“I rejoice every time I see a woman ride by on a wheel!”
Hmmmm, I wonder how much I love this angle: bikes free chicks! My favourite (dead-set) tweeter Maria Popova alerted me to National Geographic‘s new book Wheels of Change: How The Bicycle Empowered Women.
The advent of the bike “radically redefined the normative conventions of femininity”. For a start it got women straddling something, and not side-saddle. Then it got them moving. And active.
“From allowing young people to socialize without the chaperoning of clergymen and other merchants of morality to finally liberating women from the constraints of corsets and giant skirts (the “rational dress” pioneered by bike-riding women cut the weight of their undergarments to a “mere” 7 pounds), the velocipede made possible previously unthinkable actions and interactions that we now for granted to the point of forgetting the turbulence they once incited.”
Some great quotes from the book:
“To men, the bicycle in the beginning was merely a new toy, another machine added to the long list of devices they knew in their work and play. To women, it was a steed upon which they rode into a new world.” ~ Munsey’s Magazine, 1896
“The bicycle is the devil’s advance agent morally and physically in thousands of instances.”)
“Success in life depends as much upon a vigorous and healthy body as upon a clear and active mind.” ~ Elsa von Blumen, American racer, 1881
“Let me tell you what I think of bicycling. I think it has done more to emancipate women than anything else in the world. I stand and rejoice every time I see a woman ride by on a wheel.” ~ Susan B. Anthony
Me too.
I stand and rejoice every time I see a woman ride by on a wheel.
Chicks on bikes. Always cool. No?
Scans and quotes via Sarah Goodyear / Grist
I think it is not just back then, it is now too. I bought a gorgeous ladies bike recently, a real stunner, I take my daughter daily on huge rides around the city. It has opened up pockets of this wonderful place to me. After going through a seperation and huge depression, my bike has bought joy to my world. When I was without it for a day I felt trapped. I love bourke st cycleway, thanks clover…. More please. I used to walk everywhere and I would think and get sad, but I realise u can’t be sad riding a bike. I love it and encourage everyone to ride it is the bomb!!
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I was watching ‘Farmer Wants A Wife’ the other day – little sad i know – and one of the bonding experiences they set up for a couple was riding tandom on a two seater bike…unfortunatly the expression ‘just like riding a bike’ was lost on this farmer who actually HAD forgotten how to ride one…haha poor guy was prob so embarrassed in front of his future wife..she definately was the hotter one on that bike!
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April 13th, 2011 at 6:51 pm
THere’s a reality TV show analogy for every life quandary, I find!
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Interesting! I definitely didn’t know about or think of the idea that bike riding was such an empowering thing for women and that it may have marked the beginnings of the feminist movement! That’s pretty cool! Reading this, I feel inspired to ride a bike, but unfortunately I think I’m way to chicken to ride in traffic… it seems too much of a risk..:((
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Love this
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I have just moved to Sydney after 2 years in London (from Perth originally). Sadly I had to leave princess (my purple bicycle that got me from A-Z quicker than the tubes or buses) behind. I thought it would be one of the first purchases I would make when landing in Sydney, however, I just don’t believe Sydney is set up for cyclists! Driving on Pacific hwy both directions, twice per day is a hairy experience and I just feel like I value my life too much to don the fluro’s and compete with the peak hour traffic. London has had a major emphasis on rider awareness over the last few years with huge campaigns about bike road safety and have recently even introduced a cycle hire program (like many other big cities) to encourage its inhabitants and tourists to get around the busy city by bike. The taxi and bus drivers are aware and courteous, the cycle lanes are generous and abundant throughout the city and the cyclists are considered a part of the normal traffic flow as opposed to a major hindrance. I look forward to the day where its more convenient and safe to cycle the major arterials in and out of the city.
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April 13th, 2011 at 6:52 pm
Sydney’s getting there…I”ve noticed a massive improvement under Clover Moore. She cops so much grief. The more of us who support her intentions, the better. We have an upward battle against the shock jocks, though.
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Just finished reading Pride & Prejudice again. Elizabeth Bennet would totally have been a bike chick, if only they had been invented.
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Love the quotes
I live in holland, so I’m just to cycle and I do it a lot!
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I received a red tricycle for my 40th wedding anniversary, of course I called her Ruby, I never had a bike as a child, love riding around the streets of our small village, (it’s very flat), lots and lots of positive comments, hope I have started a trend for more mature ladies to get cycling.
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