Bedrock & Paradox

I dream of a hard and brutal mysticism in which the naked self merges with a non-human world and yet somehow survives still intact, individual, separate. Paradox and bedrock.

Double Standards

Surly actually has an interesting post up, of note because the artfully marketed slackers have been suffering from their typical post-interbike lull more thoroughly than usual. Their post concerns the 2008 Lovely Ladies on Beautiful Bikes Calender, of which I’d never heard.

This is a familiar rant, and thus I’m resisting the temptation to go into extensive detail. My point is merely this: the ladies pictured, and more significantly the way in which they’re depicted, is very different than any calender-worthy portrayal of male cyclists I can imagine. They’re cute, semi-delicate, semi-tough flowers, not “I ride 20 hours a week and will rip your quads off” bike goddesses.

For example, the bulk of Miss January’s profile:

Bikes:
Bianchi Axis, Kona Jake the Snake, Rocky Mountain Stratos
Favorite Ride:
Ring Road, Iceland
Likes:
Riding in falling snow, hot cocoa, curling up on cozy winter
afternoons, snow cats, la nina
Dislikes:
haters, sharrows, 17mph headwinds

Is there any way for me to take this apart without being sexist and elitist? Unlikely. I’ll just point out that her favorite ride is a huge road tour in a far-off country near the Arctic circle, and we are encouraged to dwell on her wearing a sweater and sitting on our (your, the man’s) couch wrapped in a blanket, rather than riding away from you into the aforementioned 17 mph headwind on mile 80 of a century day.

Do any of these ladies have sexy cycling legs? I couldn’t tell you, they’re hidden under vintage lingerie.

Boooo.

DaveC

5 responses to “Double Standards”

  1. Meredith Avatar
    Meredith

    You want “sexy cycling legs” you can get them right here… or well… at least, maybe in a few more months…the calendar isn’t called Buff Babes and Bad-ass Bikes… no one is purporting that these ladies are at the height of cycling fitness… and really – you ought to give them more credit, as their models aren’t all size 0 fashion waifs or surgically enhanced drones… they’re encouraging a healthy body imagine and adding a bit of glamor to a socially conscious activity…if I were doing something similar I might do it a bit differently – but don’t knock them when they’re doing 8 out of 10 things better then the rest.

    Reply
  2. Dave Avatar
    Dave

    Good points all. I still think it’d be possible to have both, they are not mutually exclusive: http://www.coreyrich.com

    Reply
  3. Meredith Avatar
    Meredith

    Could you define the two entities evoked when you say “Both”???

    Reply
  4. Dave Avatar
    Dave

    Femininity and athleticism.

    Reply
  5. Sean Avatar
    Sean

    Around these parts a couple of them are well known and carry some pretty serious street cred, most notably, Miss November. But that’s neither here nor there.

    Reply

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