cycling · feminism · fitness

Bikes, feminism, and moral panic

Image description: Black and white vintage photo. Roadside shot. Sign reads “Cyclists are advised to dismount.” Two bikes leaning against the sign. Two cyclists are hugging and smooching in the grass.”

Monday, November 4 – Dr. Samantha Brennan, Dean of the College of Arts, University of Guelph Bad Girls, Bikes, and the Women’s Liberation Movement It’s often said that women rode to freedom on the bicycle. Providing women with both a way to get around independently in the world and freeing them from restrictive garments that made movement close to impossible, cycling was pivotal in the early feminist movement. Avid cyclist and feminist Samantha Brennan will explore the historical connection between women, bicycles, and feminism.

This week I gave a talk in the ARCHAEOLOGY – HISTORY LECTURE SERIES held at the Upper Grand District School Board here in Guelph. We had a packed house and I got lots of great questions.

Here’s a slew of past posts on women, feminism, and bicycles that my talk drew on.

Some history of women and bikes

Is your bicycle making you gay?

Bicycles: Making good women go bad since the 1800s

Bike seats, speed, and sexual depravity

Riding this summer? Beware of bicycle face!

Global issues

Give the girl a bike!

Will bike riding in Saudi Arabia change the way women dress? 

Wadja: A girl, her bike, and her dreams

The Modern Day

Do Cupcake Rides and Heels on Wheels help or hurt the cause of women’s cycling?

Bike races and podium girls: Time to kiss goodbye?

Do drivers pass closer to men or to women?

Girls and bikes together again?

Mixed feelings about high fashion cycling gear

Bikes for ladies? What year is this again?

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