There's something sexy about bikes. Maybe it's the feel of the saddle or the awkward bend in the saddle to get on. Or perhaps it's simply the word "ride." Whatever it is, bicycles have always had an aura of shameless fun. The American suffragette Susan B. Anthony claimed that the bicycle had "done more for the emancipation of women than anything else in the world." Let's see why she said that.
Bicycles and women's liberation
La bici y liberación de la mujer
Hay algo sexi en las bicis. Quizá es el roce del sillín o la inclinación «culo en pompa» para poder montar. O tal vez simplemente la palabra «montar». Sea como sea, las bicicletas siempre han tenido un halo de desvergonzada diversión. La sufragista norteamericana Susan B. Anthony afirmó que la bicicleta había «hecho más por la emancipación de la mujer que cualquier otra cosa en el mundo» ¿Vemos por qué lo dijo?
The role of the bicycle in women's sexual emancipation has often been overlooked. The bike allowed for a freedom they had never experienced before. And not just the freedom to travel; the bicycle also freed the body from cumbersome chemises and corsets. It changed attitudes toward health, fitness, and exercise, and showed that women weren't delicate flowers. Its popularity sparked a medical debate. The bicycle became associated with sexual promiscuity, and that's why it featured so prominently in 19th-century erotic photography. The bicycle provided a convenient excuse to lean forward with legs raised and denoted a sexually liberated woman enjoying pleasure.
El papel de la bicicleta en la emancipación sexual de las mujeres ha sido a menudo ignorado. La bici permitió una libertad que nunca antes habían experimentado. Y no únicamente la de viajar; la bicicleta liberó también el cuerpo de engorrosas camisas y los corsés. Cambió las actitudes hacia la salud, la aptitud física y el ejercicio, y demostró que las mujeres no eran flores delicadas. Su popularidad forzó un debate médico. La bici pasó a asociarse a la promiscuidad sexual, y por eso tuvo mucha presencia en las fotografía erótica del XIX. La bicicleta proporcionaba una excusa conveniente para inclinarse hacia delante con las piernas levantadas y denotaba una mujer sexualmente liberada que disfrutaba del placer.
The female cyclist was viewed with suspicion; doctors worried about the effects those bounces on the saddle might have on her well-being. The dangers mentioned went beyond a simple fall. Because the saddle rubbed against the genitals, the dangers women faced were related to their sexual and reproductive health. Although by 1890 cycling was gaining popularity worldwide, doctors seemed particularly concerned about female cycling and the "marital organs." Despite several prominent doctors assuring the public that women did not use bicycles to masturbate, the mere suggestion that they did was enough for cycling to be condemned by many as indecent. The bicycle also offered men and women an opportunity for romance and sexual adventure, which undoubtedly enhanced its erotic appeal. Cycling allowed couples to leave home unaccompanied and overcome geographical barriers to seeing each other. The freedom the bicycle offered led some to suspect that cycling was being used for "impure purposes."
La dama ciclista fue mirada con recelo, los médicos se preocupaban por los efectos esos rebotes sobre el sillín pudieran tener sobre el bienestar. Los peligros que se mencionaban iban más allá de una simple caída. Como el sillín rozaba los genitales, los peligros a los que se enfrentaban las mujeres estaban relacionados con su salud sexual y reproductiva. Aunque hacia 1890 el afán ciclista se hacía sentir en todo el mundo, los médicos parecían particularmente preocupados por el ciclismo femenino y los «órganos matrimoniales». Pese a que varios médicos prominentes aseguraron al público que las mujeres no usaban las bicicletas para masturbarse, bastó la sugerencia de que lo hacían para que el ciclismo fuera condenado por muchos como indecente. La bicicleta también ofreció a hombres y mujeres una oportunidad para el romance y la aventura sexual, lo que sin duda aumentaba su calidad erótica. El ciclismo propició que las parejas se alejaran del hogar sin acompañamiento y superaran restricciones geográficas para verse. La libertad que ofrecía la bicicleta hizo que algunos sospecharan que el ciclismo se estaba utilizando para «propósitos impuros»
It was clear that if women wanted to ride bikes, their clothing would have to change. The Victorian corset was incompatible with cycling. Companies tried to sell "bicycle corsets." They were unsuccessful. In order to ride safely, some women opted for bloomers and loose clothing, which scandalized conservative Victorians. Women had two legs, and these were spread. The image of a woman straddling her bicycle was exploited in commercial erotica.
Fue evidente que si las mujeres querían montar en bici la vestimenta debía cambiar. El corsé victoriano no era compatible con el ciclismo. Las empresas intentaron vender «corsés para bicicletas». No tuvieron éxito. Con el fin de montar con seguridad, algunas mujeres optaron por llevar bombacho corto y ropa suelta que escandalizaron a los victorianos conservadores, las mujeres tenían dos piernas y estas se abrían. La imagen de una mujer sentada a horcajadas sobre su bicicleta fue explotada en erótica comercial.
The feminist figure of the new, independent, and modern woman emerged at the end of the 19th century, linked to the bicycle and challenging traditional notions of dress and everything else. As a result, she was frequently accused of wanting to be a man and labeled a "tomboy." Cycling was blamed for encouraging "masculine" behaviors in women, such as smoking, drinking, swearing, and promiscuity. The new woman demanded entry into spaces like universities. There was a barely veiled fear of her embracing the freedom of the bicycle, pedaling out of the domestic sphere and into the public one.
La figura feminista de la nueva mujer independiente y moderna surgió a finales del siglo XIX relacionada con la bici y desafiar las nociones tradicionales de vestimenta y de todo. Como resultado, fue acusada frecuentemente de querer ser un hombre y etiquetada como «marimacho». Se culpó al ciclismo de animar comportamientos «masculinos» en las mujeres, tales como fumar, beber, maldecir y la promiscuidad. La nueva mujer exigió la entrada en espacios como las universidades. Había un miedo apenas velado a su abrazar la libertad de la bicicleta, pedaleando fuera del mundo doméstico para entrar en el público.
Kate Lister (extract, condensed and translate by me), A Curious History of Sex.
All these words appeared in Issue 1 in this order, but with a lot more words between them.
The best way is Hemingway. To explain, process is just as interesting as the sleep-deprived reality. I trust myself to kill him. It is a little terrifying. Is the risk real?
I rationed out the trickery. In the same vault is a crafter, a maker. I became obsessed with the most brutal advice. Hit people with swords, a red umbrella, anything. Late at night, I had people to talk to. Then I went off friends.
We have a deadline. It's only when things go wrong, on a bare mountain in Germany, you quickly want to learn my Caribbean accent. People will trust you more. May your prick be hanged.
I have a message from strangers, and I might have time to escape. You can trust only one store in New York. Have we slipped, Colleen? To explain everything, spontaneously draw a bicycle. I recommend taking the time.
And then I lived my life using a chair. I find myself chewing them a lot. That's not a joke, but I'm not sure I'd trust it. Now I eat a lot more carrots, and I actually would come back, if this is a side effect. I was having issues, because it's just completely and utterly a very minor problem.
Now, however, things are different. When I have screwed things up, I don't perform. I think it all boils down to that movie star who was getting a lot of attention. Then my mother called an ambulance. My boss asked me onstage. What's different? A giant part of the process.
It's hard to choose success. People really have to encounter someone you've never done. This wild figure, seven by 2005, renamed itself my sister. Bill is William - one of many others you meet. Intellectually, it took my values outside. It was inappropriate to fling my elbow. I'm OK!
Most important in the environment of Lady Gaga, I could spend 24 hours breaking people I can trust. Except this time, they do it right. The end is a tense space in Brooklyn. How do I know that's true. I like throwing the pieces. We don't have to worry - and this is huge - every time a buzzer goes off.
Because it's just a baseline, doing whatever, one person bartering with me was a unique experience. First of all, take their baby. That's hard. I think that was 10 years ago, when I was little. My friends arrived. I barely had time at the ends of my legs. Thank you.
