carbon footprint of zero. Whether or not I am going to have to rely on data and calculations for my project, it is obviously important for us to know the amount of carbon emissions of our modes of transportation, due to the fact that the carbon footprint contributes to the demise of our planet via global climate change and global warming. Therefore, knowing the carbon emissions of our transportation choices obviously matters, because it makes people make second choices when they travel. That knowledge empowers us to make more sustainable choices by making us realizing how we are impacted our environment via transportation. When one person makes changes in their transportation choices, they influence other people, and make other people consider making changes also. According to the latest readings, most trips are very near and do not take a long time. Still many people choose to drive because it is less time consuming, and is the most convenient way to travel. Those people usually do not think that just an innocent routine drive to the neighborhood grocery store would make much of a difference, but little do they realize that when millions of people worldwide, not just nationwide, do the same thing and it all adds up at the end. When people realize the significance, they would then be empowered to make more sustainable choices.
ReplyDeleteAs a male, I must be very cautious of the words I use, since the topic is social justice, feminism, and transportation. I must be careful and check my male privilege. Based on my experiences, I feel that women have to deal with sexism in every aspect of their lives, and transportation, specifically bicycling in this case. Maryam was offended with the way that women were portrayed as affluent, sexualized, thin, wearing purses and dresses, etc. in the “Ladies Night 2014” poster in the Facebook Event Page. I cannot simply say that I understand her pain, due to the fact that I am male, and never had to face sexism in a male-dominated society. Nonetheless, I can understand the fact that she found it offensive, because not all women are like that and that is not an accurate portrayal of reality. All women should not simply be painted with the same brush and the same colors, because it is just not fair. In my perspective, I have seen women riding bicycles, and honestly did not say or think of anything sexist. From my perspective, I did not think of anything negative or detrimental about the issue. I just want to point out that when one thinks of cycling, we tend to think of Lance Armstrong, Tour de France, male drivers knocking over each other on their way to the finish line. Oh, and before I go any further, the man who finishes first gets to pop champagne with all of the beautiful ladies. This is because we obviously live in a sexist society and that is just how it is. So when people think of cycling, they think of those millionaire athletes in tight clothes and all of the fame and glamour. I do not even think they have a female version of the Tour de France.
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ReplyDeleteHello! My name is Candice and I am the designer who created the artwork for Epicenter's ladies night in 2012, 2013 and 2014. I designed this artwork to be cute and playful and I really mean no harm. I have been with Epicenter Cycling as their marketing department for three years, and I am also one of the leading sales people. I do apologize on the behalf of our entire industry which is extremely behind with helping ladies feel welcome and included. My sister, co-owner of Epicenter Cycling, and I have been striving to make the cycling community open their eyes to the fact that women ride... and that women offer a HUGE benefit to the growth of the cycling industry. In our shops we do our very best to help everyone feel included. If you have any questions, input or concerns about our branding or imagery, please shoot me an e-mail at ccovello@epicentercycling.com, or swing by 1730 Mission Street, Santa Cruz CA. I work Monday - Friday. I would love to hear feedback!
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