In lieu of riding bikes with other people [scheduling and route issues....] I ride alone, happily, slowly, lots of stops to enjoy the non-human wildlife and the occasional snack. To talk about bike riding, to get information on tools, procedures, etc, I turn to a Facebook Page called The Slow Bicycle Movement. It is a closed group, I guess they were getting too many ads, and it changes over time from talking about afternoon rides of a meditative nature to people doing long term touring in fabulous places, which they are gracious enough to share stories and pictures of, advise for newcomers, some deeply nerdy conversations for those who are capable and general cheering on and bonhomie.
Every now and then, however, the topic of Babes on Bikes comes up, photos of scantily clad young women, all impossibly pretty, advertising something that doesn't remind me of bike riding, or recreation that I care about. For every 50 of these posts, there's a photo of a guy on a bike dressed strangely, but no beef cookie shots that I remember. [ I think I'd remember..... ]
I know I have always been a fully clothed type person, being a Yankee and wanting to not freeze to death or give pints of blood to the flies, but I'm sure I could come up with a few names of guys who would attest that I am not a "prude". [And some who wouldn't] I start with this defense, because it seems to be the first place some men want to go with this. The next place is that they defend it as an aesthetic image. The third dodge is that they are misunderstood, that they are the nice ones, and that we Gyno-Americans [Or Gyno-Euros] are too sensitive, don't consider cat calls, whistles, pinches or threats a compliment or we are humorless and exaggerating.
In the time of political correctness, it is still ok to mask your intolerance with a bit of snark, superiority and denial.
If we don't start waking up, like, yesterday, as a species, we are done.
As to this particular topic, I am using the rest of my conscious existence to stand up for the obvious. Women, we need to insist on our right to live safely, to make choices about who gets to stay in our lives, and who has to stay out, to be paid the same wage for the same work, to be entitled to equal protection under the law, and ffs to be able to ride a bicycle without it being an invitation to assault.
Every now and then, however, the topic of Babes on Bikes comes up, photos of scantily clad young women, all impossibly pretty, advertising something that doesn't remind me of bike riding, or recreation that I care about. For every 50 of these posts, there's a photo of a guy on a bike dressed strangely, but no beef cookie shots that I remember. [ I think I'd remember..... ]
I know I have always been a fully clothed type person, being a Yankee and wanting to not freeze to death or give pints of blood to the flies, but I'm sure I could come up with a few names of guys who would attest that I am not a "prude". [And some who wouldn't] I start with this defense, because it seems to be the first place some men want to go with this. The next place is that they defend it as an aesthetic image. The third dodge is that they are misunderstood, that they are the nice ones, and that we Gyno-Americans [Or Gyno-Euros] are too sensitive, don't consider cat calls, whistles, pinches or threats a compliment or we are humorless and exaggerating.
In the time of political correctness, it is still ok to mask your intolerance with a bit of snark, superiority and denial.
If we don't start waking up, like, yesterday, as a species, we are done.
As to this particular topic, I am using the rest of my conscious existence to stand up for the obvious. Women, we need to insist on our right to live safely, to make choices about who gets to stay in our lives, and who has to stay out, to be paid the same wage for the same work, to be entitled to equal protection under the law, and ffs to be able to ride a bicycle without it being an invitation to assault.
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