Today is International Women’s Day.
As I’ve mentioned on other posts, Susan B.Anthony—who didn’t live to exercise a right for which she fought—understood what an effective vehicle, if you will, on the long road to equality:
“I think the bicycle has done more to emancipate women than any one thing in the world. I rejoice every time I see a woman ride byon a bicycle.”
She is right in more ways than one. Bicycles themselves gave women mobility they didn’t have before. But, just as important, it loosened women’s dress standards: Bloomers, shorter and split skirts and the elimination of corsets were among the sartorial shifts bicycles ushered.
Having greater freedom of movement allowed women to move more freely and perform a greater variety of jobs. I can’t help but to think it was an important step in women seeing our bodies, and ourselves, on their and our own terms rather than in the physical and ideological constraints imposed by men. I can understand, a little, how exhilarating that could feel: I think I felt something like it when I realized I could live as a woman on my terms.
And bicycling has been an important part of that journey. When all is said and done, though I ride, not only in the spirit of Ms. Anthony, but also of Cyndi Lauper:
Girls just wanna have fun. Really, what better reason is there to ride?
Oh—speaking of clothing: Sophie Germain’s parents took hers away. Why? Because she was teaching herself mathematics, which was not “proper” for a young lady. When that didn’t work, they returned her vestments and let her go to school.
She would make important contributions to mathematics—including work in something called Elasticity Theory, which has proved invaluable to engineers—including one Gustavo Eiffel.
I learned about her when I found myself on a street named for her (rue Sophie Germain) as I cycled south from—you guessed it—the Eiffel Tower. And, being the curious person I am, I looked her up.
