Oppressed Majority - Everyday Sexism

I have a lot of friends who feel threatened and annoyed by catcalls from random men in the street while riding their bikes.

This film from France should resonate with all women, whether cyclist or pedestrian, or just in life, period.



There is a criticism of the Cycle Chic movement that when men photograph beautiful women on their bicycles and post these photos online, it is the cyber-equivalent of ogling and catcalling. As a woman who photographs and blogs about bicycle street fashion, I do it because I respect the men and women who feel confident in themselves enough to wear whatever they want when they are on their bicycles transporting themselves to their destinations. I also believe that most of the bloggers I've met and communicated with share this same respect for fashionable cyclists, both men and women. However, as a someone who frequents Flickr, I often see photos from the same people who contribute to Vélo Vogue's Flickr pool post photos of women wearing skirts on their bicycles. The photo is composed in a way that the viewers eyes are drawn to the women's sexuality, their heads are framed out of the photo, and therefore their identity is reduced to the mere fact that these women have a vagina.

At 2:48, the man in this film is subjected to the same type of everyday catcalling and objectification that we women have dealt with our entire lives, and are asked to grin and bear it, are asked to appreciate the fact that a man finds us attractive. And at 3:56, he experiences the type of humiliation and abuse that most women have endured at least once in our lives.

The sad part about this film in relation to the bicycle community is that the bicycle industry is largely at fault for not only objectifying women, but also ostracizing us. This is why rides like Clitoral Mass and groups like the Ovarian Psycos are so important.

SO THAT ONE DAY WE WILL BE TREATED WITH RESPECT.

Period.

Bike bloggers of the world unite and stand with us.