Skip to main content

Cultural Labels

"I am a woman with thoughts and questions and shit to say. I say if I'm beautiful. I say if I'm strong. You will not determine my story—I will."  ~ Amy Schumer

If you follow my blog you know I generally write about something that has set my brain on fire. Yesterday I spent five and a half hours in a Harley-Davidson dealership buying a new bike. I LOVE this dealership; the people are warm and friendly, the atmosphere is warm and fuzzy and the whole experience was positive. This blog post is not about THEM, it is about the culture of LABELING human beings, especially women. 

"Female biker"
We don't say, "Male biker."
Same with "Female President," "Black Athlete," "Lesbian Soccer Star," "Gay Presidential Candidate (I mean, we don't say "Heterosexual Presidential Candidate), and "Autistic Artist." Too many labels. Labels limit human potential. I see it everyday in public education, but that's a whole 'nuther blog post!

Giant mural on the wall of the dealership...all "male bikers." I said, "You know you really need to change that up and add some badass women to that mural." 
Standing at the parts counter, large photograph of a half-naked pin-up girl on a vintage Harley. I said with a generous smile on my face, "you know that photo might offend some women who are standing here buying parts for their bike." The young kid behind the counter was a little flustered until the 60-ish, scruffy-bearded male biker behind me quips, "Yeah, it offends me too. Who would ride that bike!?"
Then the young kid (27 yo) looked at me and said, "Yeah, that's just the culture."
If a 27 yo can dismiss the sexism within the biker community, how will we ever CHANGE the culture?

The most recent data (Motorcycle Industry Council) indicates women riders comprise only 20% of the total riders. That's disappointing. But it explains the reluctance within the industry to change the culture. The industry must continue to sell to the 80% who are 'male bikers.' 

How long will women exist in the 1" wide margins at the edge of the biker culture? Since the dawning of Harley-Davidson in 1903 women have persevered in riding motorcycles; a fearless, pioneering few who were drawn to the adventures two-wheeled travel had to offer. My own hero, Bessie Stringfield. Ava and Effie Hotchkiss, Dot Robbins, and the indefatigable Gloria Tremontin Struck (who just turned 95 years young and the culture has not changed in HER lifetime). The big rallies and bike events continue to be a testosterone-fest catering to men. OKAY. I'm not a prude; I can hang out at Froggy's on Main Street and stuff dollar bills into cleavage too. But when will the Chip n Dale All-Male Revue get their turn on the stage at Froggy's? If women riders continue to accept the rhetoric, "Yeah, that's just the culture," then we are selling ourselves short. We are buying into "his-stories" instead of weaving "our-stories."

“We are weaving her-story into reality.Unweaving the limiting his-stories. Creating our-story." ~ Lucy H. Pearce, Burning Woman

Change happens slowly otherwise it would be called 'revolution.' I don't think a revolution in the streets will change the biker culture. It might be awhile before I can stand at the parts counter and gaze lustily at a scantily clad Jason Momoa straddling a vintage Harley. 

Women riders need to speak up at every opportunity. And do so in a manner that is sincere; an attitude that says 'I'm confident in my skills and I want you to do a better job of representing women who ride.' Standing in a dealership, look around. Make a comment to the GM if the wall art doesn't represent YOU. I believe they WANT to hear from us, otherwise the male-biker-culture will never change.  If you are an event coordinator, look at your demographics. Are twenty-something girls in string bikinis bending suggestively over a soapy bike going to appeal to the women in the crowd? Will all pink T-shirts, bandanas and gift bags appeal to the majority of women?  I love Garage Nights; there are not enough of them! 

If you are a woman who rides, examine where you stand on this issue. If you want better representation within the biker community, then ask for it. We bear the responsibility of speaking out in order to change the culture.

"Each time a woman stands up for herself, without knowing it possibly, without claiming it, she stands up for all women." ~ Maya Angelou


Debi Tolbert Duggar is the author of 'Riding Soulo'
Part Memoir, Part Travelogue, Part Spiritual Salvation
Available at Bessieandme.com and online wherever books are sold

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Waning Light

  There are times I dread the waning light of day, That golden hour which precedes the night. The night brings sad memories. The night brings old terrors. The night brings lonely hours, Sleepless hours, Blackness filled with sorrow. The darkness carries the quiet, the quiet commands the truth. The night accentuates my aloneness; it echoes my fears. The darkness makes me yearn for my children and for my loved ones long gone. The night plays a melancholy tune in my head. The night makes me yearn for the light of day when everything is new once again.                                                                                                     ~ Author: Debi Tolbert Duggar   As a...
Post a Comment
Read more

My Hawaiian Vacay: the Big Island Hawai'i

The first rigorous challenge of the day? Finding coffee. The island doesn't exactly wake up when we do; the complimentary coffee in the room barely fills two micro cups and tastes like someone passed a coffee bean over hot water. Kona is just a little strip along the rocky coast with an assortment of shops and restaurants, so choices are limited. We head out for what turns into our first hike of the day...about a mile and a half until one little coffee shop opens. We sit across from the ocean, gulping our cup of rich Kona blend like the coffee addicts we are. The tour guide picks us up promptly at 715a; Wasabi Tours. If you only have one day to see the island, this is the way to do it. Only 12 tourists and our guide was Aileen, 24, adventuresome, and very knowledgable about her adopted home. She came to Hawai'i on a work exchange while in college then returned to live. She is a computer teacher at one of the elementary schools and part time tour guide. We started on the westwar...
Post a Comment
Read more

#Scattered_TheBox

     Bree sat silent in the passenger seat of Della’s Range Rover as they drove away from the city towards Bree’s farmhouse. Della respected her friends silence, glancing furtively towards Bree, checking for what? Della didn’t know; was there a protocol for ‘how to act when your friend is told she has a few months to live?’ Della wasn’t sure and at this moment her heart hurt as if it were being squeezed by a giant hand intent on crushing the organ in her chest.       Della met Bree Maxwell at the registrar’s office in 1974 at the University of Chicago. Just two long-haired hippie chicks in bell bottom denims and crop tops among thousands, struggling to look cool while simultaneously overwhelmed by the process of registering for classes. The two became fast friends and shortly thereafter they met Tish and Ann, also freshman. The foursome became inseparable and forged a bond that has endured four decades.         Bree is the...
Post a Comment
Read more