As my eyes glaze over the array of hardly-worn heels and dusty dresses that furnish the peripheries of my wardrobe, I feel an intense urge to ditch my plans for sneakers and shorts – the summer uniform of choice (and practical necessity) for fixie riders in Sydney – and wear something a little more girly.
I’m a tomboy, no doubt, but I do love a good ‘dress up’. There is something about a pair of heels and a little black dress – they are the hansel and gretel trail of breadcrumbs linking me ever-so-precariously to the world of modern day femininity.
So I do it, I toss my sensible underwear and sports socks back into the draw, and reach for something a little lacier; I’m going for the full gâteaux of ‘girliness’, from underwear to jewelry and everything in between. After sliding the last strand of frizzy hair through my GHDs, I sling my handbag across my shoulder and saunter out the front door.
For the first 50 meters of my journey, I feel great; like a beaming contestant on some reality make over show. Then I see a bike rider. He is macking down Bourke St, zig zagging through piles of leaves as if he were a child carefully avoiding the cracks in the pavement. I feel a pang of jealousy. I look down at my pink toenails, peeking through the bows of my shoes, and remind myself of the simple pleasures of femininity. Embracing my girliness, I stride on ahead.
More bike riders appear. Some in groups, some solo; some fixed, some free; some in lycra, some in denim. All with a smile wider than the bike lane they inhabit. They rocket up Bourke St like water shooting out the top of a fountain, pronouncing themselves to the world as they reach the top of the hill. I can’t help but think, I’m missing out. Sure, they’re bound, to some degree, by practicality; shackled to sensible footwear and high cut t-shirts. Sure, they’ll end up cloaked in a film of sweat by the time they reach their destination, and they may get bumped by the occasional taxi. But it seems like a small price to pay for the rush of wind through your hair (even if it is tied back and frizzy), the tingle in your thighs as you reach the top of the first hill, the whir of the pedals beneath your feet as your legs spin around like a ferris wheel on full speed. These are the joys denied of skirt-clad pedestrians.
I start to feel a little uncomfortable; my dress feels a little tight, my heels a little high. I can hear the tomboy inside me – the one I masked with lipstick and mascara – getting restless, demanding attention. Suddenly, all this girly paraphernalia feels like a mistake; like switching up my usual lunch order for something different in the name of novelty, only to be left unsatisfied.
It’s not to say there’s never a time or place in my life for deviating from the norm – for swapping jeans for jewelry, denim for a dress – it’s just about recognising why, when I contemplate my attire for the day, I so often chose practicality over appearance. As fun as it is to adorn myself in beautiful clothes, it’s not nearly as much fun as cruising around on my bike. Fashion or fixie? I know which one I’d choose.
11 responses so far ↓
1 Renee-Boston // Feb 16, 2010 at 9:31 pm
I always end up with Function over Fashion. It seems like every time I make that attempt to the other side, I look at myself in the mirror and think…”Who an I kidding?” It just never really looks like me. The only place that brings me to the other side is Vegas.
2 jewlz // Feb 17, 2010 at 8:58 am
Gosh Emily, I so hear ya!
The other night I went out for dinner with a friend, and everybody who knew me made such a huge fuss of where I was going. Relax people I was thinking. I’m expressing my femininity and there’s nothing wrong with that!
Then, I found this article about Pink and I couldn’t help but think – why is it that a girl who often opts for practicality and she occassionally lets out her feminine side does it make headlines using the expression “WTF she’s wearing a dress”?!
http://celebrities.ninemsn.com.au/blog.aspx?blogentryid=587625&showcomments=true
We are women, we are feminine, and just because we are also practical, and passionate about our lives, doesn’t make us any less feminine. I will say though, thank goodness for designers who are finally looking to make classy outfits for us and not just our male counterparts!
- Rapha http://www.rapha.cc/rapha-women
- Outlier http://outlier.cc/2009/12/womens_daily_riding_pant.php
3 Urban+Jeff // Feb 17, 2010 at 12:42 pm
Nice piece of writing, Rie.
4 simon // Feb 17, 2010 at 10:26 pm
gr8 rite up
)
wear r d pix
pls?
5 Esther // Feb 18, 2010 at 7:37 am
The other day I was going to the symphony and couldn’t find anything to wear ’cause all the clothes in my closet are centered around the fact I ride everywhere I go. I went to the mall the next day to buy some skirts and dresses, but ended up with a couple more long tees and skinny jeans.
Sometimes I wish there were more days when I could wear heels and a skirt, but when those days happen, I’m just like you, I find myself longing for my sneakers inside some clips.
Femininity isn’t all about lace and curls. I think Candy Cranks proves that.
Check out a post I made on my personal bike blog a while back: http://slcsaddlesisters.blogspot.com/2009/06/femininity-in-bicycle.html
6 Emily // Feb 18, 2010 at 11:54 am
Seems like I’ve struck a chord – good to see I’m not the only one experiencing this dilemma.
Esther – yes, I think femininity can be more than a dress (the lashing of bright pink on my fixie are testament to this). For me the real challenge (and excitement) lies in the potential for us to redefine femininity, to make it relevant to all girls, be they ‘girly girl’, tomboy or something in between.
7 fleur // Feb 27, 2010 at 7:22 am
I was just cruising around the www and somehow l came across the beautiful writings of EMILY!!! It was such a lovely and enjoyable read and great pics too. Great to see you and Jay are still having great adventures…xoxoxox your Melbourne friend Fleur
8 Miss Sarah // Mar 21, 2010 at 7:14 am
Hey! I got this link from somebody reading my blog, great piece:) For me, I just like wearing the clothes I always wear… which has been deemed “fancy,” but for me, it’s what I’m comfortable in.
I usually wear heels because I’m too lazy to hem my pants. Or I’ll wear a skirt so that I don’t have to worry about my chain (skirts also make my legs look longer).
So for me it’s not about what anybody is wearing, as long as they’re giving bikes a chance. Like anything, cyclists come in all shapes and sizes and styles:)
S*!
9 Sam W // Mar 23, 2010 at 2:52 am
This struck a chord with me as well — though I have a Y chromosome. The reason being that I too ride everywhere and my clothing takes a hard hit; muck streaks on my back, totally sweated out tee-shirt, and crummy shoes that have seen too many rain storms. I look like a ratty bum, but if I chose to wear my nice clothes on my bike I run the risk of ruining nice shirts and slacks.
Sometimes you can make it work, but occasionally trying to look GQ is really, really hard to pull off when its 80 degrees and I have 10 miles to ride… in a button down with leather shoes.
Granted there is WAY less stigma attached to my situation that the tom-boy/girly-girl look. It’s a lot more accepted for guys to wear said clothing than girls. I just wanted to voice that the other half of the species can run into the same dilemma. Sometimes it would be nice to not look homeless, covered in sweat and grime.
Great post! You guys are fun to read.
10 Georgina // Mar 30, 2010 at 7:22 pm
Nice reading your post and hearing that we girls all go through the same outfit/ accessory/ fashion/ practicality challenges when riding. I totally know how you feel!
I usually wear my normal clothes with adaptations here and there for girliness and style on a bike. There’s gotta be a middle ground between the sporty tom boy look and impractical floaty dress attire, especially on a fixie. I guess it’s just a matter of finding what works for you.
I favour short belted A-line dresses or long slim-but-stretchy tops over skinny jeans with trainers or flats. You can zip along while still feeling girly. Let’s go ladies!
11 Cate // Apr 10, 2010 at 7:51 am
OK nice to hear. I’m a cyclist in my 50′s and I’ve lived my entire life with the same issues. It’s gotten to the point where I don’t even own a dress anymore but shit .. it’s me and I like it.
I work where I could wear my cycle clothes all day and noone cares. I do change into jeans and unsweaty clothes at work, but I could probably ride home in them if I wanted to.
I do have a distinct feminine side but it’s of my own creation. I’ll wear jewelery and the odd low cut t shirt. I have evening wear that is more feminine but still practical.
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