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I was excited this morning to find an editorial on BikePortland about one woman's experience with the Portland bike scene this past year.
Then I read it and found that the author doesn't include women like me in her thinking about women on bikes. So I left a longish comment about why I think more women don't ride bikes regularly, part of which was this:
I'll mention another feminist issue that nobody in bike-riding wants to talk about: fat. Many women like me feel that fatness prevents them from going into a bike shop and getting fair service from a wiry 19 year old athlete, or finding a suitable bike. And it's absolutely true that no bike apparel is available for women of size--though it's apparently fine to be a big guy. So my wearing street clothes is partly just out of necessity. And then I decided to try and look a little nicer doing it. And now it's a kind of cheerful "f*** you" to anyone who thinks maybe someone like me shouldn't be on a bike.
Not surprisingly, neither the author nor anyone else has commented on my comment or expressed any similar experiences. I can't decide whether it really is too taboo to discuss, or I really am in a class by myself.
Then I read it and found that the author doesn't include women like me in her thinking about women on bikes. So I left a longish comment about why I think more women don't ride bikes regularly, part of which was this:
I'll mention another feminist issue that nobody in bike-riding wants to talk about: fat. Many women like me feel that fatness prevents them from going into a bike shop and getting fair service from a wiry 19 year old athlete, or finding a suitable bike. And it's absolutely true that no bike apparel is available for women of size--though it's apparently fine to be a big guy. So my wearing street clothes is partly just out of necessity. And then I decided to try and look a little nicer doing it. And now it's a kind of cheerful "f*** you" to anyone who thinks maybe someone like me shouldn't be on a bike.
Not surprisingly, neither the author nor anyone else has commented on my comment or expressed any similar experiences. I can't decide whether it really is too taboo to discuss, or I really am in a class by myself.