In particular, I was struck by how the men seem to check out the women. On Saturday, still processing the unattainable magazine images, I rode my Bianchi around town on an easy 15-mile ride and took notice at how bikers look at each other. I hung my bike in the garage, did a quick armpit smell test, and knew for sure that I was a real biker woman. On my bike commute home in the later afternoon, I did an internal check to make sure I was not unduly influenced by those unattainable magazine images. I see these kinds of women every time I ride in Boulder, and their example encourages me to push to the next level. They are determined, goal-oriented and strong-willed. Real biker women sweat and, when riding hard, usually smell bad. For the record, real biker women can be lean and athletic or soft and flabby. How she manages this position, I just don’t know.Ī real biker woman wouldn’t be caught dead in that sort of pose. One shot has our bouncy model lying prone across the top of her standing bike with her upper back cradled by the handle bars and her perkiness pointing unnaturally upward. Inside the magazine, the six-page spread has her standing on her tippy toes in almost every picture holding succulent pieces of fruit against her lips. These magazines are using sex to sell goods and services, and apparently it works. Rather than making women feel good about themselves for who they are, these magazines leave most women feeling inadequate and discouraged. I eschew glamour and fitness magazines for the sole reason that the media present images of women that are unattainable. I cannot relate to an idealized woman who is young enough to my daughter, has obviously never given birth, and whose photograph has most certainly been enhanced by Photoshop. Later that day, my dear friend and colleague popped in to let me know he left me the magazine for inspiration as he knows I’m training for the 50 mile BBC ride. She is adorable in pink spandex, flaunting her taut stomach, perky butt, and lean legs. I grabbed my office mail out of my mail box to find a fitness magazine with a fit and fabulous biker babe on the cover.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |