First, a little disclaimer - I am a male. I haven't experienced much of this sexism myself, and I'm not a Pro, so I didn't have to fight tooth and nail for my position on a women's cycling team that's likely underfunded and marginalized in the sport as a whole. But some of my best friends are women!
To which you are all probably exclaiming, "that's sexist!"
To which you are all probably exclaiming, "that's sexist!"
And you'd be right. The first thing to realize about sexism is that it's an uphill battle and it's pretty pervasive in whatever aspect of the world or daily life that you're talking about. It isn't ideal, but just like racism (a topic for another day), it turns up in a lot of places that the power majority (for instance, men) might not think of or appreciate.
Alright so that's great and dismal and pessimistic and all, but how does this apply to cycling?
The fact is, there is sexism in cycling. Rampant sexism, since it's been a male-dominated sport for about a century. As a side note, cycling as a leisure activity actually started out dominated by women, but again, that's a story for another day.
Alright so that's great and dismal and pessimistic and all, but how does this apply to cycling?
The fact is, there is sexism in cycling. Rampant sexism, since it's been a male-dominated sport for about a century. As a side note, cycling as a leisure activity actually started out dominated by women, but again, that's a story for another day.
Today, women are in pro-cycling's headlines more than ever, with Katie Compton, Lizzie Armitstead, Emily Batty, Sanne Cant, and (unfortunately) Femke Van den Driessche in the minds of most race enthusiasts during their respective race seasons. They all had to achieve some amazing things to get where they are womanly-wiles or not. Consider also the extraordinary lengths that many companies are going to in order to diversify their employee base, offering scholarships or special positions for those into cycling for more than just adventures in testosterone. But women in cycling are still not represented nearly enough, as they are often drowned out by their male counterparts or even new product releases, which in turn may make those women interested in the sport feel less welcome.
The point is, at this point, sexism still exists. But by no means does that mean that cycling is a "bad" sport. In fact, from what I've seen, cycling might be the industry that's leading the charge against sexism for the broader sporting world.
The point is, at this point, sexism still exists. But by no means does that mean that cycling is a "bad" sport. In fact, from what I've seen, cycling might be the industry that's leading the charge against sexism for the broader sporting world.
Many of you might counter this by saying, "but what about all of those advertising campaigns that are blatantly sexist and demeaning to women?" To which I say, "that is Exhibit A."
Every time that I hear about one of these campaigns, I have to admit, I become very proud of the cycling industry. Because how do these instances generally play out? In the case of Sockgate, Specialized-Demo-Nurse-gate, E3 Harelbeke-gate, etc etc, they all seem to play out roughly the same way:
This, to me, is the reason that I don't think that cycling is doomed or backwards because of its sexism. Not only are those in elevated positions working hard to include women in competitions across the board, but everyone in cycling cares enough about the future of cycling to have a stake in the controversy. Are there still many crusty bearded mechanics that don't see anything wrong with some of these advertisements? Yes, as with any other industry. But I see plenty of advertisements during baseball, football, or just in media in general, that are prime examples of crude and completely unnecessary sexism, and very rarely do any fans call upon the company directly to, well, grow up. But I know that for cyclists, if you were to place that bikini-lady catching a football on a bicycle, the advertising company would never hear the end of it.
So what exactly am I trying to say here? Is sexism out there? Yes. Is it in the cycling industry? Yes. Is it ridiculous that it exists in contemporary culture, especially in such a (generally) progressive group of athletes? Yes, incredibly ridiculous. Do I think that even the idea of "podium girls" is a little weird? Yes, I do - radical, I know. But what's amazing about the cycling industry in regards to pushing the boundaries of gender equality is that people are getting upset, the entire community seems to be calling companies out, and decrying instances of sexism without a second thought, which I don't see happening quite so much in, say, football. Or, for instance, what the hell is this?
So though I may not be able to speak from direct experience, I do know that cyclists everywhere are making fantastic progress in forming cycling into the planet's great gender-neutral and all-encompassing, human, sport.
Every time that I hear about one of these campaigns, I have to admit, I become very proud of the cycling industry. Because how do these instances generally play out? In the case of Sockgate, Specialized-Demo-Nurse-gate, E3 Harelbeke-gate, etc etc, they all seem to play out roughly the same way:
- Exposure - The ad is posted to social media somewhere
- Uproar - The aforementioned social media platform erupts into a firestorm of dismay, disappointment, and calls for an end to sexism in cycling
- Backpedaling - Often the company responsible for the ad publishes an apology, or at the very least discontinues or phases out the campaign
This, to me, is the reason that I don't think that cycling is doomed or backwards because of its sexism. Not only are those in elevated positions working hard to include women in competitions across the board, but everyone in cycling cares enough about the future of cycling to have a stake in the controversy. Are there still many crusty bearded mechanics that don't see anything wrong with some of these advertisements? Yes, as with any other industry. But I see plenty of advertisements during baseball, football, or just in media in general, that are prime examples of crude and completely unnecessary sexism, and very rarely do any fans call upon the company directly to, well, grow up. But I know that for cyclists, if you were to place that bikini-lady catching a football on a bicycle, the advertising company would never hear the end of it.
So what exactly am I trying to say here? Is sexism out there? Yes. Is it in the cycling industry? Yes. Is it ridiculous that it exists in contemporary culture, especially in such a (generally) progressive group of athletes? Yes, incredibly ridiculous. Do I think that even the idea of "podium girls" is a little weird? Yes, I do - radical, I know. But what's amazing about the cycling industry in regards to pushing the boundaries of gender equality is that people are getting upset, the entire community seems to be calling companies out, and decrying instances of sexism without a second thought, which I don't see happening quite so much in, say, football. Or, for instance, what the hell is this?
So though I may not be able to speak from direct experience, I do know that cyclists everywhere are making fantastic progress in forming cycling into the planet's great gender-neutral and all-encompassing, human, sport.